獐的肠道微生物与发育和食性的关系

Proper health monitoring is important for the protection and management of endangered animals. Chinese water deer was listed as Vulnerable species in IUCN Red list. It has been reintroduced in Shanghai for 11 years. With the growth of populations and releasing monitoring demand, need urgently for researches on its behaviors and physiology and non-invasive monitoring methods. The application aims to investigate the relationship between Chinese water deer and symbiotic microorganisms， through behavioral observation, 16SrRNA gene sequencing, short chain fatty acid determination from gastrointestinal contents and feces, glucocorticoids metabolites determination and plant barcoding from feces. We will discover the influence of different food and seasonal changes on the deer's intestinal microbes. We also will discuss the development of fawn from birth to leave its mother. During this period, the fawn’s behaviors, including feeding, vigilance, moving, dispersal and social behavior, which will construct how kind of relationship with stress and intestinal microbes. Based on above data analysis, we will explore the cause of death that take place in the early stage of the deer, to discover the adaptation mechanism of its nutritional niche, and establish a non-invasive health monitoring system.

适宜的健康监测手段对于珍稀动物的保护和管理非常重要。獐是IUCN红皮书易危物种，在上海地区重引入了11年，随着种群增长和野放的需求，亟需对其行为和生理的适应性的研究及非损伤的监测方法。本申请通过行为观察、消化道内容物和粪便16SrRNA测序、短链脂肪酸测定，粪便糖皮质醇代谢产物测定和植物条形码技术研究宿主獐与消化道共生微生物的关系，研究结果将掌握成獐和幼獐的消化道各段微生物的多样性；食物的不同和季节变化对獐肠道微生物的影响；幼獐从出生到离开母亲过程中，断乳、觅食、警戒、社会等行为发育、压力与肠道微生物之间的关系；从而探讨獐早期高死亡率原因和其营养生态位的适应机制，并建立獐的非损伤健康监测体系。

肠道微生物群落组成和功能与宿主生理变化、生态环境适应性密切相关，是当前共生关系和宿主健康研究的重要议题，但其大部分研究集中在实验模型动物和家畜，本研究以IUCN 红皮书易危物种獐（Hydropotes inermis）为研究对象，对其自然栖息地、重引入后群体进行了肠道微生物与食物、发育及健康状况的研究。.本研究观察了哺乳时期的育幼行为，测定了毛发、粪便糖皮质醇代谢产物，以及发育过程中肠道微生物的变化，发现獐消化道优势菌群从幼年到成年发生了显著变化，胃部是变化最大的部位，其中厚壁菌门多样性变化最大；发育的过程中在1-17周龄，幼獐肠道共生微生物多样性程度逐步增加。研究中发现雌獐联合哺乳保障了其种群中多数幼体存活和发育，并缓解幼獐生存压力；早期死亡个体在体重、血液学指标、肠道微生物的糖类和氨基酸代谢功能上与存活个体差异不显著，但富集的微生物群落有差别，并和血液中炎症指标相关，早期死亡幼獐肠道微生物群落存在失衡，厚壁菌门定植不及时。.本研究采集了珲春、北京、南京和盐城的獐粪便样本，通过植物宏条形码和微生物群落的测定，发现各栖息地獐的营养生态位影响獐的肠道共生微生物群落，食谱中水生植物和植物物种的均匀度对獐的肠道微生物多样性有显著影响，且显著影响对肠道表皮有维持功能的短链脂肪酸含量。盐补充摄入后，对獐的肠道微生物优势菌群产生影响，厚壁菌门与拟杆菌门呈显著负相关波动。.基于行为、体征、血液血清理化特征和肠道微生物群落结构的研究成果，开发的实验手段和相适应的栖息地建设方案，可用于獐的健康监测、保护和管理。