Influence of scat ageing on the gut microbiome: how old is too old?

Alejandro Oliveros Sandino; Julien Terraube; Alexis L. Levengood; Daniel Powell; Céline H. Frère

doi:10.1186/s12864-023-09520-0

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Influence of scat ageing on the gut microbiome: how old is too old?

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Influence of scat ageing on the gut microbiome: how old is too old?

Alejandro Oliveros Sandino, Julien Terraube, Alexis L. Levengood, Daniel Powell and Céline H. Frère

BMC Genomics, Vol.24, pp.1-18

2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-023-09520-0

PMCID: PMC10388479

PMID: 37525141

Appears in UniSC Diversity and Inclusion Research Collection

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Influence of Scat Ageing on the Gut Microbiome

Abstract

conservation

metagenomics

faecal microbiome

fungi

koala

non-invasive sampling

time series

UniSC Diversity Area - Life Stages

Background: The study of the host-microbiome by the collection of non-invasive samples has the potential to become a powerful tool for conservation monitoring and surveillance of wildlife. However, multiple factors can bias the quality of data recovered from scats, particularly when field-collected samples are used given that the time of defecation is unknown. Previous studies using scats have shown that the impact of aerobic exposure on the microbial composition is species-specific, leading to different rates of change in microbial communities. However, the impact that this aging process has on the relationship between the bacterial and fungal composition has yet to be explored. In this study, we measured the effects of time post-defecation on bacterial and fungal compositions in a controlled experiment using scat samples from the endangered koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). Results: We found that the bacterial composition remained stable through the scat aging process, while the fungal composition did not. The absence of an increase in facultative anaerobes and the stable population of obligate anaerobic bacteria were likely due to our sampling from the inner portion of the scat. We report a cluster of fungal taxa that colonises scats after defecation which can dilute the genetic material from the autochthonous mycoflora and inhibit recovery. Conclusion: We emphasize the need to preserve the integrity of scat samples collected in the wild and combat the effects of time and provide strategies for doing so.

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Title: Influence of scat ageing on the gut microbiome: how old is too old?
Authors: Alejandro Oliveros Sandino (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Julien Terraube (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Alexis L. Levengood (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Daniel Powell (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Céline H. Frère (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Publication details: BMC Genomics, Vol.24, pp.1-18
Publisher: BioMed Central Ltd.
Date published: 2023
DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09520-0
ISSN: 1471-2164
PMID: 37525141; PMC10388479
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.
Grant note: This study was funded by Queensland Transport and Main Roads.
Organisation Unit: Office of Research; School of Science, Technology and Engineering; Centre for Bioinnovation
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99746897102621
Output Type: Journal article

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Collaboration types: Domestic collaboration; International collaboration
Web Of Science research areas: Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology; Genetics & Heredity

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