Representativeness of Fecal Microbiota Is Limited to Cecum and Colon in Domestic Yak

Wen Qin, Pengfei Song, Jirong Li, Jiuxiang Xie and Shoudong Zhang ()
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Wen Qin: State Key Laboratory of Plateau Ecology and Agriculture, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Pengfei Song: Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining 810001, China
Jirong Li: Institute of Agricultural Product Quality Standard and Testing Research, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 850000, China
Jiuxiang Xie: College of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, Qinghai University, Xining 810016, China
Shoudong Zhang: Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, Coastal Ecosystems Research Station of the Yangtze River Estuary, School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 16, 1-15

Abstract: Gut microbiota are important for the health and adaptability of the domestic yak. Fecal microbiota are one of the most popular groups of microorganisms used to estimate the domestic yaks’ status, given the ease of obtaining fecal samples. However, because gut microbiota differ between gut sections, the representativeness of feces in microbiota is unclear in yak. To fill this gap, we compared the gut microbial diversities and functions of microbiota in the feces and seven other intestinal parts of domestic yaks based on 16S rRNA, including the rumen, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum, colon, and rectum. The gut microbiota of eight intestinal parts showed significant differences at the beta-diversity level. However, there were no significant differences in the diversity and functions of microbiota between the feces and cecum and the feces and colon because of the digestive process. According to source-tracking analysis, most fecal microbiota originate from the cecum and colon. We speculated that the representativeness of fecal microbiota is limited to cecum and colon in domestic yak. Our study is the foundation of the use of fecal microbiota for animal husbandry research.

Keywords: yak; gut microbiota; fecal microbiota; gastrointestine (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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