Impact of winter enclosures on the gut bacterial microbiota of red deer in the Bavarian Forest National Park

High numbers of red deer (Cervus elaphus) pose a challenge for natural forests because of their high browsing intensities, especially during winter months. To mitigate this human–wildlife conflict, conservation management in Central Europe involves luring red deer into fenced winter-feeding sites. The supplementary diet provided in these so-called winter enclosures strongly differs from the natural diet of red deer. Dietary shifts, however, can lead to an imbalance of the gut microbiota, which could promote bacterial pathogens. Moreover, increased inter-individual contact in winter enclosures enhances the exchange of symbiotic but also pathogenic bacteria. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene in fecal samples of red deer inhabiting the Bavarian Forest National Park to investigate differences in the gut bacterial microbiota between individuals in winter enclosures and individuals that ranged freely in the forests in winter. We also investigated the occur...

高密度马鹿（Cervus elaphus）因其高强度的采食行为，尤其在冬季月份，对天然林造成了显著威胁。为缓解这一人兽冲突，中欧的野生动物保护管理工作会将马鹿诱引至设有围栏的冬季投喂点内。这些所谓的冬季围栏区内提供的补充饲料，与马鹿的天然日粮存在显著差异。然而，日粮结构的改变可能会引发肠道微生物群失衡，进而促进病原菌的滋生。此外，冬季围栏区内个体间接触频率的提升，会增加共生菌乃至病原菌的传播交换。本研究针对栖息于巴伐利亚森林国家公园的马鹿粪便样本开展16S rRNA基因（16S rRNA gene）高通量测序，以此对比冬季围栏区内与冬季在森林中自由活动的马鹿个体间肠道细菌微生物群的差异。此外，本研究还对……的发生情况进行了探究。