Gut microbiota provide co-existing strategies for two species of symmetrically distributed rodents in competition for food

Gut microbiota provides an effective strategy for sympatric proximal species to coexist in interspecific competition. In the present study, 16SrDNA was used to investigate the gut microbial of the Cricetulus longicaudatus and Apodemus agrarius, which are two species distributed in the same domain, under natural ambient and varying dietary situations. Our data revealed that there were significant differences in gut microbial structure and diversity between the two species. Specifically, the voles demonstrated high alpha diversity and abundance of Lactobacillus, whereas the mice shown substantial enrichment of Verrucomicrobiota. Wild voles had a more complex co-occurrence network, with a low level of positive correlation rate, however, after being fed various diets, the network structure was simplified, and the positive correlation rate increased. On the contrary, wild mice had a simple co-occurrence network, with a high level of positive correlation rate, af..., In this study, we conducted two experiments.
Design of experiment one:
First, we investigates the food adaptation strategies of two syntopic species in the wild by comparing the differences in gut microbiota of two types of mice under natural field conditions. The experimental design is outlined as follows: In the summer of 2024, six samples each of healthy adult male C. longicaudatus and A. agrarius were obtained using cage catches in Houyin Village, Xixian County, Shanxi Province (36.729°N, 110.839°E). Rectal fecal samples were promptly collected in the field and preserved at -80°C until the 16S rDNA sequencing was conducted.
Design of experiment two:
We tested the adaptive alterations in gut microbiota of two species using an indoor experiment including the feeding of animals with food from various nutritional layers under differing dietary circumstances. The experimental design is outlined as follows: Healthy adult male C. longicaudatus&n..., # Data from: Gut microbiota provide co-existing strategies for two species of symmetrically distributed rodents in competition for food

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.mgqnk99b4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.mgqnk99b4)

## Description of the data and file structure

### Files and variables

#### File: CWCS-Con-1.raw.fastq

\**Description: *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-Con-3.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-Con-2.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-Con-4.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-Con-5.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-Con-6.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* control sample

#### File: CWCS-HF-1.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cricetulus longicaudatus* sample of the HF group

#### File: CWCS-HF-2.raw.fastq

**Description:** *Cric...,