Variation in zoo diets, offerings of leafy browse, and body condition scores in Matschie’s tree kangaroos (Dendrolagus matschiei) and their effects on the composition of the gut microbiome

Recommended zoo diets for the arboreal folivore, the Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei; TKs), were recently found to be much lower in fiber and higher in starch than wild diet items for this species. In contrast to wild animals, zoo-housed TKs are ~30-40% higher in body weight, known to suffer from infections indicating immune dysfunction, and exhibit various reproductive issues. These problems may have ties to gut microbiome dysbiosis related to differences in diet between captive and wild individuals, but to date, the microbiome of TKs has not been explored. This study aimed to 1) quantify the macronutrient intake of diets from zoo-housed TKs and compare the intake of over-conditioned animals to those at ideal body condition, and 2) examine gut microbial communities for any differences associated with TK macronutrient intake, leafy browse offerings, or body condition. Diet information and associated fecal samples (n = 57) for microbial analysis were collected from 31 ind..., , # Dryad dataset

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.mgqnk999g](10.5061/dryad.mgqnk999g)

## Description of the data and file structure

The following contains data used in the manuscript \"Variation in zoo diets, offerings of leafy browse, and body condition scores in Matschie’s tree kangaroos (*Dendrolagus matschiei*) and their effects on the composition of the gut microbiome\"

### Files and variables

#### File: Koester_et_al_Diet_Browse_BCS_Alpha_Diversityv2.csv

**Description:** This file contains relevant metadata, diet intake information, and alpha diversity indices for zoo-housed Matschie’s tree kangaroos (*Dendrolagus matschiei*).

##### Variables

* id: sequence identification number of the fecal sample
* Date Sample Collected: self-explanatory
* Date Extracted: self-explanatory
* Browse_Category: Differentiated into categories of none, low, intermediate, and high
* BCS_category: scored as Ideal or Over-conditioned
* DM_g_Consumed: dry matter consumed per day (g)
* CP_g: crude protein ...,