The putative maintaining mechanism of gut bacterial ecosystem in giant pandas and its potential application in conservation

Cui, Xinyuan; Zhang, Qinrong; Chen, Hua; Liu, Guoqi; Zhu, Lifeng

doi:10.1111/eva.13494

Cited by 6 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…The composition of microbiota at various taxonomic levels revealed that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla, while Streptococcus , Escherichia ‐ shigella , and Clostridium sensu stricto 1 were the major genera. This finding is consistent with previous studies (Cui et al., 2023; Jin et al., 2020; Yan et al., 2021). Although Firmicutes were more abundance in the capable group, there was no significant difference observed between the two groups at the phylum level.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Natural mating ability is associated with gut microbiota composition and function in captive male giant pandas

Yan,

Lei,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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The issue of poor sexual performance of some male giant pandas seriously impairs the growth and the genetic diversity of the captive population, yet there is still no clear understanding of the cause of the loss of this ability and its underlying mechanism. In this study, we analyzed the gut microbiota and its function in 72 fecal samples obtained from 20 captive male giant pandas, with an equal allocation between individuals capable and incapable of natural mating. Additionally, we investigated fecal hormone levels and behavioral differences between the two groups. A correlation analysis was then conducted among these factors to explore the influencing factors of their natural mating ability. The results showed significant differences in the composition of gut microbiota between the two groups of male pandas. The capable group had significantly higher abundance of Clostridium sensu stricto 1 (padjusted = .0021, GLMM), which was positively correlated with fatty acid degradation and two‐component system functions (Spearman, padjusted < .05). Additionally, the capable group showed higher gene abundance in gut microbiota function including purine and pyrimidine metabolism and galactose metabolism, as well as pathways related to biological processes such as ribosome and homologous recombination (DEseq2, padjusted < .05). We found no significant differences in fecal cortisol and testosterone levels between the two groups, and no difference was found in their behavior either. Our study provides a theoretical and practical basis for further studying the behavioral degradation mechanisms of giant pandas and other endangered mammal species.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 94%

Natural mating ability is associated with gut microbiota composition and function in captive male giant pandas

Yan,

Lei,

Zhao

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Changes in gut microbiota can influence the resistance and pathogenicity of these pathogens ( Bäumler and Sperandio, 2016 ). Captive and wild environments significantly impact the structure and function of gut microbiota in giant pandas ( Guo et al, 2019 ; Yao et al, 2019 ; Tang et al, 2020 ; Hu et al, 2021 ; Cui et al, 2023 ). Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) also exhibit different distribution patterns among different geographic populations of giant pandas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The distribution variation of pathogens and virulence factors in different geographical populations of giant pandas

Zhao,

Li,

Wei

et al. 2023

Front. Microbiol.

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Intestinal diseases caused by opportunistic pathogens seriously threaten the health and survival of giant pandas. However, our understanding of gut pathogens in different populations of giant pandas, especially in the wild populations, is still limited. Here, we conducted a study based on 52 giant panda metagenomes to investigate the composition and distribution of gut pathogens and virulence factors (VFs) in five geographic populations (captive: GPCD and GPYA; wild: GPQIN, GPQIO, and GPXXL). The results of the beta-diversity analyzes revealed a close relationship and high similarity in pathogen and VF compositions within the two captive groups. Among all groups, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes emerged as the top three abundant phyla. By using the linear discriminant analysis effect size method, we identified pathogenic bacteria unique to different populations, such as Klebsiella in GPCD, Salmonella in GPYA, Hafnia in GPQIO, Pedobacter in GPXXL, and Lactococcus in GPQIN. In addition, we identified 12 VFs that play a role in the intestinal diseases of giant pandas, including flagella, CsrA, enterobactin, type IV pili, alginate, AcrAB, capsule, T6SS, urease, type 1 fimbriae, polar flagella, allantoin utilization, and ClpP. These VFs influence pathogen motility, adhesion, iron uptake, acid resistance, and protein regulation, thereby contributing to pathogen infection and pathogenicity. Notably, we also found a difference in virulence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa between GPQIN and non-GPQIN wild populations, in which the relative abundance of VFs (0.42%) of P. aeruginosa was the lowest in GPQIN and the highest in non-GPQIN wild populations (GPXXL: 23.55% and GPQIO: 10.47%). In addition to enhancing our understanding of gut pathogens and VFs in different geographic populations of giant pandas, the results of this study provide a specific theoretical basis and data support for the development of effective conservation measures for giant pandas.

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“…Similarly, Cui et al demonstrated variances in the topological characteristics of gut microbial networks between captive and wild giant panda populations through network module and keystone species analyses. The findings indicated that the wild giant panda [52] gut microbiome exhibits higher complexity, stability, and resilience to external influences. Cohesion, an innovative method for quantifying connectivity within microbial community networks, has gained widespread acceptance in assessing the relationships and interactions among diverse microorganisms in interdomain ecological networks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Network analysis, as an excellent microbiome research tool, has been widely employed to gain deeper insights into the intricate relationships that shape the dynamics of microbial communities among different microbial ecosystems [48][49][50][51][52]. Additionally, network analysis assists in identifying keystone species, functional modules, and the importance of ecological niches [4,46,53].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The giant panda, a specialized bamboo eater, stands as the flagship species for global biodiversity conservation. Gut bacteria play an important role in the nutrition, development, and immunity of giant pandas, and are also affected by various external environmental factors [52]. Similarly, dietary alterations have been found to influence the diversity of gut phages in giant pandas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Potential of Co-Evolution and Interactions of Gut Bacteria–Phages in Bamboo-Eating Pandas: Insights from Dietary Preference-Based Metagenomic Analysis

Zhang,

Zhou,

Cui

et al. 2024

Microorganisms

Self Cite

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Bacteria and phages are two of the most abundant biological entities in the gut microbiome, and diet and host phylogeny are two of the most critical factors influencing the gut microbiome. A stable gut bacterial community plays a pivotal role in the host’s physiological development and immune health. A phage is a virus that directly infects bacteria, and phages’ close associations and interactions with bacteria are essential for maintaining the stability of the gut bacterial community and the entire microbial ecosystem. Here, we utilized 99 published metagenomic datasets from 38 mammalian species to investigate the relationship (diversity and composition) and potential interactions between gut bacterial and phage communities and the impact of diet and phylogeny on these communities. Our results highlight the co-evolutionary potential of bacterial–phage interactions within the mammalian gut. We observed a higher alpha diversity in gut bacteria than in phages and identified positive correlations between bacterial and phage compositions. Furthermore, our study revealed the significant influence of diet and phylogeny on mammalian gut bacterial and phage communities. We discovered that the impact of dietary factors on these communities was more pronounced than that of phylogenetic factors at the order level. In contrast, phylogenetic characteristics had a more substantial influence at the family level. The similar omnivorous dietary preference and closer phylogenetic relationship (family Ursidae) may contribute to the similarity of gut bacterial and phage communities between captive giant panda populations (GPCD and GPYA) and omnivorous animals (OC; including Sun bear, brown bear, and Asian black bear). This study employed co-occurrence microbial network analysis to reveal the potential interaction patterns between bacteria and phages. Compared to other mammalian groups (carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores), the gut bacterial and phage communities of bamboo-eating species (giant pandas and red pandas) exhibited a higher level of interaction. Additionally, keystone species and modular analysis showed the potential role of phages in driving and maintaining the interaction patterns between bacteria and phages in captive giant pandas. In sum, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the interaction between the gut microbiota and phages in mammals is of great significance, which is of great value in promoting healthy and sustainable mammals and may provide valuable insights into the conservation of wildlife populations, especially endangered animal species.

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The putative maintaining mechanism of gut bacterial ecosystem in giant pandas and its potential application in conservation

Cited by 6 publications

References 105 publications

Natural mating ability is associated with gut microbiota composition and function in captive male giant pandas

Natural mating ability is associated with gut microbiota composition and function in captive male giant pandas

The distribution variation of pathogens and virulence factors in different geographical populations of giant pandas

The Potential of Co-Evolution and Interactions of Gut Bacteria–Phages in Bamboo-Eating Pandas: Insights from Dietary Preference-Based Metagenomic Analysis

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