Host Diet Preference Drives Diversity and Composition of Gut Microbiota in Captive Birds.

ABSTRACT: Gut microbiota (GM) plays a vital role in host physiology, yet our understanding of the factors driving GM variability in birds remains incomplete. Previous research has provided mixed support for different predictors of bird GM variation, possibly due to the high heterogeneity of avian GM combined with the strong influence of environmental factors on its composition. To suppress the role of these confounding factors, we focused on interspecific GM variation in birds from captive populations, with the aim of clarifying the role of diet and phylogeny. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we analysed the GM of 36 bird species from 14 orders, focusing on variability in GM diversity and distribution of individual bacterial constituents. We found that host phylogeny only had limited influence on

SUBMITTER: Kubovciak J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12611309 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature