Xenobiotic estradiol-17B alters gut microbiota of hatchling American Alligators (Alligator mississippiensis)

Kaitlyn M. Murphy, Madison M. Watkins, John W. Finger, Meghan D. Kelley, Ruth M. Elsey, Daniel A. Warner, Mary T. MendoncaWe conducted high throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene from gut contents of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) hatchlings fed varying concentrations of estradiol-17B. Animals were acquired from Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge in Grand Chenier, LA and maintained in the laboratory. Animals were dissected and whole DNA was extracted from gut contents using a Zymo Fecal Soil Microbe Miniprep kit. PCR and sequencing was conducted by Travis C. Glenn at the University of Georgia - Athens.