Geographical Differences and Temporal Dynamics of Intestinal Microbiota in
Endangered Great Bustard Otis tarda Based on Environmental DNA Metabarcoding
#MMPMID41384150
Yuan F
; Wu Y
; Liu G
Int J Microbiol
2025[]; 2025
(?): 5587641
PMID41384150
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Intestinal microbiota plays a crucial role in host physiological adaptation,
though research on the characteristics of intestinal microbiota in the endangered
great bustard Otis tarda has been initiated, with prior studies focusing on gut
microbial composition, diversity dynamics, and the impacts of captivity and
overwintering periods. Comprehensive insights into geographical differences and
short-term temporal dynamics across diverse habitats remain limited. Here, we
used fecal environmental (eDNA) metabarcoding to investigate the geographical
differences and temporal dynamics of the intestinal microbiota in great bustards
from Hebei (HB), Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (NMG), and Shaanxi (SX)
provinces of China, with temporal sampling in two sites (the confluence area of
the Yellow River and the Weihe and the Luohe rivers) of SX during December
2024-March 2025. Results revealed that the great bustard intestinal microbiota
was dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidota at the phylum
level, with core genera including Lachnoclostridium, Subdoligranulum, and
Blautia. Significant geographical divergence was observed in the NMG population
(grassland habitat), which exhibited a unique enrichment of Verrucomicrobiota
(especially Akkermansia), while SX (farmland) and HB populations were dominated
by Firmicutes. Temporal dynamics in SX showed fluctuations in microbial diversity
and composition, which may be linked to temporal dietary shifts in winter
(inferred from habitat vegetation characteristics, as direct diet measurement was
not conducted). Functional predictions indicated conserved metabolic functions
across populations, with variations in genetic information processing and
environmental adaptation-related functions. These findings highlight that the
great bustard's intestinal microbiota may be shaped by habitat-specific factors
(i.e., diet and environment, inferred from habitat type) and temporal changes,
providing insights into putative microbial mechanisms underlying the ecological
adaptation of the endangered great bustard O. tarda. This study contributes to
understanding host-microbiota interactions in endangered avians and supports
evidence-based conservation strategies.
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