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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1394745

Taxonomic composition and functional potentials of gastrointestinal microbiota in twelve wildstranded cetaceans

Provisionally accepted
Jianwei Chen Jianwei Chen 1*Jie Fan Jie Fan 1Hui Kang Hui Kang 2Meiqi Lv Meiqi Lv 1Yuhuan Zhai Yuhuan Zhai 2Yangyang JIA Yangyang JIA 1ZIXIN YANG ZIXIN YANG 2Chengcheng Shi Chengcheng Shi 1Changhao Zhou Changhao Zhou 1Lin Diao Lin Diao 1Jingsuo Li Jingsuo Li 1Songhai Li Songhai Li 2Karsten Kristiansen Karsten Kristiansen 1Peijun Zhang Peijun Zhang 2
  • 1 Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen, China
  • 2 Laboratory of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics, Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Cetaceans play a crucial role in marine ecosystems, yet research on their gastrointestinal microbiota remains limited due to sampling constraints. In this study, we collected hindgut samples from twelve stranded cetaceans and performed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate microbial composition and functional potentials. Analysis of ZOTUs profiles revealed that the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes dominated all hindgut samples. However, unique microbial profiles were observed among different cetacean species, with significant separation of gut microbiota communities according to biological evolutionary lineages. Different genera that contain pathogens were observed distinguishing delphinids from physeteroids/ziphiids. Delphinid samples exhibited higher abundances of Vibrio, Escherichia, and Paeniclostridium, whereas physeteroid and ziphiid samples showed higher abundances of Pseudomonas, Enterococcus, and Intestinimonas. Functional analysis indicated convergence in the gut microbiota among all cetaceans, with shared bacterial infection pathways across hindgut samples. Additionally, a comparison of the gastrointestinal microbial composition between a stranded short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and a stranded rough-toothed dolphin (Steno bredanensis) using 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed distinct microbial community structures and functional capacities. To our knowledge, this study represents the first report on the gastrointestinal microbiota of the pantropical spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata), Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris), and rough-toothed dolphin, with various comparisons conducted among different cetacean species. Our findings enhance the understanding of microbial composition and diversity in cetacean gastrointestinal microbiota, providing new insights into co-evolution and complex interactions between cetacean microbes and hosts.

    Keywords: 2, 5 stranded cetaceans, Delphinids, physeteroids and ziphiid, Gut Microbiota, Gastrointestinal microbiota, Functional potentials, and food digestion Font: Italic Formatted: Font: Italic Formatted: Font: Italic Formatted: Font: Italic Formatted: Font: Italic Font: Italic Deleted: like Moved (insertion) [1] Deleted: Pathogenic infections by organisms such as Font: Not Italic

    Received: 02 Mar 2024; Accepted: 02 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Chen, Fan, Kang, Lv, Zhai, JIA, YANG, Shi, Zhou, Diao, Li, Li, Kristiansen and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jianwei Chen, Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), Shenzhen, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.