A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF GUT MICROBIOMES IN FOUR SPECIES OF HEALTHY GIBBONS (HYLOBATIDAE) IN A MANAGED SETTING

The microbiome plays a crucial role in human and animal health and welfare; however, no data exists regarding the gibbon microbiome. This study offers the first comprehensive analysis of the gut microbiome of 4 gibbon species in a managed setting, exploring the effects of controlled environmental and dietary conditions on microbial diversity and composition. Three fecal samples were collected from 24 healthy individuals from 4 gibbon species (Hoolock leuconedys, n = 7; Nomascus leucogenys, n = 9; Hylobates pileatus, n = 6; and Hylobates moloch, n = 7) over the course of 1 month. All animals were housed in a single facility with identical environmental conditions and diet. The gut microbiomes were characterized using 16s amplicon sequencing, revealing significant differences in microbial richness across species, with Javan gibbons exhibiting the highest mean diversity (Shannon: 5.347, SD = 0.201) and pileated gibbons the lowest (Shannon: 5.167, SD = 0.241; p < 0.05). Analysis identified 4,070 distinct Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) assigned to 18 phyla, with 70.5% shared across species. Unique microbial genera (ranging from 1%-4.9%) were exclusive to each species, indicating distinct gut microbiome configurations. Additionally, although common microbial genera were found across all species, significant variations in specific bacterial taxa's abundance were observed. This highlights the uniqueness of each species' gut microbiome and challenges the assumption of homogeneity in captive primate microbiomes. Investigations into the enclosure soil microbiomes suggest a minimal impact on the gibbon gut microbial composition. This research emphasizes the complexity of gibbon microbiomes and offers novel insights into their health, management, and conservation.