Habitat environments impacted the gut microbiome of long-distance migratory swan geese but central species conserved

The gut microbime plays an important role in the health of wild animals. This microbial community could be altered by habitat pollution and other human activities that threaten the host organisms. Here, we satellite-tracked a flock of swan geese (Anser cygnoides) migrating from their breeding area (Khukh Lake, Mongolia), with low levels of human activity, to their wintering area (Poyang Lake, China) which has been heavily impacted by human activities. Twenty fecal samples were collected from each site. High-throughput sequencing of 16S and ITS was employed to explore bacterial and fungal composition and diversity of their gut microbiome. Although general composition, alpha-diversity, functional prediction, and the central taxa in the phylogenetic networks showed some similarities between the two habitats, significant divergences were detected in terms of beta-diversity, species abundances, and interaction network topologies. In addition, disease-related and xenobiotic biodegradation pathways, and pathogenic bacteria were significantly increased in bacterial communities from samples at Poyang Lake. Our results reveal that the gut microbiome of swan geese, while somewhat altered after long-distance migration, still maintained a core group of species. We also show that habitat environmental stress could impact these gut microbial communities, suggesting that habitat pollution could indirectly threaten wild animals by altering their gut microbiome.