Host genetic background impacts microbiome composition in newborn alligator

Abstract

Genetic factors plays a key role in determination of the structure of the cloacal flora for newborn Chinese Alligators. We collected the cloacal microbiomes for 24 newborn Chinese Alligators from three different genetic backgrounds for 16S gene amplicon sequencing. The number of cloacal flora for the Chinese Alligators from different groups was comparable but differed structurally. There were variations in proportions of floral compositions at the phylum and family levels; however, the main difference was at the genus level. There were two significant differences in richness and evenness among the three groups. Non-metric multidimensional scaling NMDS analysis revealed that the 24 samples could be clearly divided into three categories basee on their genetic backgrounds (stress = 0.0244). Thus, we postulated that newborn Chinese Alligators with different genetic backgrounds have different immune strengths, which affects individual responses to environmental microorganisms. In summary, newborn Chinese Alligators from different genetic backgrounds exhibit variations in cloacal microbiome.