Gut microbial ecology of the Critically Endangered Fijian crested iguana (Brachylophus vitiensis): Effects of captivity status and host reintroduction on endogenous microbiomes
| Autor: | Joseph C. Brown, Samuel J. Eliades, Cameron D. Siler, Sia Rasalato, Jhabar Vadada, Timothy J. Colston, Robert N. Fisher, Kim Gray, Jone Niukula |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
husbandry Brachylophus vitiensis Captivity Zoology microbial restructuring 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences Critically endangered Microbial ecology biology.animal IUCN Red List wildlife management Microbiome headstart Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics QH540-549.5 Original Research 030304 developmental biology Nature and Landscape Conservation Iguana 0303 health sciences biology Ecology conservation biology.organism_classification reptiles Microbial population biology |
| Zdroj: | Ecology and Evolution, Vol 11, Iss 9, Pp 4731-4743 (2021) Ecology and Evolution |
| ISSN: | 2045-7758 |
| Popis: | Animals often exhibit distinct microbial communities when maintained in captivity as compared to when in the wild. Such differentiation may be significant in headstart and reintroduction programs where individuals spend some time in captivity before release into native habitats. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we (i) assessed differences in gut microbial communities between captive and wild Fijian crested iguanas (Brachylophus vitiensis) and (ii) resampled gut microbiota in captive iguanas released onto a native island to monitor microbiome restructuring in the wild. We used both cloacal swabs and fecal samples to further increase our understanding of gut microbial ecology in this IUCN Critically Endangered species. We found significant differentiation in gut microbial community composition and structure between captive and wild iguanas in both sampling schemes. Approximately two months postrelease, microbial communities in cloacal samples from formerly captive iguanas closely resembled wild counterparts. Interestingly, microbial communities in fecal samples from these individuals remained significantly distinct from wild conspecifics. Our results indicate that captive upbringings can lead to differences in microbial assemblages in headstart iguanas as compared to wild individuals even after host reintroduction into native conditions. This investigation highlights the necessity of continuous monitoring of reintroduced animals in the wild to ensure successful acclimatization and release. We show that captivity impacts gut microbial assemblages in headstart animals compared with wild individuals long after host reintroduction into native conditions. This advances our understanding of microbiome diversity and evolution in a Critically Endangered reptile and shows how captivity influences the microbiome of reptiles in general. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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