Effects of Microhabitat Temperature Variations on the Gut Microbiotas of Free-Living Hibernating Animals.

ABSTRACT: Variations in ambient temperature (T_a) may significantly influence the gut microbiotas of ectothermic and endothermic animals, affecting fitness. It remains unclear, however, whether temperature fluctuations affect the gut microbial communities of hibernating animals during torpor. To investigate temperature-induced changes in the gut microbiota during hibernation under entirely natural conditions, we took advantage of two adjacent but distinct populations of the least horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus pusillus), which inhabit sites with a similar summer T_a but a different winter T_a. Using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, we estimated differences in gut microbial diversity and composition between the hibernating (winter) and active (s

SUBMITTER: Liu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10434193 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature