Characterization of the gut microbiota in the red panda (Ailurus fulgens).
The red panda is the only living species of the genus Ailurus. Like giant pandas, red pandas are also highly specialized to feed mainly on highly fibrous bamboo. Although several studies have focused on the gut microbiota in the giant panda, little is known about the gut microbiota of the red panda. In this study, we characterized the fecal microbiota from both wild (n = 16) and captive (n = 6) red pandas using a pyrosequecing based approach targeting the V1-V3 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. Distinct bacterial communities were observed between the two groups based on both membership and structure. Wild red pandas maintained significantly higher community diversity, richness and evenness than captive red pandas, the communities of which were skewed and dominated by taxa associated with Firmicutes. Phylogenetic analysis of the top 50 OTUs revealed that 10 of them were related to known cellulose degraders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study of the gut microbiota of the red panda. Our data suggest that, similar to the giant panda, the gut microbiota in the red panda might also play important roles in the digestion of bamboo.
Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Fanli
F
Kong
Department of Pediatrics and Communicable Disease, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Jiangchao
J
Zhao
Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Shushu
S
Han
Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Bo
B
Zeng
Sichuan Agricultural University, College of Animal Science and Technology, Ya'an, Sichuan, China.
Jiandong
J
Yang
Sichuan Agricultural University, College of Animal Science and Technology, Ya'an, Sichuan, China.
Xiaohui
X
Si
Sichuan Fengtongzhai National Nature Reserve, Baoxing, Sichuan, China.
Benqing
B
Yang
Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Mingyao
M
Yang
Sichuan Agricultural University, College of Animal Science and Technology, Ya'an, Sichuan, China.
Huailiang
H
Xu
Institute of Animal Genetics and Breeding, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Ying
Y
Li
D053822:Ailuridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D002482:Cellulose / Q000378:metabolism; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D054892:Metagenome; D064307:Microbiota / Q000235:genetics*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D013045:Species Specificity
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D002482:Cellulose