# Dietary shifts and gut microbiota plasticity correlates of habitat micromodification in wild oriental storks: implications for conservation physiology

## TL;DR

This study shows how changes in wetland habitats affect the diet and gut bacteria of oriental storks, which is important for their conservation.

## Contribution

The study links wetland micromodifications to dietary and gut microbiota changes in wild oriental storks.

## Key findings

- The gut microbiota of oriental storks showed shifts in bacterial abundance during habitat changes.
- Dietary analysis revealed changes in plant species consumed by storks during micromodifications.
- Wetland quality decline affected food resources, influencing stork diet and microbiota.

## Abstract

Understanding how wetland habitat micromodification impacts the health of birds through dietary and microbial adjustments is critical for their conservation. Tianjin Qilihai Wetland serves as a critical migration stopover site for the oriental stork (Ciconia boyciana), while having undergone a habitat micromodification. In this study, the fecal samples of oriental storks across pre-change group (collected in 2022), under-change group (collected in 2023), and post-change group (collected in 2024) from Tianjin Qilihai Wetland were analyzed by integrating fecal microhistology with 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that, at the phylum level, the dominant bacterial phyla of oriental storks in the three years all contained Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, and at the genus level, the dominant bacterial genera of gut microbiota were Paeniclostridium and Lactobacillus. The abundances of Paeniclostridium and Lactobacillus were highest in under-change group. Ten species of plants belonging to 10 genera and 8 families were identified based on microscopic examination, of which Abutilon theophrasti was unique in pre-change group, Suaeda glauca and Nelumbo nucifera were unique in under-change group. During the environmental micromodifications, the quality of the wetland environment declined, and the types and quantity of food resources available changed, which in turn affected the diet choice and gut microbiota structure of oriental storks. The research provides a reference for wetland micromodifications and wildlife conservation.