Sex- and age-specific variation of gut microbiota in Brandt's voles.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gut microbiota plays a key role in the survival and reproduction of wild animals which rely on microbiota to break down plant compounds for nutrients. As compared to laboratory animals, wild animals face much more threat of environmental changes (e.g. food shortages and risk of infection). Therefore, studying the gut microbiota of wild animals can help us better understand the mechanisms animals use to adapt to their environment.

Methods

We collected the feces of Brandt's voles in the grassland, of three age groups (juvenile, adult and old), in both sexes. We studied the gut microbiota by 16S rRNA sequencing.

Results

The main members of gut microbiota in Brandt's voles were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. As voles get older, the proportion of

SUBMITTER: Xu X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8194415 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature