Functional analysis for gut microbes of the brown tree frog (Polypedates megacephalus) in artificial hibernation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Annual hibernation is an adaptation that helps many animals conserve energy during food shortage in winter. This natural cycle is also accompanied by a remodeling of the intestinal immune system, which is an aspect of host biology that is both influenced by, and can itself influence, the microbiota. In amphibians, the bacteria in the intestinal tract show a drop in bacterial counts. The proportion of pathogenic bacteria is greater in hibernating frogs than that found in nonhibernating frogs. This suggests that some intestinal gut microbes in amphibians can be maintained and may contribute to the functions in this closed ecosystem during hibernation. However, these results were derived from culture-based approaches that only covered a small portion of bacteria in the inte

SUBMITTER: Weng FC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5260014 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature