Gut Microbial Characterization of Melon-Headed Whales (Peponocephala electra) Stranded in China.

ABSTRACT: Although gut microbes are regarded as a significant component of many mammals and play a very important role, there is a paucity of knowledge around marine mammal gut microbes, which may be due to sampling difficulties. Moreover, to date, there are very few, if any, reports on the gut microbes of melon-headed whales. In this study, we opportunistically collected fecal samples from eight stranded melon-headed whales (Peponocephala electra) in China. Using high-throughput sequencing technology of partial 16S rRNA gene sequences, we demonstrate that the main taxa of melon-headed whale gut microbes are Firmicutes, Fusobacteriota, Bacteroidota, and Proteobacteria (Gamma) at the phylum taxonomic level, and Cetobacterium, Bacteroides, Clostridium sensu stricto, and

SUBMITTER: Bai S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8950688 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature