Gut Microbiota Plasticity and Metabolic Implications in Asian Tiger Populations

The gut microbiota of Asian tigers (Panthera tigris) is thought to play a role in the animal's exceptional flexibility and metabolic efficiency. The gut microbiota of tigers plays an important role in their metabolic processes, as evidenced by recent studies, indicating that these microbes are active players in the host's physiology rather than just passive occupants. It impacts metabolism, immune system, and the ability of the tiger to adapt to new environments. The present review aims to describe the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the gut microbiota of wild and captive tigers and the impact of diet, environment, and captivity on microbial communities. The wild tigers have a complex and dynamic gut microbiota that is appropriate for the carnivorous diet and the fluctuations of the seasons while the captive tigers have low gut microbial load and richness due to the diet and the surroundings they experience. These disruptions can cause metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes. Knowledge of the gut microbiota is important in enhancing conservation biology, especially in the breeding and translocation of the animals. Among the recommendations are the enhancement of the diet of the captive animals to that of the natural prey, the use of probiotics to enhance the gut health of the animals, and the inclusion of microbiota profiling in conservation management. Further research should be focused on the more sophisticated methods of the tiger's microbiota investigation and the potential of microbiota manipulation for the improvement of tigers’ conservation