Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbial Communities of the Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) at Different Developmental Stages

Zhou, Lei; Huo, Xiaona; Liu, Boyu; Wu, Hui; Jiang, Feng

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.592539

Cited by 25 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(77 reference statements)

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“…In the current study, the highest abundance of Proteobacteria (46.41% relative abundance) was found before captivity, followed by Firmicutes (33.67%), while the highest abundance of Firmicutes (54.62%) was found after captivity, followed by Proteobacteria (27.16%) ( Supplementary Figure 2 ). This was consistent with the study of Zhou et al (2020) but different from that of other wild raptors reported by Oliveira et al (2020) . Similar studies conducted in other bird species, such as the bar-headed goose ( Wang et al, 2017 ) and the oriental stork ( Wu et al, 2021 ), found that Firmicutes was the dominant species in both wild and caged populations, but the relative abundance of this phyla was lower in the caged population compared with the wild population.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Gut Microbiome Differences in Rescued Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) Before and After Captivity

et al. 2022

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Gut microbes significantly impact animal health, yet research on the gut microbiota of most birds, especially raptors, is lacking. This study investigated the effects of dietary and environmental changes on the composition and abundance of gut microbiota in 17 rescued common kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) through 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing of microorganisms in the feces of the birds. Firmicutes (relative abundance, 43.63%), Proteobacteria (37.26%), Actinobacteria (7.31%), and Bacteroidetes (5.48%) were the dominant phyla in the gut microbiota of the common kestrels. A comparison of the gut microbiota before and after captivity revealed that community composition and abundance of the common kestrel gut microbiota differed among different living conditions including diet and environment. At the phylum level, the abundance of Firmicutes was higher (P < 0.05), and that of Proteobacteria was lower (P < 0.05), after captivity (54.62 and 27.16%, respectively) compared with before captivity (33.67 and 46.41%, respectively), but no significant differences were found among other phyla. At the genus level, the abundance of Lactobacillus was higher (P < 0.05) after captivity (15.77%) compared with the abundance before captivity (5.02%). Hierarchical clustering and principal component analyses showed that common kestrels in different living conditions exhibited differences (P < 0.05) in gut microbiota at phylum and genus levels. Functional prediction of gene sequences using PICRUSt2 further revealed that pathways related to glucose metabolism and amino acid metabolism were enhanced (P < 0.05) after captivity. Collectively, the findings from this study demonstrated that the relative abundance of specific microbes in the gut of the rescued common kestrels either increased or decreased, and that dietary and environment changes might be the predominant factors affecting the gut microbiota of these birds during rescue or captivity.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 82%

Gut Microbiome Differences in Rescued Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) Before and After Captivity

et al. 2022

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“…Nevertheless, the lesser kestrel cloacal microbiome harbours a larger relative abundance of Actinobacteria and a lower one of Firmicutes compared to the other raptor species that were sampled both in captivity and in natural conditions. Indeed, the most represented phyla among all the raptor species for which a microbiome description is available were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes ( Nagai et al, 2019 ; Oliveira et al, 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ). Although some of these latter studies were performed on fecal microbiomes, qualitative similarities among the microbiomes of raptors were expected because of several potential, non-mutually exclusive, mechanisms related to phylogeny, diet and nesting habits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although some of these latter studies were performed on fecal microbiomes, qualitative similarities among the microbiomes of raptors were expected because of several potential, non-mutually exclusive, mechanisms related to phylogeny, diet and nesting habits. In fact, according to the hypothesis of a phylosymbiosis effect on the structure of microbiomes ( Ochman et al, 2010 ; Brooks et al, 2016 ; Youngblut et al, 2019 ; Song et al, 2020 ), at least a similarity in the gut microbiome of the lesser kestrel and of that of a closely related species, the Eurasian kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus ), was expected, although the studies on the Eurasian kestrel were performed on fecal samples ( Guan et al., 2020 ; Zhou et al., 2020 ). However, we found that the Eurasian kestrel microbiome is characterized by a high abundance of Proteobacteria (76.38%), followed by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria ( Guan et al, 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In particular, raptors (orders Accipitriformes, Falconiformes and Strigiformes) are poorly represented. Indeed, to date, very few descriptions of raptor gut microbiomes have been published ( Colston & Jackson, 2016 ; Nagai et al, 2019 ; Guan et al, 2020 ; Oliveira et al, 2020 ; Song et al, 2020 ; Zhou et al, 2020 ), mainly carried out on animals reared in captivity or admitted to wildlife rescue centers. However, it is likely that the gut microbiome of those animals was altered due to illnesses, trauma, medications, and/or captive rearing conditions ( Oliveira et al, 2020 ) and, as a consequence, that their microbiome differs as compared to that of their wild conspecifics ( Trevelline et al, 2019 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The cloacal microbiome of a cavity-nesting raptor, the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

