Individuality and stability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal microbiota through time
0301 basic medicine
16S
Time series
QH301-705.5
Individuality
Arboreal folivore
333
Caecum fermenter
03 medical and health sciences
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
XXXXXX - Unknown
Marsupial
Animals
16S rRNA
Biology (General)
Ribosomal
2. Zero hunger
Eucalyptus
0303 health sciences
Ecology
Microbiota
R
Australia
Koala
Longitudinal
Core microbiota
RNA
Medicine
Phascolarctidae
DOI:
10.7717/peerj.14598
Publication Date:
2023-01-23T09:29:42Z
AUTHORS (11)
ABSTRACT
Gut microbiota studies often rely on a single sample taken per individual, representing a snapshot in time. However, we know that gut microbiota composition in many animals exhibits intra-individual variation over the course of days to months. Such temporal variations can be a confounding factor in studies seeking to compare the gut microbiota of different wild populations, or to assess the impact of medical/veterinary interventions. To date, little is known about the variability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) gut microbiota through time. Here, we characterise the gut microbiota from faecal samples collected at eight timepoints over a month for a captive population of South Australian koalas (n individuals = 7), and monthly over 7 months for a wild population of New South Wales koalas (n individuals = 5). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that microbial diversity was stable over the course of days to months. Each koala had a distinct faecal microbiota composition which in the captive koalas was stable across days. The wild koalas showed more variation across months, although each individual still maintained a distinct microbial composition. Per koala, an average of 57 (±16) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected across all time points; these ASVs accounted for an average of 97% (±1.9%) of the faecal microbial community per koala. The koala faecal microbiota exhibits stability over the course of days to months. Such knowledge will be useful for future studies comparing koala populations and developing microbiota interventions for this regionally endangered marsupial.
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CITATIONS (6)
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