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Xie M, Lv M, Zhao Z, Li L, Jiang H, Yu Y, Zhang X, Liu P, Chen J. Plastisphere characterization in habitat of the highly endangered Shinisaurus crocodilurus: Bacterial composition, assembly, function and the comparison with surrounding environment. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 900:165807. [PMID: 37506917 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023]
Abstract
Plastisphere is a new niche for microorganisms that complicate the ecological effects of plastics, and may profoundly influence biodiversity and habitat conservation. The DaGuishan National Nature Reserve, one of the largest habitats of the highly endangered crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), is experiencing plastic pollution without sufficient attention. Here, plastisphere collected from captive tanks of crocodile lizards in this nature reserve was characterized for the first time. Three types of plastic (PE-PP, PE1, and PE2) together with the surrounding water and soil samples, were collected, and 16S rRNA sequencing technology was used to characterize the bacterial composition. The results demonstrated that plastisphere was driven by stochastic process and had a distinct bacterial community with higher diversity than that in surrounding water (p < 0.05). Bacteria related to nitrogen and carbon cycles (Pseudomonas psychrotolerans, Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum) were more abundant in plastisphere than in water or soil (p < 0.05). More importantly, plastics recruited pathogens and those bacteria function in antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) coding. Bacteria related to polymer degradation also proliferated in plastisphere, especially Bacillus subtilis with a fold change of 42.01. The PE2 plastisphere, which had the lowest diversity and was dominated by Methylobacterium-Methylorubrum differed from PE 1 and PE-PP plastispheres totally. Plastics' morphology and aquatic nutrient levels contributed to the heterogeneity of different plastispheres. Overall, this study demonstrated that plastispheres diversify in composition and function, affecting ecosystem services directly or indirectly. Pathogens and bacteria related to ARGs expression enriched in the plastisphere should not be ignored because they may threaten the health of crocodile lizards by increasing the risk of infection. Plastic pollution control should be included in conservation efforts for crocodile lizards. This study provides new insights into the potential impacts of plastisphere, which is important for ecological risk assessments of plastic pollution in the habitats of endangered species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mujiao Xie
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Mei Lv
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Zhiwen Zhao
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Linmiao Li
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Haiying Jiang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Yepin Yu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Xiujuan Zhang
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Ping Liu
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China
| | - Jinping Chen
- Guangdong Key Laboratory of Animal Conservation and Resource Utilization, Guangdong Public Laboratory of Wild Animal Conservation and Utilization, Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510260, China.
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Lin Z, He M, Zhong C, Li Y, Tang S, Kang X, Wu Z. Responses of gut microbiota in crocodile lizards ( Shinisaurus crocodilurus) to changes in temperature. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1263917. [PMID: 38033565 PMCID: PMC10684959 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1263917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota plays an essential role in maintaining the health and fitness of the host organism. As a critical environmental variable, temperature exerts significant effects on animal survival and reproduction. Elevated temperatures can influence the composition and function of the animal gut microbiota, which may have potentially detrimental effects on the host. The crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) is an ancient and currently endangered reptile species due to human hunting and habitat destruction. Given the predicted shifts in global temperatures in the next century, it is important to understand how warming affects the gut microbiota of these vulnerable lizards, which remains unclear. To determine how the microbial communities change in crocodile lizards in response to warming, we analyzed the gut microbiota under five temperature conditions (22°C, 24°C, 26°C, 28°C, and 30°C) using 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Results showed that the dominant phyla, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, in gut microbiota were not significantly affected by temperature variations, but increasing temperature altered the structure and increased the community richness of the gut microbiota. In addition, warming changed the abundance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Actinobacteria, which may have negative effects on the physiological health of the crocodile lizards. Functional prediction analysis demonstrated that the functional pathways enriched in crocodile lizards were mainly related to metabolism, with no significant differences observed in these pathways at KEGG pathway level 1 after warming. These results provide valuable insights into the ecological adaptations and regulatory mechanisms employed by crocodile lizards in response to warming, which may be of benefit for their conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengzhong Lin
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Mingxian He
- College of Food and Biochemical Engineering, Guangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Guangxi, China
| | - Chunying Zhong
- College of Vocational and Technical Education, Guangxi Science and Technology Normal University, Guangxi, China
| | - Yuhui Li
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Sanqi Tang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Xindan Kang
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
| | - Zhengjun Wu
- Key Laboratory of Ecology of Rare and Endangered Species and Environmental Protection, Guangxi Normal University, Ministry of Education, Guilin, China
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Rare and Endangered Animal Ecology, Guangxi Normal University, Guilin, China
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Xie HX, Liang XX, Li WM, Chen ZQ, Wang XF, Ding ZH, Zhou XM, Du WG. The eggshell-matrix protein gene OC-17 is functionally lost in the viviparous Chinese crocodile lizard. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1568-1575. [PMID: 36129910 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2021] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Thickness reduction or loss of the calcareous eggshell is one of major phenotypic changes in the transition from oviparity to viviparity. Whether the reduction of eggshells in viviparous squamates is associated with specific gene losses is unknown. Taking advantage of a newly generated high-quality genome of the viviparous Chinese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus), we found that ovocleidin-17 gene (OC-17), which encodes an eggshell matrix protein that is essential for calcium deposition in eggshells, is not intact in the crocodile lizard genome. Only OC-17 transcript fragments were found in the oviduct transcriptome, and no OC-17 peptides were identified in the eggshell proteome of crocodile lizards. In contrast, OC-17 was present in the eggshells of the oviparous Mongolia racerunner (Eremias argus). Although the loss of OC-17 is not common in viviparous species, viviparous squamates show fewer intact eggshell-specific proteins than oviparous squamates. Our study implies that functional loss of eggshell-matrix protein genes may be involved in the reduction of eggshells during the transition from oviparity to viviparity in the crocodile lizard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hong-Xin Xie
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xi-Xi Liang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei-Ming Li
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | | | - Xi-Feng Wang
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zi-Han Ding
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xu-Ming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wei-Guo Du
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Behavioural thermoregulation by the endangered crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) in captivity. J Therm Biol 2020; 93:102731. [PMID: 33077142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2020.102731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the factors that may affect behavioural thermoregulation of endangered reptiles is important for their conservation because thermoregulation determines body temperatures and in turn physiological functions of these ectotherms. Here we measured seasonal variation in operative environmental temperature (Te), body temperature (Tb), and microhabitat use of endangered crocodile lizards (Shinisaurus crocodilurus) from a captive population, within open and shaded enclosures, to understand how they respond to thermally challenging environments. Te was higher in open enclosures than in shaded enclosures. The Tb of lizards differed between the open and shaded enclosures in summer and autumn, but not in spring. In summer, crocodile lizards stayed in the water to avoid overheating, whereas in autumn, crocodile lizards perched on branches seeking optimal thermal environments. Crocodile lizards showed higher thermoregulatory effectiveness in open enclosures (with low thermal quality) than in shaded enclosures. Our study suggests that the crocodile lizard is capable of behavioural thermoregulation via microhabitat selection, although overall, it is not an effective thermoregulator. Therefore, maintaining diverse thermal environments in natural habitats for behavioural thermoregulation is an essential measure to conserve this endangered species both in the field and captivity.
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