A Metagenomic Study of Intestinal Microbial Diversity in Relation to Feeding Habits of Surface and Cave-Dwelling Sinocyclocheilus Species

Light is completely absent in cave habitats, leading to a shortage or lack of autochthonous photosynthesis. Thus, it is of great interest to understand the mechanisms underlying the ability of organisms to adapt to the unique cave habitat. We used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA gene of intestinal microorganisms from 11 Sinocyclocheilus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) species, to explore the characteristics of intestinal microorganisms and the adaptive mechanisms of Sinocyclocheilus cavefish and surface fish.