Metagenomic insights into the Impact of Long-Distance Movement on the gut microbiota of wild Asian elephants

[Background] Rapid changes can affect gut microbiome of animals. Wild Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) are poorly studied, and the 2021 northward movement of a Yunnan wild Asian elephant herd is a natural experiment to explore how long distance movement affects gut microbiome of endangered animals. [Methods] Metagenomics was used to compare fecal samples of long distance movement herd (KM), short distance groups with different geographic relationships (JH,MH) and stable group (CY). The objective was to evaluate the effect of scale of movement on the gut communities in wild Asian elephants. [Results] Long distance movement caused significant changes in gut microbiota.Compared to JH group, KM group showed a significant decrease in gut microbiota (P < 0.05) and changes in gut microbiota (higher community structure) with more heterogeneity between individuals. Key taxa showed higher abundances of environmentally sourced bacteria (Burkholderia), dominant methanogenic archaea (Methanobrevibacter) and a distinct virome (Virome) in the KM group, which was sensitive to habitat changes. For the first time Orthorubulavirus mammalis (zoonotic risk) was detected in the KM group due to cross host virus transmission. [Conclusion] This study show that long-distance movement can change the gut microbiome of wild Asian elephants. The costs of environmental exposure may be incurred and metabolic adaptation may also be signalled. The virome could be used as a biomarker of environmental changes in Asian elephants, warranting further investigation with larger samples. This shows that gut microbiome monitoring may be critical for future health studies and conservation management for wild Asian elephants.