Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) are keystone species within their grassland ecosystems; their population stability affects a multitude of other species. The goals of this study were to explore, describe and compare the bacterial communities in caecal and hard faecal samples from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs (n = 36) from KS, USA, using high-throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene and to compare sex and geographic locations. A total of 22 paired faecal and caecal samples were collected post-mortem from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs from 5 different geographical locations. The results revealed that the microbiota of both faecal and caecal samples were dominated by the phylum Firmicutes (genera belonging to the Clostridiales order). There was significantly greater richness in faecal compared with caecal samples. There were significant differences between the 5 different geographic regions (P < 0.001), specifically in the relative abundances of genera. There were differences in rare members of the microbiome between faecal samples from male and female prairie dogs but with no significant impact on overall community structure. This study provides novel data and expands our knowledge about the gastrointestinal microbiome composition of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs, which has potential to inform conservation efforts and improve their captive management.

中文翻译：

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使用 16S rRNA 基因 V4 区的高通量测序表征自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠 (Cynomys ludovicianus) 的粪便和盲肠微生物群

黑尾土拨鼠（Cynomys ludovicianus）是草原生态系统中的重要物种；它们的种群稳定性会影响许多其他物种。本研究的目的是探索、描述和比较来自美国堪萨斯州的自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠 (n = 36) 的盲肠和硬粪便样本中的细菌群落，使用 V4 区域的高通量测序。 16S rRNA 基因并比较性别和地理位置。从来自 5 个不同地理位置的自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠身上采集了总共 22 对粪便和盲肠样本。结果表明，粪便和盲肠样本的微生物群均以厚壁菌门（属于梭菌目）为主。与盲肠样本相比，粪便的丰富度明显更高。5 个不同地理区域之间存在显着差异（P < 0.001），特别是在属的相对丰度方面。雄性和雌性草原土拨鼠粪便样本中罕见的微生物组成员存在差异，但对整体群落结构没有显着影响。这项研究提供了新的数据并扩展了我们对自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠胃肠道微生物组组成的了解，这有可能为保护工作提供信息并改善它们的圈养管理。雄性和雌性草原土拨鼠粪便样本中罕见的微生物组成员存在差异，但对整体群落结构没有显着影响。这项研究提供了新的数据并扩展了我们对自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠胃肠道微生物组组成的了解，这有可能为保护工作提供信息并改善它们的圈养管理。雄性和雌性草原土拨鼠粪便样本中罕见的微生物组成员存在差异，但对整体群落结构没有显着影响。这项研究提供了新的数据并扩展了我们对自由放养的黑尾草原土拨鼠胃肠道微生物组组成的了解，这有可能为保护工作提供信息并改善它们的圈养管理。