Effect of fecal preservation method on captive southern white rhinoceros gut microbiome

The southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum) faces an uncertain future in the wild due to increased poaching pressure and habitat fragmentation, thus management of reproductively successful populations is critical importance. Successful reproductive outcomes may be mediated by diet gut microbial diversity; therefore, understanding dynamics within between captive help improve conservation efforts. Accordingly, microbiome preservation methods are needed that practical for situ field sampling populations. We evaluated efficacy 3 different over 2 timepoints stabilizing communities feces from (n = 10) at North Carolina Zoo Asheboro, Carolina, USA, during July–September 2020 January–March 2021. Samples were immediately frozen −80°C, stored PERFORMAbiome™·GUT (PB) tubes or 95% ethanol ambient temperatures (to simulate conditions), processed after 14 230 days post-collection. quantitatively compared alpha beta diversity across identified taxa enriched each treatment group. preserved consistently harbored lower Shannon index (SHDI) Simpson's (SDI) values Frozen PB samples. This trend was apparent both Ethanol day-14 samples (SHDI 4.94; SDI 0.98) versus 5.19; W 518, P < 0.001; 0.99; 476, 0.001) 5.15; 430, 0.01; 1075, 1) samples, day-230 4.48; 0.97) 5.18; 0, 0.05; 0.032) 5.23; day differed (P 0.05) all other treatments indices. Notably, maintained compositionally similar time points. Our results indicate perform similarly freezing highlighting their utility fieldwork applications. Identifying optimal versatile techniques will enable studies reproductively-successful populations, effort central efforts threatened species.