Metagenomic and Transcriptomic Datasets of Plateau Brown Frogs (Rana kukunoris) from the Helan Mountains

Global climate change has become a primary driving factor behind the biodiversity crisis in amphibians, making it crucial to understand how climate change affects species and their potential responses. The plateau brown frog (Rana kukunoris) is often regarded as an ideal ecological indicator species, yet research on its environmental adaptation mechanisms based on transcriptomic and microbiomic studies remains limited. Therefore, this study investigates the adaptation strategies of the plateau brown frog to environmental changes, providing extensive transcriptomic and the first comprehensive metagenomic dataset from two distinctly different environmental regions (eastern and western slopes of the Helan Mountains). We gathered transcriptomic data from three tissues (blood, liver, and muscle), resulting in 294,962 unigenes and 570,192 transcripts. Metagenomic sequencing identified major bacterial groups, including Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Spirochetes, and Actinobacteria. In summary, the results of this study can be used to further explore the associations among microbiota, host, and environment, which are crucial for comprehending the mechanisms of environmental adaptation in this species and contributing to the conservation of amphibian biodiversity.