Interspecific variations in the gut microbiota in Arctic birds

Abstract

The gut microbiota play a important role in affecting host health through various functional roles. In spite of the many researches conducted on the importance of the gut microbiota in mammals, knowledge on the avian gut microbiota remains incomplete. As many migratory birds move long distance with the seasons, they have a unique behaviors that enables them to breed successfully during the mating seasons. In this study, we collected faecal samples to characterize the interspecific variations of the gut microbiota of three migratory arctic birds (Snow bunting, Sanderling and Pink footed goose) by using Illumina miseq platform to sequence bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The results indicated that gut microbiota of those three arctic birds were dominated by three bacterial phyla (Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacterioidetes) and that each species has its own species-specific gut microbiota. In addition, significant differences were observed in the bacterial communities of omnivorous bird species and herbivorous bird species. The results from this study indicate that the microbial composition among those arctic birds altered by its diet.