Variation of fecal microbiota of red deer in relation to hunting area in the Nortth East of Italy

The gut microbiota of red deer plays a crucial role in their ecological interactions and physiological functions. This study analyzed microbiota of fecal samples from ten hunt-ing reserves in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, using 16S rRNA sequencing of the V3-V4 re-gions. Taxonomic annotation revealed significant differences in the abundance of Firmic-utes, Cyanobacteriota, and the Firmicutes to Bacteroidota ratio, with variation most pro-nounced between mountainous and hilly reserves. Diversity indices, including Shannon, Chao1, and Bray-Curtis, demonstrated notable variability in microbial composition across the sites. These findings suggest that habitat type and vegetation influence gut microbiota diversity, offering insights into red deer health, feeding behavior, and broader implica-tions for species conservation.