Abstract
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
generally unknown and could have been as recent as hours, days, or
weeks. Previous studies using scats have shown that exposure to aerobic
conditions can compromise the microbial composition and that this rate
of exposure differs between species. 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 and
structures in a controlled experiment using scat sample from the
endangered koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). We found that targeting the
core of the scat for DNA extraction reduced the impact of oxygen
exposure as we did not observe the previously reported reduction in
obligate anaerobic bacteria nor an increase in facultative anaerobes
even after aging for 10 days. We found that even though bacteria remain
stable through the scat aging process, the fungal composition did not.
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. Finally, we propose strategies to combat the
effects of time and preserve the integrity of a scat sample collected in
the wild.