The Gut Microflora Structure Of Giant Pandas Viewed Across Gender

Giant panda(Ailuropoda melanoleuca)distributed only in China and known as national treasure,is a special protected animal in our country.The intestinal microflora of giant pandas plays an important role in disease immunity,digestion,absorption and physiological metabolism.With the further study of intestinal microflora of giant pandas,it was found that intestinal microflora of giant pandas were affected by dietary structure,season and age and other factors.However,the differences of intestinal microflora between male and female giant pandas,which have significant differences in behavioral patterns,physiological structure and metabolism,are still lack of systematic research.In this study,the fecal samples of 29 giant pandas from Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center and Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding were selected,and the diversity and difference of intestinal microflora were investigated by high-throughput sequencing technology(Illumina Hiseq)based on 16 S rRNA gene in different genders of giant pandas.1.For 18 pandas from Wolong Giant Panda Breeding Center,the results were as follows:(1)At the phylum level,the predominant intestinal microflora of all giant pandas studied were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria.Due to the significant difference of microflora among different ages,the differences of intestinal microflora between male and female pandas were compared and analyzed at different ages.Among sub-adult pandas,the proportion of Firmicutes(40.43%)in female intestinal microflora was significantly lower than that of male(59.27%)in the total microflora(P < 0.05),while the proportion of Proteobacteria(53.69%)in female was significantly higher than that in male(37.35%)in the total microflora;For adult pandas,the proportion of Firmicutes(66.99%)in female intestinal microflora was significantly lower than that in male(72.56%).while the proportion of female Proteobacteria(17.01%)was not significantly different from that of male Proteobacteria(18.71%)(P > 0.05);For elderly pandas,the percentage of Firmicutes(53.13%)in female intestinal microflora was significantly lower than that of males(77.97%),while the percentage of female Proteobacteria(46.47%)was significantly higher than that of males(17.43%).Different age groups show different laws.(2)At the Genus level,the predominant microflora of giant pandas were Streptococcus,Clostridium and Escherichia.The proportion of these three microflora were significantly different in the intestinal flora of different pandas.In sub-adult pandas,the proportion of Streptococcus and Clostridium in female intestinal flora was significantly lower than that in male,while the proportion of Escherichia in female was significantly higher than that in male.In adult pandas,the proportion of Streptococcus in female intestinal microflora was significantly lower than that in male,but the proportion of Clostridium and Escheria in female intestinal microflora was significantly higher than that in male.The three predominant microflora rules were consistent with those of adult pandas.2.For 11 pandas in Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding,the results were as follows:(1)At the phylum level,all the predominant intestinal microflora of giant pandas studied were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria.Due to the significant difference of the intestinal microflora among different age groups,the differences of intestinal microflora between male and female pandas were compared and analyzed.In adult pandas,the proportion of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria in the total microflora of female intestinal microflora was not significantly different from that of male;in elderly pandas,the proportion of Firmicutes(70.47%)in the intestinal microflora of females was significantly lower than that of males(93.56%),while the Proteobacteria(29.04%)of females was significantly higher than that of males(6.30%).(2)At the Genus level,the predominant microflora of giant pandas were Streptococcus,Clostridium and Escherichia,and the proportion of these three microflora were also significantly different in different pandas.In adult pandas,the proportion of Streptococcus in female intestinal flora was significantly lower than that in male,while the proportion of Clostridium in female intestinal microflora was significantly higher than that in male,while the proportion of Escherichia in female intestinal microflora was not significantly different from that in male.In elderly pandas,the proportion of Streptococcus in the female intestinal microflora was significantly lower than that of Streptococcus in the male,while the proportion of Clostridium and Escherichia in the female intestinal flora was significantly higher than that of the male.The results showed that there were significant differences in intestinal microflora structure between different genders of giant pandas.This study explored the gender differences of intestinal microflora in giant pandas,provided valuable data for the targeted treatment of intestinal diseases and the health of giant pandas,and provided scientific basis for the survival,reproduction and disease prevention of giant pandas in protected areas.