Habitat differences, microbiota, next-generation sequencing, Rattus rattus, urban and rural life
Mammals have a symbiotic relationship with various microorganisms called microbiota throughout their lives. These microorganisms are known to affect the host's physiology, health, and even mental balance. The development of the gut microbiota is regulated by a complex interaction between host and environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle. Herein, it is aimed to elucidate the differences in the gut microbiota of rats living in urban and rural habitats. The taxonomic changes in the gut microbiota of wild rats belonging to Rattus rattus species caught from urban and rural areas of Western Anatolian (Bilecik province) were examined comparatively by 16S rRNA next-generation sequencing technique. Laboratory rats were used as reference animals. The alpha diversities were found lower in the rural rats with respect to the urban rats, whereas the highest alpha diversity was calculated for laboratory rats. The lower Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratios (F/B ratio) were accounted for both rural and laboratory rats compared with urban rats. The Proteobacteria to Actinobacteria ratio (P/A ratio) was lower for rural rats, but higher for laboratory rats, compared with urban rats. The heatmap analyses of taxonomic units in the microbiota of each group demonstrated distinct patterns at the species and genus levels. The study provided metagenomic data on the gut microbiota of rats residing in urban and rural habitats, offering a different perspective on future environmental biomonitoring studies.