Gut Microbiota of Captive and Wild Siberian Cranes and Links to Soil in Poyang Lake Wetlands

Gut microbiota are integral to host health and ecological adaptation, yet their interactions with environmental microbial communities remain understudied in migratory waterbirds. Using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we compared gut microbiota of captive and wild Siberian cranes and their associations with soil microbiota in the Poyang Lake wetlands. Alpha diversity was significantly higher in soil than in gut microbiota, with captive cranes exhibiting greater microbial richness and evenness than wild individuals. Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct gut and soil microbiota, with partial overlap between captive and wild crane gut microbiota. Firmicutes dominated gut communities, with <i>Ligilactobacillus</i> and <i>Romboutsia</i> enriched in captive cranes, whereas <i>Acidobacteria</i> were predominant in soil. <i>Escherichia</i>-<i>Shigella</i> was more abundant in wild cranes and soil. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe) analysis identified 34 differentially enriched taxa, and microbial network analysis indicated stronger gut-soil microbial associations than those between captive and wild hosts. Network analysis further revealed distinct co-occurrence patterns between captive and wild groups, suggesting potential shifts in microbial interaction structures under different living conditions. These findings provide preliminary insights that may inform future conservation strategies for Siberian cranes.