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Differences in the gut microbiota between Cercopithecinae and Colobinae in captivity

  • Microbial Systematics and Evolutionary Microbiology
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Abstract

The gut microbiome of captive primates can provide a window into their health and disease status. The diversity and composition of gut microbiota are influenced by not only host phylogeny, but also host diet. Old World monkeys (Cercopithecidae) are divided into two subfamilies: Cercopithecinae and Colobinae. The diet and physiological digestive features differ between these two subfamilies. Accordingly, highthroughput sequencing was used to examine gut microbiota differences between these two subfamilies, using data from 29 Cercopithecinae individuals and 19 Colobinae individuals raised in captivity. Through a comparative analysis of operational taxonomic units (OTUs), significant differences in the diversity and composition of gut microbiota were observed between Cercopithecinae and Colobinae. In particular, the gut microbiota of captive Old World monkeys clustered strongly by the two subfamilies. The Colobinae microbial diversity was higher than that of Cercopithecinae. Additionally, Firmicutes, Lactobacillaceae, Veillonellaceae, and Prevotella abundance were higher in Cercopithecinae, while Bacteroidetes, Ruminococcaceae, Christensenellaceae, Bacteroidaceae, and Acidaminococcaceae abundance were higher in Colobinae. PICRUSt analysis revealed that the predicted metagenomes of metabolic pathways associated with proteins, carbohydrates, and amino acids were significantly higher in Colobinae. In the context of host phylogeny, these differences between Cercopithecinae and Colobinae could reflect adaptations associated with their respective diets. This well-organized dataset is a valuable resource for future related research on primates and gut microbiota. Moreover, this study may provide useful insight into animal management practices and primate conservation.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31870355).

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  1. These authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an, 625014, P. R. China

    Zongjin Huan, Yongfang Yao, Meng Xie & Huailiang Xu

  2. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, P. R. China

    Zongjin Huan, Qingyong Ni & Mingwang Zhang

  3. Chengdu Zoo (Chengdu Wildlife Research Institute), Chengdu, 610081, P. R. China

    Zongjin Huan, Jianqiu Yu, Hongwei Chen & Bo Zhao

  4. Nanjing Hongshan Forest Zoo, Nanjing, P. R. China

    Meirong Li

  5. Giant Panda National Park Authority, Sichuan, P. R. China

    Chaojun Yang

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  1. Zongjin Huan
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Correspondence to Huailiang Xu.

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Huan, Z., Yao, Y., Yu, J. et al. Differences in the gut microbiota between Cercopithecinae and Colobinae in captivity. J Microbiol. 58, 367–376 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12275-020-9493-9

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