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. 2023 Oct 2:14:1238744.
doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1238744. eCollection 2023.

"Get the best out of what comes in" - adaptation of the microbiota of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) to seasonal forage availability in the Bavarian Alps

Sarah-Alica Dahl  1 , Jana Seifert  2   3 , Amélia Camarinha-Silva  2   3 , Angélica Hernández-Arriaga  2   3 , Wilhelm Windisch  4 , Andreas König  1
Affiliations

"Get the best out of what comes in" - adaptation of the microbiota of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) to seasonal forage availability in the Bavarian Alps

Sarah-Alica Dahl et al. Front Microbiol. .

Abstract

As an inhabitant of the Alps, chamois are exposed to significant climatic changes throughout the year and are also strongly confronted with changing forage availability. Besides horizontal and vertical migratory movements as an adaptation, it undergoes physiological transformations and dynamic changes in the ruminal microbiota. The following study used 48 chamois of different ages and genders to investigate to which extent the ingested food plants, the resulting crude nutrients in the rumen (reticulorumen) contents, and the bacterial microbiota in the rumen and their fermentation products were influenced by the changes over the seasons. Very little is known about the microbiota of wild ruminants, and many bacterial taxa could only be determined to certain taxonomic levels in this study. However, adapted microbiota reflects the significant changes in the ingested forage and the resulting crude nutrients. For some taxa, our results indicated potential functional relationships. In addition, 15 genera were identified, representing almost 90% of the relative abundance, forming the central part of the microbial community throughout the year. The successful and flexible adaptation of chamois is reflected in the chamois rumen's nutrient and microbial profile. This is also the first study that analyzes the microbiota of the chamois using rumen samples and considers the microbiota in a seasonal comparison.

Keywords: Rupicapra rupicapra; bacteria; chamois; microbiota; rumen content; season.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Average crude nutrient contents in chamois rumen content per season.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Average content of fermentation products in the rumen liquid. (A) Average content of ammonia and lactate in the rumen liquid per season (dark grey = ammonia, light grey = lactate); (B) Average content of volatile fatty acids in the rumen liquid per season.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Variation of alpha diversity, Chao1 index (p < 0.001). (B) Variation of alpha diversity, Shannon index (p < 0.002). (C) Distribution of rumen microbiota samples per season based on OTU level [PERMANOVA test (p < 0.001)].
Figure 4
Figure 4
Relative abundance of bacterial genera in the chamois rumen content per season identified based on Silva database. Genera with still undefined genus names are indicated as unclassified (uncl.) with the respective higher taxonomic rank.
Figure 5
Figure 5
The 15 top genera of the microbiota of chamois rumen, representing 87.8% of the total relative abundance identified based on Silva database. Genera with still undefined genus names are indicated as unclassified (uncl.) with the respective higher taxonomic rank.
Figure 6
Figure 6
LEfSe diagram with the crucial genera per season (green = winter; blue = summer, red = spring).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Correlation analyses showed significant positive and negative correlations of seven important rumen taxa to rumen content parameters. Data are provided in detail in Supplementary Table S6.
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