Dietary and Sexual Correlates of Gut Microbiota in the Japanese Gecko, Gekko japonicus (Schlegel, 1836)
by
, and
Xin-Ru Jiang
1,
Ying-Yu Dai
1,
Yu-Rong Wang
1,
Kun Guo
2,
Yu Du
3,
Jian-Fang Gao
4,
Long-Hui Lin
4,
Peng Li
1
,
Hong Li
1,
Xiang Ji
2,* and
Yan-Fu Qu
1,* 1
College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China
2
Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory for Water Environment and Marine Biological Resources Protection, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
3
Hainan Key Laboratory of Herpetological Research, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, Sanya 572022, China
4
Herpetological Research Center, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Animals 2023, 13(8), 1365; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081365
Submission received: 1 March 2023
/
Revised: 6 April 2023
/
Accepted: 12 April 2023
/
Published: 16 April 2023
(This article belongs to the Section Herpetology)
Simple Summary
We used wild-caught Japanese geckos (Gekko japonicus) and captive conspecifics fed with mealworms and fruit flies to study their differences in gut microbial structure and composition and sexual correlates of gut microbiota. Gut microbial community richness and diversity were higher in mealworm-fed geckos than in wild geckos. The beta rather than alpha diversity of gut microbiota was sex dependent. From this study, we know the following. First, dietary and sexual correlates of gut microbiota are evident in G. japonicus. Second, with respect to the composition of gut microbiota, G. japonicus is more similar to the common leopard gecko than other reptilian taxa. Third, the diversity of gut microbiota is higher in geckos ingesting food with a higher chitin content.
Abstract
Numerous studies have demonstrated that multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors shape the structure and composition of gut microbiota in a host. The disorder of the gut microbiota may trigger various host diseases. Here, we collected fecal samples from wild-caught Japanese geckos (Gekko japonicus) and captive conspecifics fed with mealworms (mealworm-fed geckos) and fruit flies (fly-fed geckos), aiming to examine the dietary and sexual correlates of the gut microbiota. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology to determine the composition of the gut microbiota. The dominant phyla with a mean relative abundance higher than 10% were Verrucomicrobiota, Bacteroidota, and Firmicutes. Gut microbial community richness and diversity were higher in mealworm-fed geckos than in wild geckos. Neither community evenness nor beta diversity of gut microbiota differed among wild, mealworm-fed, and fly-fed geckos. The beta rather than alpha diversity of gut microbiota was sex dependent. Based on the relative abundance of gut bacteria and their gene functions, we concluded that gut microbiota contributed more significantly to the host’s metabolic and immune functions. A higher diversity of gut microbiota in mealworm-fed geckos could result from higher chitin content in insects of the order Coleoptera. This study not only provides basic information about the gut microbiota of G. japonicus but also shows that gut microbiota correlates with dietary habits and sex in the species.
Keywords:
ASVs; diet habit; Gekko japonicus; gut microbiota; sex
