| The intestinal microbiota plays an important role in maintaining the stability of gastrointestinal environment of animals, at the same time the composition of gastrointestinal microbial communities is also influenced by external environments such as diets. Studies on the intestinal microflora structure can better understand the diet and health of animal. With the rapid development of molecular biology techniques, the study of animal intestinal microflora has becoming more pervasive. Hooded Crane as an endangered species faces its habitat lost in recent years, due to human interference and other factors. Its intestinal microflora structure has not yet been reported. It should be of great conservation value to analyze the intestinal microbiome associated with Hooded Crane to understand the living conditions of the Crane. Dynamical changes of diet as an influence on the community composition of intestinal microbiome. Shengjin Lake is an important wintering habitat for the Hooded Cranes. The main diet of the Hooded Cranes changes as the wintering period moves on. Understanding changes of the community composition of gastrointestinal microbia of the wintering Hooded Cranes under different food resources is helpful to further understanding of wintering ecology of the Hooded Cranes.In this study, we analyzed the fecal microflora structure of the Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) at Shengjin Lake, and defined the core fecal microbiome through 16S rRNA gene sequence-based analysis. We obtained a total of 544260 quality sequences and 809 OTUs from 16 fecal samples. Further analyses, we have detected 26 phyla, dominated by phyla Firmicutes (42.3%), Proteobacteria(19.2%), Actinobacteria (13.6%), and were found in all samples. In addition, we have detected 185 families, dominated by family Peptostreptococcaceae (12.9%), Enterobacteriaceae (10.3%), Clostridiaceae (9.2%), Planococcaceae (6.2%), Prevotellaceae (5.7%), Micrococcaceae (4.5%). At the genus level, we detected 284 genera. A total of 23 genera formed core microbiome of wintering Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake. Therein, we detected some probiotics, including genera Clostridium,Bacillus, Cellulosilyticum and Cellulomonas, which could convert cellulose. In addition, at the genus level, we found possible pathogenic bacteria within the gut microbes of wintering Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake, such as Corynebacterium, Helicobacter, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus. And detected pathogenic bacteria which closely related to human and livestock health, such as Campylobacter, Pseudomonas, Shigella. Based on the present experimental data, analysis of Shannon-wiener Index and Simpson Index indicated that the diversity of gastrointestinal microbial communities of the Hooded Cranes tended to increase with the advance of the winter periods, but had no significant differences. However, microbial community composition had certain differences among three periods. At the phylum level, the microbial community contained higher Bacteroides in early winter period, dominated by Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria; higher Firmicutes in mid-winter period, dominated by Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria; while higher Proteobacteria in late winter period, dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. At the genus level, compared with the other two winter periods, the amount of Clostridium was higher in the late winter period and the amount of Prevotella decreased distinctly from the early winter period to the middle winter period and late winter period, while the amount of Clostridium increased distinctly from the early winter period to the middle winter period and late winter period.This study provided fundamental data on intestinal microbiome construction of Hooded Cranes, providing some basic information for future studies, so as to further understand the lifestyle of Hooded Cranes and other wintering waterbirds at Shengjin Lake. |
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