EAFP gastrointestinal microbiota Assembly. gut metagenome

Microbiota along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in cetaceans is less clear. In this study, bacterial and fungal samples were characterized along the GI tract of East Asian finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri, EAFPs), including stomach, foregut, hindgut and feces, using high-throughput sequencing analysis. Our study confirms that fecal samples cannot represent the whole microbiota in the EAFP GI tract. But fecal samples monitoring is still of practical significance because of their relatively higher microbial diversity and presence of potential pathogens. Our study provides the first comprehensive characterization of the EAFPs GI microbiota landscape for the research community, laying the foundation for better understanding and exploring microbial communities in other cetaceans.