Bamboo Nutrients and Microbiome Affect Gut Microbiome of Giant Panda

To investigate the relationship between the bamboo including its nutrients and microbiome, and gut microbiome of giant panda, different bamboo species were provided for feeding the giant pandas. Nutrients of bamboo were examined, and the bamboo microbiome and gut microbiome of giant panda were investigated using high throughput sequencing. The results revealed that the composition of gut microbiome in giant panda varied among groups with different bamboo diet. Except for fat and hemicellulose, cellulose, lignin, carbohydrate, protein, flavone and tannin were significantly different between different bamboo species ( p < 0.05). PCoA showed that the composition of bamboo microbiome varied by different species. Significant differences in richness and diversity of bacteria were observed between different bamboo ( p < 0.05), as well as the abundance of the main bacteria and fungi at phylum and genus level (Kruskal-Wallis, LDA > 4). Interestingly, the content of lignin and cellulose in bamboo was positively associated with the relative abundance of Streptococcus and Clostridium in gut of giant panda, respectively ( p < 0.05). The diversity of bamboo bacteria was positively correlated with that of gut bacteria in giant panda ( p < 0.05). Significant associations of certain bacteria and fungi between bamboo and gut of giant panda ( p < 0.05) were found. 36 bacterial and 54 fungal genera were both shared between bamboo and the gut of giant panda in all groups. Our results demonstrated that the gut microbial community varied between giant pandas fed on different bamboo species revealing that bamboo nutrients and microbiome affect gut microbiome of giant panda. Our findings contributed to the deeper understanding of dietary or environmental impact on gut microbiome of giant panda.