Browsing by Author "Taylor MW"

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Gut microbiota of the threatened takahē: biogeographic patterns and conservation implications
(BioMed Central Ltd, 2022-12) West AG; DeLaunay A; Marsh P; Perry EK; Jolly M; Gartrell BD; Pas A; Digby A; Taylor MW
BACKGROUND: The Aotearoa New Zealand takahē (Porphyrio hochstetteri), once thought to be extinct, is a nationally threatened flightless rail under intensive conservation management. While there has been previous research into disease-related microbes in takahē, little is known about the microbes present in the gastrointestinal tract. Given the importance of gut-associated microbes to herbivore nutrition and immunity, knowledge of these communities is likely to be of considerable conservation value. Here we examined the gut microbiotas of 57 takahē at eight separate locations across Aotearoa New Zealand. RESULTS: Faecal samples, taken as a proxy for the hindgut bacterial community, were subjected to 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing using Illumina MiSeq. Phylogenetic analysis of > 2200 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) revealed nine main bacterial phyla (Acidobacteriota, Actinobacteriota, Bacteroidota, Campilobacterota, Firmicutes, Fusobacteriota, Planctomycetota, Proteobacteria, and Verrucomicrobiota) that accounted for the majority of sequence reads. Location was a significant effect (p value < 0.001, 9999 permutations) that accounted for 32% of the observed microbiota variation. One ASV, classified as Lactobacillus aviarius, was present in all samples at an average relative abundance of 17% (SD = 23.20). There was strong evidence (p = 0.002) for a difference in the abundance of the genus Lactobacillus between locations. A common commensal bacterium previously described in takahē, Campylobacter spp., was also detected in most faecal samples. CONCLUSIONS: Location plays a pivotal role in the observed variation among takahē gut bacterial communities and is potentially due to factors such as supplemental feeding and medical treatment experienced by birds housed in captivity at one of the eight sampled sites. These data present a first glimpse of the previously unexplored takahē gut microbiota and provide a baseline for future microbiological studies and conservation efforts.
Host phylogeny shapes viral transmission networks in an island ecosystem
(Springer Nature Limited, 2023-11) French RK; Anderson SH; Cain KE; Greene TC; Minor M; Miskelly CM; Montoya JM; Wille M; Muller CG; Taylor MW; Digby A; Kākāpō Recovery Team; Holmes EC
Virus transmission between host species underpins disease emergence. Both host phylogenetic relatedness and aspects of their ecology, such as species interactions and predator-prey relationships, may govern rates and patterns of cross-species virus transmission and hence zoonotic risk. To address the impact of host phylogeny and ecology on virus diversity and evolution, we characterized the virome structure of a relatively isolated island ecological community in Fiordland, New Zealand, that are linked through a food web. We show that phylogenetic barriers that inhibited cross-species virus transmission occurred at the level of host phyla (between the Chordata, Arthropoda and Streptophyta) as well as at lower taxonomic levels. By contrast, host ecology, manifest as predator-prey interactions and diet, had a smaller influence on virome composition, especially at higher taxonomic levels. The virus-host community comprised a 'small world' network, in which hosts with a high diversity of viruses were more likely to acquire new viruses, and generalist viruses that infect multiple hosts were more likely to infect additional species compared to host specialist viruses. Such a highly connected ecological community increases the likelihood of cross-species virus transmission, particularly among closely related species, and suggests that host generalist viruses present the greatest risk of disease emergence.
Influence of management practice on the microbiota of a critically endangered species: a longitudinal study of kākāpō chick faeces and associated nest litter
(BioMed Central, Ltd., 2022-09-30) West AG; Digby A; Lear G; Armstrong D; Armstrong-James D; Bromley M; Buckley E; Chatterton J; Cox MP; Cramer RA; Crane J; Dearden PK; Eason D; Fisher MC; Gago S; Gartrell B; Gemmell NJ; Glare TR; Guhlin J; Howard J; Lacap-Bugler D; Le Lec M; Lin XX; Lofgren L; Mackay J; Meis J; Morelli KA; Perrott J; Petterson M; Quinones-Mateu M; Rhodes J; Roberts J; Stajich J; Taylor MW; Tebbutt SJ; Truter-Meyer A; Uddstrom L; Urban L; van Rhijn N; Vercoe D; Vesely E; Weir BS; Winter DJ; Yeung J
Background: The critically endangered kākāpō is a flightless, nocturnal parrot endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. Recent efforts to describe the gastrointestinal microbial community of this threatened herbivore revealed a low-diversity microbiota that is often dominated by Escherichia-Shigella bacteria. Given the importance of associated microbial communities to animal health, and increasing appreciation of their potential relevance to threatened species conservation, we sought to better understand the development of this unusual gut microbiota profile. To this end, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of faecal material collected from kākāpō chicks during the 2019 breeding season, in addition to associated nest litter material. Results: Using an experimental approach rarely seen in studies of threatened species microbiota, we evaluated the impact of a regular conservation practice on the developing kākāpō microbiota, namely the removal of faecal material from nests. Artificially removing chick faeces from nests had negligible impact on bacterial community diversity for either chicks or nests (p > 0.05). However, the gut microbiota did change significantly over time as chick age increased (p < 0.01), with an increasing relative abundance of Escherichia-Shigella coli over the study period and similar observations for the associated nest litter microbiota (p < 0.01). Supplementary feeding substantially altered gut bacterial diversity of kākāpō chicks (p < 0.01), characterised by a significant increase in Lactobacillus bacteria. Conclusions: Overall, chick age and hand rearing conditions had the most marked impact on faecal bacterial communities. Similarly, the surrounding nest litter microbiota changed significantly over time since a kākāpō chick was first placed in the nest, though we found no evidence that removal of faecal material influenced the bacterial communities of either litter or faecal samples. Taken together, these observations will inform ongoing conservation and management of this most enigmatic of bird species.