Comparative Analysis of Compound Probiotics, Seasonal Variation, and Age on Gut Microbial Composition and Function in Endangered Forest Musk Deer.

ABSTRACT: Due to persistent poaching and habitat fragmentation, wild forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) in China have sharply declined; although captive breeding helps, frequent gut diseases limit further expansion. This study used high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing to analyze the effects of age, season variation, and compound probiotics on the gut microbiota of captive individuals. The results demonstrated that compound probiotics exerted a significantly greater influence on gut microbial composition, α-diversity, and functional variation compared to the effects of age or seasonal factors. β-diversity analysis confirmed greater differences between probiotic-treated and control groups than among age or seasonal groups. Microbial community assembly was mainly driven by deterministic proce

SUBMITTER: Jiang F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12471530 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature