Gut Microbiome of 311 Wild Deer Mice Across New Mexico

311 fecal microbiome samples from Peromyscus sonoriensis (western deer mice) collected across New Mexico, USA. The dataset was created by Andrew M. Skidmore and published on figshare in 2026. It includes samples from mice of all ages and sexes across multiple ecoregions, characterized using Shannon entropy, Faith phylodiversity, and weighted UNIFRAC metrics.

Use Cases

• Analyze microbiome diversity based on Shannon entropy and Faith phylodiversity metrics mentioned in the description
• Compare microbial community differences based on trapping location, which was a significant factor
• Study the impact of sample preservation methods (95% ethanol vs. cryopreservation) on microbiome characterization
• Identify differentially abundant bacterial families using the ANCOMBC statistical method referenced
• Establish a reference microbiome for related Peromyscus species and laboratory model development

Strengths

• 311 samples provide a substantial sample size for analysis
• Geographically diverse collection across multiple ecoregions in New Mexico
• Includes mice of all ages and sexes, covering demographic variation
• Uses PCR-independent sequencing of the entire 16S rRNA gene

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment
• The dataset is very small (14.1 KB), indicating limited scope or summary data

Provenance

Source

Andrew M. Skidmore via figshare

Collection Method

Fecal samples collected from wild mice, sequenced using a PCR-independent 16S rRNA approach.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-24 05:40:57; freshness should be verified

Geography

New Mexico, USA, across multiple ecoregions