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Fecal microbiota and diet compositions of muskox female adults and calves
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  • Ji-Yeon Cheon,
  • Hyunjoon Cho,
  • Mincheol Kim,
  • Hyun Je Park,
  • Tae-Yoon Park,
  • Won Young Lee
Ji-Yeon Cheon
Korea Polar Research Institute

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Hyunjoon Cho
Korea Polar Research Institute
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Mincheol Kim
Korea Polar Res Inst KOPRI
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Hyun Je Park
Gangneung-Wonju National University
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Tae-Yoon Park
Korea Polar Research Institute
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Won Young Lee
Korea Polar Research Institute
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Abstract

Gut microbiome is vertically transmitted by maternal lactation at birth in mammals. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiome and diet compositions of muskox, a large herbivore in the high Arctic. From muskox feces in Ella Island, East Greenland, we compared the microbiota composition using bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the dietary compositions of six female adults and four calves have been compared. Firmicutes was the most abundant bacterial phylum in both adults and calves, comprising 94.36% and 94.03%, respectively. There were significant differences in the relative abundance of two Firmicutes families: the adults were mainly dominated by Ruminococcaceae (73.90%), while the calves were dominated by both Ruminococcaceae (56.25%) and Lachnospiraceae (24.00%). Stable isotope analysis on the feces and eight referential plant samples in the study area showed that both adults and calves had similar ranges of 13C and 15N, possibly derived from the dominant diet plants of Empetrum nigrum and Salix glauca. Despite the similar diets, the different gut microbiome compositions in muskox adults and calves indicate that the gut microbiome of the calves may not be fully colonized yet as much as the one of the adults.
28 Dec 2021Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
29 Dec 2021Submission Checks Completed
29 Dec 2021Assigned to Editor
09 Jan 2022Reviewer(s) Assigned
24 Jan 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
27 Jan 2022Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
07 Apr 20221st Revision Received
07 Apr 2022Submission Checks Completed
07 Apr 2022Assigned to Editor
07 Apr 2022Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
12 Apr 2022Editorial Decision: Accept