The Faecal Microbiome Analysed from Healthy, Free-Roaming Giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis).

ABSTRACT: Similar to other herbivores, healthy giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) rely on a variety of symbiotic microorganisms in their digestive systems to break down cellulose and hemicellulose. In this study, we investigate the impact that external stimuli might have on the faecal prokaryote composition of healthy, free-roaming giraffes. Faecal samples were collected from six male and seven female giraffe individuals, over a 2-year period, during the wet and dry seasons, from six locations within the Free State Province, South Africa. Giraffe populations were exposed to one of two feeding practices which included provision of supplemental feed or only naturally available vegetation. Seventeen (17) different prokaryotic phyla, consisting of 8370 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), were identified f

SUBMITTER: Grobbelaar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11850562 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature