白头叶猴肠道菌群组成及其影响因素

Gut Microbiota Composition and Its Influencing Factors in the White-Headed Langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus)

摘要: 野生动物的肠道菌群结构是宿主动物与环境长期协同进化的结果，对环境变化的响应非常迅速。研究野生动物的肠道菌群群落组成及其影响因素，可为我们理解野生动物如何适应环境变化提供新的生理生态学方面的见解。白头叶猴是石山特有物种，仅分布于我国广西崇左市境内的石山森林中。开展肠道菌群的研究，对我们揭示石山灵长类的种群健康状况、环境适应策略以及制定科学保护措施具有重要的参考价值。本文系统综述了白头叶猴的肠道菌群结构特征及其时空变化规律，探讨了白头叶猴肠道菌群结构的主要影响因素。结果发现，厚壁菌门(Bacillota)是白头叶猴肠道菌群的优势菌群，其相对丰度(47.00%~87.31%)在不同的猴群和季节间存在波动，但始终占据主导地位，表明出对宿主的高纤维食物结构的高度适应。白头叶猴肠道菌群的时空变化是多种因素共同作用的结果，其中食物营养成分、气候因素、环境微生物等是影响其肠道菌群结构的重要因素。本文建议未来应当整合多组学分析，结合宏转录组、代谢组等深度测序手段探究肠道菌群的功能，从多维度揭示白头叶猴对破碎化石山生境的生理适应机制，为物种的保护工作提供科学支撑。

Abstract: The gut microbiota of the wildlife are results from coevolution of the host and environmental factors, which responds rapidly to environmental variations. Data on the composition and influencing factors of gut microbiota could provide new insights into the physiological adaptation of the animals to their changing environments. The white-headed langurs (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) are karst-endemic animal exclusively distributed in the limestone forests of Guangxi, Southwest China. Information regarding the gut microbiota are important for us to understand the population health and environmental adaptation strategies of these animals, consequently facilitating developing conservation plans for primates. In this study, we first describe the characteristics and spatiotemporal variation patterns of the gut microbiota in the white-headed langurs, and then detect the predominant influencing factors. The results show that the phylum Bacillota (=Firmicutes) is the dominant bacterial group in the gut microbiota of the white-headed langurs, with a fluctuation in their relative abundance (ranging from 47.00% to 87.31%) among groups and seasons, which indicates highly adaptation to the fiber-rich diets of these langurs. There are marked spatiotemporal variations in the gut microbiota of white-headed langurs, which could be associated with the dietary nutrients, climatic factors, and environmental microorganisms. This paper suggests that future research should integrate multi-omics analyses to investigate gut microbial functions to explore the physiological adaptation of white-headed langurs to the fragmented limestone forests, thereby providing scientific support for species conservation.