Data Sheet 2_Analysis of fungal diversity in the feces of Arborophila rufipectus.pdf

BackgroundIntestinal fungal composition plays a crucial role in modulating host health, and thus is of great significance in the conservation of endangered bird species. However, research on gut fungal composition in birds is limited. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to examine gut fungal community and potential fecal pathogen composition in wild Arborophila rufipectus.
MethodsFecal samples were collected from the habitats of wild A. rufipectus and Lophura nycthemera (a widely distributed species belonging to the same family as A. rufipectus) in summer and autumn. Thereafter, RNA was collected and the internal transcribed spacer rRNA gene was sequenced via high-throughput sequencing to investigate seasonal variations in intestinal core fungi, microbial fungi, and potential pathogenic fungi.
ResultsThe gut microbiota of A. rufipectus and L. nycthemera were highly similar and mainly consisted of three phyla, Ascomycota (58.46%), Basidiomycota (28.80%), and Zygomycota (3.56%), which accounted for 90.82% of the fungal community in all the samples. Further, the predominant genera were Ascomycota_unclassified (12.24%), Fungi_unclassified (8.37%), Davidiella (5.18%), Helotiales_unclassified (2.76%), Wickerhamomyces (1.84%), and Pleosporales_unclassified (1.14%), and the potential fecal pathogens identified included Candida, Cryptococcus, Trichosporon, and Malassezia.
ConclusionOur results provide evidence that the diversity of intestinal fungi in the endangered species, A. rufipectus, is similar to that in the common species, L. nycthemera, and may serve as a basis for monitoring the status of A. rufipectus and for developing conservation measures.

背景 肠道真菌群落组成在调控宿主健康过程中发挥着关键作用，因此对于濒危鸟类的保护工作具有重要意义。然而当前针对鸟类肠道真菌群落组成的研究仍较为匮乏。为此，本研究旨在探究野生四川山鹧鸪（Arborophila rufipectus）的肠道真菌群落与潜在粪便病原菌组成。方法 本研究于夏季与秋季，分别在野生四川山鹧鸪（Arborophila rufipectus）以及与其同科的广布物种白鹇（Lophura nycthemera）的栖息地采集粪便样本。随后提取总RNA，并通过高通量测序对内部转录间隔区核糖体RNA（internal transcribed spacer rRNA）基因进行扩增测序，以此分析肠道核心真菌、微生物真菌及潜在致病真菌的季节变异特征。结果 四川山鹧鸪与白鹇的肠道真菌群落结构高度相似，其优势类群主要涵盖3个真菌门：子囊菌门（Ascomycota，58.46%）、担子菌门（Basidiomycota，28.80%）与结合菌门（Zygomycota，3.56%），上述三个门类占所有样本真菌群落总丰度的90.82%。进一步分析显示，群落中的优势菌属包括未分类子囊菌（Ascomycota_unclassified，12.24%）、未分类真菌（Fungi_unclassified，8.37%）、Davidiella属（5.18%）、未分类柔膜菌目（Helotiales_unclassified，2.76%）、Wickerhamomyces属（1.84%）以及未分类格孢菌目（Pleosporales_unclassified，1.14%）；本次研究鉴定出的潜在粪便病原菌包括假丝酵母属（Candida）、隐球菌属（Cryptococcus）、毛孢子菌属（Trichosporon）与马拉色菌属（Malassezia）。结论 本研究结果证实，濒危物种四川山鹧鸪的肠道真菌多样性与广布物种白鹇较为相近，该发现可为四川山鹧鸪的种群状态监测及保护策略制定提供重要理论依据。