Characteristics of the bacterial community in the stomach and small intestine of Tarim red deer(Cervus elaphus yarkandensis)

The microbiota present in the stomach and small intestine of ruminants plays a vital role in nutrient digestion and metabolism. Tarim red deer, with its biological characteristics of tolerance to coarse feed and salt-alkali, may have a complex gastrointestinal microbiota contributing to its unique traits. Previous studies on Tarim red deer have mainly focused on the rumen and feces, with limited research on the microbiota of the rumen and small intestine. Therefore, to investigate the microbial composition and diversity of the stomach and small intestine of Tarim red deer. This study selected six Tarim red deer, with an equal number of males and females, all under the same feeding and management conditions. Upon slaughter, the contents of the stomach (rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum) and small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum) were collected.Microbial DNA was extracted and the V3-V4 variable region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced. The result indicated that microbial communities in the reticulum, rumen, and omasum were significantly more abundant and diverse than those found in the small intestine (0.05