Data_Sheet_2_Captivity Influences Gut Microbiota in Crocodile Lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus).pdf

Captivity is an important measure for conservation of an endangered species, and it is becoming a hot topic in conservation biology, which integrates gut microbiota and endangered species management in captivity. As an ancient reptile, the crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is facing extreme danger of extinction, resulting in great significance to species conservation in the reserve. Thus, it is critical to understand the differences in gut microbiota composition between captive and wild populations, as it could provide fundamental information for conservative management of crocodile lizards. Here, fecal samples of crocodile lizards were collected from two wild and one captive populations with different ages (i.e., juveniles and adults) and were analyzed for microbiota composition by 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing. This study showed that the lizard gut microbiota was mainly composed of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. The gut microbiota composition of crocodile lizard did not differ between juveniles and adults, as well as between two wild populations. Interestingly, captivity increased community richness and influenced community structures of gut microbiota in crocodile lizards, compared with wild congeners. This was indicated by higher abundances of the genera Epulopiscium and Glutamicibacter. These increases might be induced by complex integration of simple food resources or human contact in captivity. The gut microbiota functions of crocodile lizards are primarily enriched in metabolism, environmental information processing, genetic information processing, and cellular processes based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database. This study provides fundamental information about the gut microbiota of crocodile lizards in wild and captive populations. In the future, exploring the relationship among diet, gut microbiota, and host health is necessary for providing animal conservation strategies.

囚禁状态作为濒危物种保护的关键措施，正日益成为保护生物学领域的研究热点，该领域将肠道微生物群与囚禁状态下的物种管理相结合。鳄蜥（Shinisaurus crocodilurus），作为一种古老的爬行动物，正面临着极度灭绝的危险，这对保护区内的物种保护具有重大意义。因此，理解囚禁和野生种群之间肠道微生物群组成的差异至关重要，因为这可能为鳄蜥的保守管理提供基本信息。在本研究中，从两个野生种群和一个囚禁种群（即幼年和成年个体）收集了鳄蜥的粪便样本，并通过16S核糖体RNA（rRNA）基因扩增子测序分析了微生物群组成。研究结果表明，鳄蜥的肠道微生物群主要由厚壁菌门和变形菌门组成。鳄蜥的肠道微生物群组成在幼年和成年个体之间，以及两个野生种群之间没有差异。有趣的是，与野生同种个体相比，囚禁状态增加了鳄蜥肠道微生物群的群落丰富度并影响了其群落结构，这体现在Epulopiscium和Glutamicibacter属的丰度增加。这些增加可能是由简单食物资源的复杂整合或囚禁状态中的人类接触所诱导。根据京都基因与基因组百科全书（KEGG）数据库，鳄蜥的肠道微生物群功能主要富集在代谢、环境信息处理、遗传信息处理和细胞过程中。本研究为野生和囚禁种群中鳄蜥的肠道微生物群提供了基本信息。未来，探索饮食、肠道微生物群和宿主健康之间的关系对于提供动物保护策略是必要的。