The bamboo-eating giant panda harbors a carnivore-like gut microbiota, with excessive seasonal variations.

ABSTRACT:

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The giant panda evolved from omnivorous bears. It lives on a bamboo-dominated diet at present, but it still retains a typical carnivorous digestive system and is genetically deficient in cellulose-digesting enzymes. To find out whether this endangered mammalian species, like other herbivores, has successfully developed a gut microbiota adapted to its fiber-rich diet, we conducted a 16S rRNA gene-based large-scale structural profiling of the giant panda fecal microbiota. Forty-five captive individuals were sampled in spring, summer, and late autumn within 1 year. Significant intraindividual variations in the diversity and structure of gut microbiota across seasons were observed in this population, which were even greater than the variations between individuals. Compared w

SUBMITTER: Xue Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4442137 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature