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Bacterial community composition in Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) Penguin stomach contents from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands

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Abstract

Penguin stomach microbiota and its variability are important as these microbes may contribute to the fitness of the host birds and their chicks, and influence the microbial ecosystem of the surrounding soils. However, there is relatively little knowledge in this area, with the majority of studies focused on their deposited faeces. Here we investigated whether similar foraging strategies in adjacent colonies of different penguin species lead to similar temporarily conserved stomach microbiota. To do this, we studied the inter- and intra-specific variations in bacterial community composition in the stomach contents of sympatrically breeding Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) Penguins, which consumed a diet of 100% Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) under a similar foraging regime on Signy Island (maritime Antarctic), using a high-throughput DNA sequencing approach. Our data show that Adélie and Chinstrap Penguins shared 23–63% similarity in the stomach bacterial community composition, with no significant differences observed in the α-diversity or the assemblages of frequently encountered groups of operational taxonomic units (OTUs). The most frequently encountered OTUs that were shared between the species represented members of the phyla Fusobacteria, Firmicutes, Tenericutes and Proteobacteria. OTUs which were unique to individual birds and to single species formed approximately half of the communities identified, suggesting that stomach microbiota variability can occur in penguins that forage and breed under similar environmental conditions.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation (YPASM) and the National Antarctic Research Centre, University of Malaya Research Grant (UMRG: RP007-2012A). Laboratory resources were provided by British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and Northumbria University. We thank Stacey Adlard for her assistance in the field sampling. We also thank the editor and three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments. Wen Chyin Yew is a recipient of MyBrain scholarship (MyPhD) funded by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. Peter Convey and Michael J Dunn are supported by NERC core funding to the BAS “Biodiversity, Evolution and Adaptation” and “Ecosystems” teams, respectively. This paper also contributes to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research “State of the Antarctic Ecosystem” research programme (AntEco).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Antarctic Research Centre, Institute of Graduate Studies, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    W. C. Yew, D. A. Pearce, A. A. Samah & P. Convey

  2. Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

    W. C. Yew

  3. British Antarctic Survey, NERC, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK

    D. A. Pearce, M. J. Dunn & P. Convey

  4. Department of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Northumbria at Newcastle, Ellison Building, Northumberland Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE1 8ST, UK

    D. A. Pearce

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All procedures involving animals followed internationally recognised CCAMLR CEMP standard methods and were in accordance with the ethical standards of the British Antarctic Survey.

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Yew, W.C., Pearce, D.A., Dunn, M.J. et al. Bacterial community composition in Adélie (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarctica) Penguin stomach contents from Signy Island, South Orkney Islands. Polar Biol 40, 2517–2530 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2162-8

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