A Comparison of Digestive Strategies for Teratoscincus roborowskii With Different Diet Compositions: Digestive Enzyme Activities Gut Microbiota and Metabolites

摘要

Animal gut microbiota play important roles in host immunity, nutrient metabolism, and energy acquisition. The gut microbiota and its metabolic products interact with the host in many different ways, influencing gut homoeostasis and health. Teratoscincus roborowskii is an endemic species which displays special frugivorous behavior, and it has been observed consuming grapes. To explore the effects of grape intake on the gut microbiota and metabolites of T. roborowskii , 16S rRNA sequencing and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry metabolomics were applied to investigate the gut microbiota and metabolite profiles of T. roborowskii fed with mealworms (LC group) and a mixture of mealworms and grapes (FG group). Our results demonstrated that a notable shift in microbiota composition occurred, particularly in terms of an increase in the probiotic Lactococcus in the FG group. The metabolite analysis revealed a significant enrichment of the pathways related to glucose metabolism in the FG group. In addition, the digestive enzyme activity analysis showed that the α‐amylase and cellulase activities in the FG group were significantly higher than those of the LC group, which was consistent with the food type. A strong correlation between diet, gut microbiota, and fecal metabolites was observed, which may imply that different diets promote the establishment of host intestinal adaptation strategies. Our study provides a theoretical basis for host health and the scientific captive breeding of the desert lizards T. roborowskii .