Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota between Two Dominant Jerboa Species in the Alxa Desert Ecosystem

doi:10.11733/j.issn.1007-0435.2026.10.019

Acta Agrestia Sinica ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (10): 3726-3735.DOI: 10.11733/j.issn.1007-0435.2026.10.019

Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota between Two Dominant Jerboa Species in the Alxa Desert Ecosystem

LIU Nan^1,2,3, CHU Dong-yang^1,2,3, FU He-ping^1,2,3, YUAN Shuai^1,2,3

1. College of Grassland Science, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010011, China;
2. Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Rodent Pest Control at Universities of Inner Mongolia Autonomous, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010011, China;
3. Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, Inner Mongolia 010011, China

Received:2025-05-29 Revised:2025-08-06 Published:2026-10-10

阿拉善荒漠区两种优势跳鼠肠道菌群比较分析

刘楠^1,2,3, 褚东阳^1,2,3, 付和平^1,2,3, 袁帅^1,2,3

1. 内蒙古农业大学草业学院, 内蒙古呼和浩特 010011;
2. 草地啮齿动物生态学与鼠害控制自治区高等学校重点实验室, 内蒙古呼和浩特 010011;
3. 内蒙古农业大学草地资源教育部重点实验室, 内蒙古呼和浩特 010011

通讯作者: 付和平, E-mail: Fuheping@126.com;袁帅, E-mail: yuanshui2020@163.com
作者简介:刘楠（1999-），女，汉族，内蒙古呼和浩特人，硕士研究生，主要从事啮齿动物生态学与草地保护方面研究，E-mail：1963948644@qq.com
基金资助:
内蒙古自治区自然科学基金（2023MS03025）；国家自然科学基金（32060256，32060395）；内蒙古自治区科技计划项目（2021GG0108）；内蒙古自治区科技重大专项（2021ZD0006）资助

Abstract

Abstract: The gut microbiota of mammals provides numerous benefits to their hosts. To investigate the ecological adaptation mechanisms of sympatric species， this study compared the gut microbiota of two dominant jerboa species co-distributed in the Alxa Desert region-the Northern Three-toed Jerboa （Dipus sagitta） and the Siberian Five-toed Jerboa （Orientallactaga sibirica）-using 16S rRNA sequencing and predictive metagenomics. Analysis revealed that the α diversity indices of the gut microbiota in D. sagitta were significantly higher than those in O. sibirica， and their microbial structures differed significantly. LEfSe analysis identified 52 taxa showing significant differences between the two species. Specifically， Ruminococcaceae and Oscillospiraceae were enriched in D. sagitta， potentially aiding in the degradation of plant cellulose， whereas Desulfovibrionaceae and Lachnospiraceae were enriched in O. sibirica， likely supporting sulfur metabolism related to high-protein and chitin-rich diets. Functional prediction indicated that the core functions of the gut microbiota in both species were highly similar， dominated by metabolic functions， particularly the synthesis of essential amino acids. This study reveals how gut microbiota divergence supports niche separation and ecological adaptation in two sympatric desert rodents， which provides new microbiological insights into the coexistence mechanisms of sympatric species.

Key words: Alxa Desert Region, Dipus sagitta, Orientallactaga sibirica, Gut microbiota, 16S rRNA, Bacterial diversity

摘要： 哺乳动物的肠道微生物为宿主提供了许多益处。为探究同域分布物种的生态适应机制，本研究通过16S rRNA测序技术和预测性宏基因组学技术，对阿拉善荒漠区同域分布的两种优势跳鼠——三趾跳鼠（Dipus sagitta）和五趾跳鼠（Orientallactaga sibirica）的肠道菌群进行比较分析。研究结果表明三趾跳鼠的α-多样性指数显著高于五趾跳鼠，且两者菌群结构存在显著差异。LEfSe分析发现52个差异显著的分类单元，其中三趾跳鼠富集的瘤胃球菌科（Ruminococcaceae）和颤螺旋菌科（Oscillospiraceae）助其降解植物纤维素。而五趾跳鼠富集的硫弧菌科（Desulfovibrionaceae）和毛螺菌科（Lachnospiraceae）则支持其对高蛋白与几丁质食物的硫代谢适应。功能预测显示两者菌群核心功能相似，均以代谢功能为主，尤其在合成必需氨基酸方面具有优势。本研究揭示了两种同域共存的荒漠啮齿动物通过肠道菌群分化实现生态位分离的适应策略，为理解同域物种共存机制提供了微生物学视角。

关键词: 阿拉善荒漠区, 三趾跳鼠, 五趾跳鼠, 肠道菌群, 16S rRNA, 细菌多样性

CLC Number:

S718.83

LIU Nan, CHU Dong-yang, FU He-ping, YUAN Shuai. Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota between Two Dominant Jerboa Species in the Alxa Desert Ecosystem[J]. Acta Agrestia Sinica, 2026, 34(10): 3726-3735.

刘楠, 褚东阳, 付和平, 袁帅. 阿拉善荒漠区两种优势跳鼠肠道菌群比较分析[J]. 草地学报, 2026, 34(10): 3726-3735.

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Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota between Two Dominant Jerboa Species in the Alxa Desert Ecosystem

阿拉善荒漠区两种优势跳鼠肠道菌群比较分析

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