Mycoplasmataceae dominate microbial community differences between gut regions in mammals with a simple gut architecture

Faunivorous mammals with simple guts are thought to rely primarily on endogenously produced enzymes to digest food, in part because they lack fermentation chambers for facilitating mutualistic interactions with microbes. However, variation in microbial community composition along the length of the gastrointestinal tract has yet to be assessed in faunivorous species with simple guts. We tested for differences in bacterial taxon abundances and community compositions between the small intestines and colons of 26 individuals representing four species of shrew in the genus Crocidura. We sampled these hosts from a single locality on Sulawesi Island, Indonesia, to control for potential geographic and temporal variation. Bacterial community composition differed significantly between the two gut regions and members of the family Mycoplasmataceae contributed substantially to these differences. Three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) of an unclassified genus in this family were more abundant in the small intestine, whereas 1 OTU of genus Ureaplasma was more abundant in the colon. Species of Ureaplasma encode an enzyme that degrades urea, a metabolic byproduct of protein catabolism. Additionally, a Hafnia–Obesumbacterium OTU, a genus known to produce chitinase in bat gastrointestinal tracts, was also more abundant in the colon compared to the small intestine. The presence of putative chitinase- and urease-producing bacteria in shrew guts suggests mutualisms with microorganisms play a role in facilitating the protein-rich, faunivorous diets of simple gut mammals. Mamalia faunivora dengan usus sederhana diperkirakan mengandalkan sejumlah enzim yang diproduksi secara endogen untuk mencerna makanan, salah satu alasannya di satu sisi karena mereka tidak memiliki ruang fermentasi untuk memfasilitasi interaksi mutualistik dengan mikroba. Namun begitu, variasi komposisi komunitas mikroba di sepanjang saluran pencernaan dari spesies-spesies faunivora dengan usus sederhana masih perlu dipelajari lebih lanjut. Kami menguji perbedaan-perbedaan dalam hal kelimpahan taksa dan komposisi komunitas bakteri antara usus halus dengan usus besar pada 26 individu yang merepresentasikan 4 spesies celurut genus Crocidura. Kami mengambil sampel inang dari satu lokasi tunggal di Sulawesi, Indonesia, demi mengendalikan variasi geografis dan temporal yang mungkin terjadi. Komposisi komunitas bakteri berbeda secara signifikan antara dua bagian usus, dan anggota-anggota dari keluarga famili Mycop