biostudies-literatureUnknown9Li JEcological research of the translocated Musk deer in SichuanAn increasing body of research has revealed that social behavior shapes the animal gut microbiome community and leads to the similarity among the same social group. However, some additional factors (e.g., diet and habitat within each social group) may also contribute to this similarity within the social group and dissimilarity between social groups. Here, we investigated the potential correlation between social behavior and the gut microbiome community in 179 musk deer from four breeding regions in the Maerkang Captive Center, Sichuan. The dominant gut microbiome phyla in the musk deer in this study were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. We found significant effects on the alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiome due to the breeding regions. The similarity within breedinPeerJe10860https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC7866896biostudies-literatureSocial behavior of musk deer during the mating season potentially influences the diversity of their gut microbiome.PMC7866896Zhou LLi JZhu YYang KFeng DWang JYang ZLi SChen ZDai QZhu LLuo WZheng CLiu GfalseSocial behavior of musk deer during the mating season potentially influences the diversity of their gut microbiome.An increasing body of research has revealed that social behavior shapes the animal gut microbiome community and leads to the similarity among the same social group. However, some additional factors (e.g., diet and habitat within each social group) may also contribute to this similarity within the social group and dissimilarity between social groups. Here, we investigated the potential correlation between social behavior and the gut microbiome community in 179 musk deer from four breeding regions in the Maerkang Captive Center, Sichuan. The dominant gut microbiome phyla in the musk deer in this study were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria. We found significant effects on the alpha and beta diversity of the gut microbiome due to the breeding regions. The similarity within breedin2021-01-01T00:00:00Z20212025-06-01T12:18:31.265Z2025-06-01T12:18:31.265ZS-EPMC78668963360419510.7717/peerj.10860