Characteristics of bacterial community and volatile fatty acids in the gastrointestinal tract of Tarim wapiti

Abstract

Tarim wapiti (Cervus elaphus yarkandensis) may have a complex gut microbiota that contributes to its unique qualities due to its biological characteristics of tolerance to coarse feed and salt-alkali. The contents of the forestomach (rumen, reticulum, and omasum), abomasum, and small intestine (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) were taken in this investigation from six Tarim wapiti. The objective was to assess the content of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and microbiological diversity through 16S rDNA. The results showed that acetate, propionate, butyrate, and valerate concentrations were much higher in the forestomach compared to the small intestine. The communities of bacteria were abundant and diversified in the forestomach and abomasum compared to the small intestine. Bacteroidetes were significantly more abundant in the forestomach and abomasum than in the small intestine, but Firmicutes were the reverse. The predominant bacterial genera identified in the forestomach and abomasum were Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, Prevotella and F082; Clostridium sensu stricto 1, Acetitomaculum, Paeniclostridium, and Romboutsia were the main bacterial genera in the small intestine. The relative abundance of genes for microbial energy metabolism functions was substantially reduced across the rumen to the reticulum, across the abomasum to the duodenum for carbohydrate metabolism and lipid metabolism functions, and across the jejunum to the ileum for lipid metabolism and energy metabolism functions. In addition, VFAs were found to be positively correlated with dominant bacteria in forestomach and abomasum, and negatively correlated with dominant bacteria in small intestine. According to the study, Tarim wapiti have developed a unique and distinct dominant bacterial community in its forestomach, abomasum, and intestines.

HIGHLIGHTS

• This is the first report that provides a detailed analysis of the microbial communities present in different segments of the forestomach, abomasum, and small intestine of the Tarim wapiti.

• The study established baseline data on the Tarim wapiti, which is the only red deer species that can survive in desert environments.

Keywords:

• Tarim wapiti
• volatile fatty acids
• microbiota
• 16S rDNA
• gastrointestinal tract

Acknowledgements

All authors would like to thank the Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, China, for financial support.

Ethical approval

All animal procedures were approved by the Animal Ethic Committee of Tarim University (Xinjiang, China), conducted in accordance with the Guidelines for the Care and Use of Research Animals in China (GB14925-2001).

Disclosure statement

All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to state.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in NCBI (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sra/PRJNA982455).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps in China [project number 2023AB007-02].