The Gut Microbiome of the Goitered Gazelle Enables Plasticity by Responding to Environmental Factors in the Qaidam Basin

The Qaidam Basin on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an extreme arid environment, posing severe survival challenges. The goitered gazelle (<i>Gazella subgutturosa</i>) is a keystone species in this fragile ecosystem, yet the ecological role of its gut microbiota and its associations with environmental drivers remain poorly understood. We collected fecal samples from gazelles across seven regions of the basin. Metagenomic sequencing was employed to characterize the gut microbiome. Statistical analyses (Mantel tests, multiple regression on matrices, co-occurrence networks) were used to link microbial composition and function with key environmental factors. The gut microbiota was dominated by fiber-degrading phyla (<i>Firmicutes</i>, <i>Bacteroidota</i>) and enriched in metabolic pathways, aligning with a high-fiber diet. Regarding environmental drivers of gut microbial composition variations, isothermality and soil organic carbon were significant predictors, likely via vegetation and environmental inoculation. Regarding environmental drivers of gut microbial function variations, winter solar radiation was uniquely associated with metabolic function without altering microbial composition, suggesting a functional plasticity-the capacity to shift metabolic profiles independently of taxonomic turnover-in response to environmental variation. The gut microbiota of the goitered gazelle exhibits a stable core composition alongside environmentally responsive functional modules. This suggests the microbiome may serve as a significant mediator of host resilience, highlighting adaptation as a dynamic interplay between host, microbiome, and environment. These insights are crucial for microbiome-assisted conservation.