title: Comparative analysis of the gut microbiota of black bears in China using high-throughput sequencing.
abstract: The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is a protected species from eastern Asia. In China, the Asiatic black bear occurs in 17 provinces from northeast to southwest regions. To date, information on microbial diversity in the gut of the Asiatic black bears from different populations remains limited. To determine the species composition and community structure of the gut microbiota in the Asiatic black bear, we characterized 36 fecal samples from Sichuan, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang provinces, China, by pyrosequencing the 16S V3-V4 hypervariable regions using the Illumina Miseq platform. Results showed that Firmicutes and Proteobacteria were the predominant phyla in the samples, which were largely comprised Escherichia-Shigella, Peptostreptococcaceae_incertae_sedis, Turicibacter, Streptococcus, and Clostridium. By analyzing the community structure from these 36 samples, we found that there were significant differences in the species diversity and richness between Sichuan, Yunnan, and Heilongjiang populations. In conclusion, our results reveal the species composition and structure of the gut microbiota in captive black bears in China, and suggest that biogeography could affect the black bear' gut microbiota.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China.
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China. wangbc2000@126.com.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China. wangbc2000@126.com.
authors.forename: Bochu
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Biological and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing, China. tanjunmail@126.com.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China. tanjunmail@126.com.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China.
authors.forename: Liancai
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China.
authors.forename: Deshuai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lou
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Biorheological Science and Technology (Chongqing University), Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China.|Bioengineering College, Chongqing University, No. 174, Shapingba Main Street, Chongqing, 400030, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D002681:China; D004463:Ecology; D005243:Feces; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000235:genetics*; D005843:Geography; D059014:High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing / Q000379:methods*; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D001503:Ursidae / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Asiatic black bear; Gut microbiota; High-throughput sequencing; Microbial diversity