Seasonal dynamics of gut microbiota in a cohort of wild Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in western China

Abstract Previous researches have highlighted the finding that the availability of food resources plays an important role in reshaping the gut microbiota of wild animals as they to adapt to the surrounding habitat. The gut microbial characteristics were examined in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) from eastern China (Huangshan, Anhui), but little is known about other geographical populations. Herein, we collected 40 fecal samples of Tibetan macaques from the Labahe Natural Reserve in western China over four seasons and analyzed the seasonal variation of gut microbiota using 16S rRNA gene V3-V4 sequencing. The analysis showed that gut microbial diversity and composition varied by season. Autumn exhibited the lowest alpha diversity and remarkably separated from the other three seasons for beta diversity. There were statistically significant differences in the composition of gut microbiota during different seasons. Autumn presented the lowest Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio while winter had the highest. The family Ruminococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae within Firmicutes accounted for a high proportion in each season, but the abundance of Lactobacillaceae was significantly lower in winter. During autumn, Preotella, which can utilize carbohydrates increased significantly. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt) prediction revealed that metabolism of cofactors of vitamin pathways and glycan biosynthesis pathways were highly enriched in autumn. Our results revealed that the gut microbiota potentially play an important role in the adaptation of wild Tibetan macaques to the seasonal fluctuations of food availability, which may contribute to the conservation of this endangered species.