Seasonality, diet, and bamboo leaf nutrition shape phyllosphere-associated gut microbiota of red pandas

Gut microbiota in bamboo-adapted red pandas (Ailurus fulgens) are influenced by diet, nutrition, and ingested microbes. While captive individuals are well-studied, wild red pandas' seasonal microbial adaptations remain elusive. This study collected fresh fecal samples from wild red pandas and samples of their primary food, bamboo leaves, to investigate the effects of season, diet, nutrition, and phyllosphere microbes on the gut microbes of red pandas. High-throughput sequencing, metagenomics, and nutritional analysis were used in this research.