Intestinal microbes of hooded cranes (Grus monacha) wintering in three lakes of the middle and lower Yangtze river floodplain

Abstract

Intestinal microbes participate in life activities of the host, and are affected by external environmental factors. Different habitat sizes and protection status provide different external environmental selection pressures for the same wintering waterbirds, which may be reflected in their intestinal microbes. Hooded Cranes are vulnerable migratory waterbirds with similar numbers wintering at three different lakes in the middle and lower Yangtze River floodplain, Poyang, Caizi, and Shengjin Lakes. Here, we analyzed the characteristics of intestinal bacterial and fungal communities of Hooded Cranes wintering at the three lakes to clarify the effect of habitat size and protection status on intestinal microbes, using high-throughput sequencing technology. Our results showed that community composition and diversity of intestinal microbes were significantly different among lakes with different habitat size and protection status. The Hooded Cranes at Shengjin Lake (small) had higher intestinal microbial alpha-diversity (for both bacteria and fungi) than those at Poyang Lake (large), which might be induced by social behavior of more waterbirds per unit area. The Hooded Cranes at Caizi Lake (relatively poorly protected habitat) had more diverse and abundant intestinal potential pathogens than Shengjin Lake (well-protected habitat). Our results indicated that the environmental pressure of a habitat might affect intestinal microorganisms and more attention might be needed for the vulnerable waterbirds at the habitat of poor protection status.