Costanzo

Ambrosini

Franzetti

et al. 2022

PeerJ

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Background Microbial communities are found on any part of animal bodies exposed to the environment, and are particularly prominent in the gut, where they play such a major role in the host metabolism and physiology to be considered a “second genome”. These communities, collectively known as “microbiome”, are well studied in humans and model species, while studies on wild animals have lagged behind. This is unfortunate, as different studies suggested the central role of the gut microbiome in shaping the evolutionary trajectories of species and their population dynamics. Among bird species, only few descriptions of raptor gut microbiomes are available, and mainly carried out on captive individuals. Objectives In this study, we aimed at improving the knowledge of raptor microbiomes by providing the first description of the gut microbiome of the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni), a cavity-nesting raptor. Results The gut microbiome of the lesser kestrel was dominated by Actinobacteria (83.9%), Proteobacteria (8.6%) and Firmicutes (4.3%). We detected no differences in microbiome composition between males and females. Furthermore, the general composition of the microbiome appears similar to that of phylogenetically distant cavity-nesting species. Conclusions Our results broaden the knowledge of raptor gut microbial communities and let us hypothesize that the distinct nest environment in terms of microclimate and presence of organic material from previous breeding attempts, to which cavity-nesting species that reuse the nest are exposed, might be an important driver shaping microbiomes.

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“…This is consistent with the fact that the waders and waterfowl dietary preference of plants and grains. Carnivorous raptors are often regarded as pathogen vectors ( Zhou et al, 2020 ). Consistent with previous studies, our research showed that the dominant flora of the gut microbiota of raptors were Proteobacteria, which have higher relative abundances than waders and waterfowl.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive comparison of fecal microbiota in three ecological bird groups of raptors, waders, and waterfowl

et al. 2022

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Gut microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining the health and immunity of wild birds. However, less is known about the comparison of fecal microbiota between different ecological groups of wild birds, particularly in the Yellow River National Wetland in Baotou, China, an important transit point for birds migrating all over the East Asia-Australian and Central Asian flyways. In this study, we characterized the fecal microbiota and potential microbial function in nine bird species of raptors, waders, and waterfowl using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to reveal the microbiota differences and interaction patterns. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in α-diversity, but a significant difference in β-diversity between the three groups of birds. The fecal bacterial microbiota was dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes in all groups of birds. Furthermore, we identified five bacterial genera that were significantly higher in raptors, five genera that were significantly higher in waders, and two genera that were more abundant in waterfowl. The bacterial co-occurrence network results revealed 15 and 26 key genera in raptors and waterfowls, respectively. The microbial network in waterfowl exhibited a stronger correlation pattern than that in raptors. PICRUSt2 predictions indicated that fecal bacterial function was significantly enriched in the antibiotic biosynthesis pathway in all three groups. Metabolic pathways related to cell motility (bacterial chemotaxis and flagellar assembly) were significantly more abundant in raptors than in waders, whereas waders were enriched in lipid metabolism (synthesis and degradation of ketone bodies and fatty acid biosynthesis). The fecal microbiota in waterfowl harbored more abundant vitamin B6 metabolism, RNA polymerase, and tyrosine and tryptophan biosynthesis. This comparative study revealed the microbial community structure, microbial co-occurrence patterns, and potential functions, providing a better understanding of the ecology and conservation of wild birds. Future studies may focus on unraveling metagenomic functions and dynamics along with the migration routine or different seasons by metagenomics or metatranscriptomics.

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Comparative Analysis of the Gut Microbial Communities of the Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) at Different Developmental Stages

Cited by 25 publications

References 72 publications

Gut Microbiome Differences in Rescued Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) Before and After Captivity

Gut Microbiome Differences in Rescued Common Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) Before and After Captivity

The cloacal microbiome of a cavity-nesting raptor, the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni)

A comprehensive comparison of fecal microbiota in three ecological bird groups of raptors, waders, and waterfowl

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