The intestinal microbiota and metabolic profiles of Strauchbufo raddei underwent adaptive changes during hibernation

Abstract

The intestinal microbiota help regulate hibernation in vertebrates. However, it needs to be established how hibernation modulates the gut microbiome and intestinal metabolism. In the present study, we used an artificial hibernation model to examine the responses of the gut microbiota of the Strauchbufo raddei to the environmental changes associated with this behavior. Hibernation significantly lowered the diversity of the microbiota and altered the microbial community of the gut. Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidota were the major bacterial phyla in the intestines of S. raddei. However, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria predominated in the gut of active and hibernating S. raddei, respectively. Certain bacterial genera such as Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Ralstonia, and Rhodococcus could serve as biomarkers distinguishing hibernating and non‐hibernating S. raddei. The gut microbiota was more resistant to environmental stress in hibernating than active S. raddei. Moreover, metabolomics revealed that metabolites implicated in fatty acid biosynthesis were highly upregulated in the intestines of hibernating S. raddei. The metabolites that were enriched during hibernation enabled S. raddei to adapt to the low temperatures and the lack of exogenous food that are characteristic of hibernation. A correlation analysis of the intestinal microbiota and their metabolites revealed that the gut microbiota might participate in the metabolic regulation of hibernating S. raddei. The present study clarified the modifications that occur in the intestinal bacteria and their symbiotic relationship with their host during hibernation. These findings are indicative of the adaptive changes in the metabolism of amphibians under different environmental conditions.

Effects of Hibernation on Colonic Epithelial Tissue and Gut Microbiota in Wild Chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus)

“…Similarly, the effects of hibernation on the gut microbiota have been found in other mammals, such as dwarf lemurs [25], brown bears [26], and bats [27]. Among amphibians, for example, studies of the Japanese wrinkled frogs (Glandirana rugosa) [28] Strauchbufo raddei [29] and Fejervarya limnocharis [30] have also revealed the impact of hibernation on the gut microbiota.…”

Microbial communities are thermally more sensitive in warm-climate lizards compared with their cold-climate counterparts

“…However, in cold-climate vertebrates such as the Brandt’s vole Lasiopodomys brandtii ( Bo et al, 2019 ) and the Tibetan sheep Ovis aries ( Fan et al, 2021 ), cold stress increases the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio to maintain the host’s metabolic balance. Compared with active counterparts, hibernating animals often have a higher relative abundance of Proteobacteria in their gut microbiota ( Weng et al, 2016 ; Song et al, 2020 ; Tong et al, 2020 ; Cao et al, 2023 ). Such a difference is also evident in animals not hibernating in winter ( Sun et al, 2016 ; Ferguson et al, 2018 ), indicating that the bacterial phylum Proteobacteria may have an important role in helping hosts adapt to fasting (starvation) or cold conditions.…”

Effects of host identity on the gut microbiota: A comparative study on three microtinae species

“…The mammalian intestine is inhabited by trillions of microbes termed gut microbiota, which play an integral role in nutrient intake, 1 behavior, metabolism, immune function, and development of the host 2 . Increasing evidence has shown that gut microbiota have essential metabolic and immunological functions in the adaptation of their host to complex, variable environments.…”

“…The mammalian intestine is inhabited by trillions of microbes termed gut microbiota, which play an integral role in nutrient intake, 1 behavior, metabolism, immune function, and development of the host. 2 Increasing evidence has shown that gut microbiota have essential metabolic and immunological functions in the adaptation of their host to complex, variable environments. For instance, the dynamic gut microbiota in Mongolian gerbils ( Meriones unguiculatus ) confer host plasticity in thermoregulation in response to intermittent temperature fluctuations.…”