Gut Microbiota of Captive and Wild Forest Musk Deer from Three Chinese Regions

Fecal samples from captive forest musk deer in Nanyang, Henan and Gaoping, Shanxi, and wild individuals in Baotianman, Henan, were analyzed via high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. The dataset, authored by Min Lu and last updated in June 2026, compares microbial community structure and function across these three groups, with five samples per group. It reveals differences in dominant phyla and functional pathways between captive and wild deer.

Use Cases

• Compare microbial community structure between captive and wild populations based on 16S rRNA sequencing data.
• Identify differential microbial biomarkers (e.g., Bacillus, Bacteroides) associated with rearing methods and geography.
• Predict functional pathway enrichment (e.g., xenobiotics biodegradation, lipid metabolism) in gut microbiota.
• Assess the impact of geographical factors on gut microbial diversity in an endangered species.

Strengths

• Includes comparative data from three distinct geographical groups (HN, SX, YS) with five samples each.
• Identifies specific differential biomarkers, such as Actinobacteriota abundance being 11.13% in the wild YS group versus 1.29% in the captive HN group.
• Provides functional prediction analysis revealing enriched pathways like xenobiotics biodegradation in wild groups.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• The dataset is small in scale (342.9 KB), indicating limited sample size.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-06-04 05:42:35; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Nanyang (Henan), Gaoping (Shanxi), and Baotianman (Henan), China.