Characterization of fecal and cecal microbiota of free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) using high throughput sequencing of the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene

The goals of this study were to explore, describe, and compare the bacterial communities in cecal and hard fecal samples from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs (n=36) from Kansas, 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 fecal and cecal samples were collected post-mortem from free-ranging black-tailed prairie dogs from five different geographical locations.