High-altitude Adaptation of Xizang Plateau Frogs, <italic>Nanorana parkeri</italic> from a Perspective of the Gut Microbiome

<p indent="0mm">Adaptative strategies of the frog, <italic>Nanorana parkeri</italic>, to extreme environments at high altitude are linked with the evolution of their own genetic mechanisms and phenotypic traits. However, to date, the roles of symbiotic microbiomes in host adaptation to environmental extremes remain enigmatic. <?A3B2 tlsb=.005w?>In the present study, the 16S rRNA gene amplicon coupled with metagenomic sequencing was used to explore composition as well as potential functions of microbiomes in the gut of <italic>N</italic>. <italic>parkeri</italic> collected at both low (3 <sc>400 m</sc> above sea level (a.s.l.)) and high (4 <sc>600 m a.s.</sc>l.) altitudes on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau. We found that the phylum Firmicutes and genera, such as unclassified_Peptostreptococcaceae, unclassified_Lachnospiraceae, <?A3B2 tlsb?> <italic>Breznakia</italic>, and unclassified_Ruminococcaceae, dominated the core gut microbiomes at both altitudes. High-altitude frogs have a lower alpha diversity of gut microbiome than low-altitude individuals. Moreover, two potentially butyrate-producing bacterial genera, <italic>Anaerovorax</italic> and <italic>Pygmaiobacter</italic>, exhibited higher relative abundances in high-altitude individuals versus low-altitude frogs. Notably, at high altitude, families such as antibacterial GH90 and GT103, associated with inflammation attenuation, showed a significantly high relative abundance, whereas GT48, contributing to the synthesis of fungal cell walls, exhibited a significant decrease in the relative abundance. The current study provides novel insights into the role of gut microbiomes in the adaptation of amphibians to high-altitude environments. <?Pub Caret 14?>