Gasterophilus spp.have been found to be widespread in reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve(Northwest China).However,data on the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections are lacking.To ...Gasterophilus spp.have been found to be widespread in reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve(Northwest China).However,data on the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections are lacking.To analyze the epidemiological features and determine the cause of the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections,we treated 110 Przewalski’s horses with ivermectin and collected Gasterophilus larvae from fecal samples each winter from 2007 to 2019.All 110 Przewalski’s horses studied were found to be infected by Gasterophilus spp.,and a total of 141379 larvae were collected.Six species of Gasterophilus were identified with the following prevalence:G.pecorum(100%),G.nasalis(96.36%),G.nigricornis(94.55%),G.haemorrhoidalis(56.36%),G.intestinalis(59.09%),and G.inermis(3.64%).The mean infection intensity of Gasterophilus spp.larvae in Przewalski’s horses was 1285±653.G.pecorum(92.96%±6.71%)was the most abundant species.The intensity of Gasterophilus spp.(r=–0.561,P<0.046)was significantly correlated with winter precipitation.Our findings confirmed that,in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve,gasterophilosis is a severe parasitic disease in Przewalski’s horses.Winter precipitation at the beginning of the year can indirectly affect the intensity and composition of Gasterophilus spp.in Przewalski’s horses at the end of the year.Therefore,the water-related ecological regulation should be carried out to help reduce the parasite infection of Przewalski’s horses.展开更多
Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness.Therefore,naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts.This finding is particularly important in...Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness.Therefore,naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts.This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals,as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations.However,little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation.Here,we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski’s horse(Equus przewalskii)populations in China from three nature reserves(i.e.Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve,KNR;Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve,DXNNR;and Anxi Extreme-arid Desert Nature Reserve,AENR)using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing.The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations,while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples.The abundance of genes encoding microbe-produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates,especially for glycoside hydrolases,was significantly higher in open-spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals.This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski’s horse,which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals.展开更多
基金supported by the National Science Foundation of China(No.31670538,No.30870463)the Project of Department for Wildlife and Forest Plants Protection,SFA of China(No.2018123).
文摘Gasterophilus spp.have been found to be widespread in reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve(Northwest China).However,data on the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections are lacking.To analyze the epidemiological features and determine the cause of the annual variation in Gasterophilus infections,we treated 110 Przewalski’s horses with ivermectin and collected Gasterophilus larvae from fecal samples each winter from 2007 to 2019.All 110 Przewalski’s horses studied were found to be infected by Gasterophilus spp.,and a total of 141379 larvae were collected.Six species of Gasterophilus were identified with the following prevalence:G.pecorum(100%),G.nasalis(96.36%),G.nigricornis(94.55%),G.haemorrhoidalis(56.36%),G.intestinalis(59.09%),and G.inermis(3.64%).The mean infection intensity of Gasterophilus spp.larvae in Przewalski’s horses was 1285±653.G.pecorum(92.96%±6.71%)was the most abundant species.The intensity of Gasterophilus spp.(r=–0.561,P<0.046)was significantly correlated with winter precipitation.Our findings confirmed that,in the Kalamaili Nature Reserve,gasterophilosis is a severe parasitic disease in Przewalski’s horses.Winter precipitation at the beginning of the year can indirectly affect the intensity and composition of Gasterophilus spp.in Przewalski’s horses at the end of the year.Therefore,the water-related ecological regulation should be carried out to help reduce the parasite infection of Przewalski’s horses.
基金We are grateful to rangers and staff members at the Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve,the Anxi Extremearid Desert Nature Reserve,and the Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve for their support in sample collection.We would like to thank Editage(www.editage.cn)for English language editing.This work was supported by the Beijing Forestry University Outstanding Young Talent Cultivation Project[grant number 2019JQ03018]the Postdoctoral Innovative Talents Support Program[grant number BX20190042]+1 种基金the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation[grant number 2020M670177]L.T.acknowledges support from China Scholarship Council for her study at the University of Oxford(No.201906510039).
文摘Host-associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness.Therefore,naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts.This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals,as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations.However,little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation.Here,we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski’s horse(Equus przewalskii)populations in China from three nature reserves(i.e.Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve,KNR;Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve,DXNNR;and Anxi Extreme-arid Desert Nature Reserve,AENR)using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing.The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations,while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples.The abundance of genes encoding microbe-produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates,especially for glycoside hydrolases,was significantly higher in open-spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals.This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski’s horse,which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals.
