Study on Gut Microbiota Adaptation of Plateau Zokor (Eospalax baileyi) to High-Altitude Environments

To further investigate altitude-associated variations in gut microbiota and serum metabolites of plateau zokors (Eospalax baileyi) and elucidate their adaptive mechanisms to high-altitude environments, we performed fecal metagenomic sequencing and serum metabolomic profiling (Q200 platform) on individuals from high (3700 m, n = 6) and low (2700 m, n = 6) elevations, followed by integrated analysis of microbial and metabolomic datasets. Results indicated that in high-altitude plateau zokors, the relative abundance of Firmicutes decreased, while that of Bacteroidota increased. The dominant genera within this group were identified as Bacteroides and unclassified members of the Lachnospiraceae family. Moreover, the abundances of Bacteroides and unclassified members of the Muribaculaceae family increased with elevation. At the species level, seven fully annotated differentially abundant taxa were identified: Candidatus Amulumruptor caecigallinarius, Schaedlerella arabinosiphila, Muribaculum gordoncarteri, Heminiphilus faecis, Prevotellamassilia timonensis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacteroides graminisolvens. KEGG enrichment analysis indicated significant upregulation (p < 0.05) of energy supply pathways, such as oxidative phosphorylation, and antioxidant-related pathways, including β-alanine and lysine metabolism, in the high-altitude group. Conversely, cysteine and methionine metabolism pathways were markedly downregulated (p < 0.05). Serum levels of ursodeoxycholic acid and tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05), while deoxycholic acid (DCA) levels decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the composition and function of gut microbiota, along with serum metabolite profiles, differ significantly (p < 0.05) between plateau zokors from different altitudes. Through synergistic interactions between gut microbiota and host metabolites, plateau zokors develop adaptive mechanisms that integrate energy metabolism, oxidative stress response, intestinal barrier integrity, and mucosal immunity. This ultimately facilitates their acclimatization to high-altitude extreme environments characterized by hypoxia and low temperatures.