Analysis and comparison of the wolf microbiome under different environmental factors using three different data of...

Next Generation Sequencing has been widely used to characterize the prevalence of fecal bacteria in many different species. In this study, we attempted to employ a low-cost and high-throughput sequencing model to discern information pertaining to the wolf microbiota. It is hoped that this model will allow researchers to elucidate potential protective factors in relation to endangered wolf species. We propose three high-throughput sequencing models to reveal information pertaining to the micro-ecology of the wolf. Our analyses advised that, among the three models, more than 100,000 sequences are more appropriate to retrieve the communities' richness and diversity of micro-ecology. In addition, the top five wolf microbiome OTUs (99%) were members of the following five phyla: Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. While Alloprevotella, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Anaerobiospirillum, Faecalibactreium and Streptococcus were shared by all samples, their relative abundances were differentially represented between domestic dogs and other wolves. Our findings suggest that altitude, human interference, age, and climate all contribute towards the micro-ecology of the wolf. Specifically, we observed that genera Succinivibrio and Turicibacter are significantly related to altitude and human interference (including hunting practices).