The nearly complete mitochondrial genome of Coridius chinensis (Dallas) is reported in this study. The mitogenome is a double-stranded circular molecule of more than 14,648 bp in length with an A+T content of 75.1%. It encoded 37 genes as in other insect mtDNAs, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 tRNA genes, 2 rRNA genes and a control region (unsuccessful sequencing), and the gene order is the same as most other known heteropteran mitogenomes. All of the 22 transfer RNAs can be folded into the typical cloverleaf structure except tRNASer(AGN), which can only form a simple loop at the site of dihydrouridine (DHU) arm as known in other metazoans. The secondary structures of the large and small ribosomal RNAs of C. chinensis are similar to other presented insects. The rrnL consisted of six structural domains and 40 helices, and the rrnS consisted of three structural domains and 26 helices. Nine PCGs are initiated with the standard initiation codons (ATN), while ND6 and ND1 use GTG, and COI and ATP8 use TTG. All PCGs stopped with TAA/TAG termination codons except the COII terminated with a single T residue. Asymmetry in the nucleotide composition between J-strand and N-strand was observed in this mitogenome.

Introduction: Gut microbiota are closely related to the nutrition, immunity, and metabolism of the host and play important roles in maintaining the normal physiological activities of animals. Cranes are important protected avian species in China, and they are sensitive to changes in the ecological environment and are thus good environmental indicators. There have been no reports examining gut fungi or the correlation between bacteria and fungi in wild Demoiselle cranes (Grus virgo) and Common cranes (Grus grus). Related research can provide a foundation for the protection of rare wild animals.Methods: 16S rRNA and ITS high-throughput sequencing techniques were used to analyze the gut bacterial and fungal diversity of Common and Demoiselle cranes migrating to the Yellow River wetland in Inner Mongolia.Results: The results revealed that for gut bacteria α diversity, Chao1 index in Demoiselle cranes was remarkably higher than that in Common cranes (411.07 ± 79.54 vs. 294.92 ± 22.38), while other index had no remarkably differences. There was no remarkable difference in fungal diversity. There were marked differences in the gut microbial composition between the two crane species. At the phylum level, the highest abundance of bacteria in the Common crane and Demoiselle crane samples was Firmicutes, accounting for 87.84% and 74.29%, respectively. The highest abundance of fungi in the guts of the Common and Demoiselle cranes was Ascomycota, accounting for 69.42% and 57.63%, respectively. At the genus level, the most abundant bacterial genus in the Common crane sample was Turicibacter (38.60%), and the most abundant bacterial genus in the Demoiselle crane sample was Catelicoccus (39.18%). The most abundant fungi in the Common crane sample was Penicillium (6.97%), and the most abundant fungi in the Demoiselle crane sample was Saccharomyces (8.59%). Correlation analysis indicated that there was a significant correlation between gut bacteria and fungi.Discussion: This study provided a research basis for the protection of cranes. Indeed, a better understanding of the gut microbiota is very important for the conservation and management of wild birds, as it not only helps us to understand their life history and related mechanisms, but also can hinder the spread of pathogenic microorganisms.

A Gram-stain-positive, motile, rod-shaped bacterial strain, YN-1T, was isolated from a rice field in the town of Jietou, Yunnan Province, PR China. Colonies were circular, 1–2 mm in diameter, creamy white, with slightly irregular margins. The isolate grew optimally at 37 °C, pH 7.0 and with 1.0 % (w/v) NaCl. On the basis of the results of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity comparisons, YN-1T clustered together with other species of the genus Bacillus and showed highest similarities with Bacillus onubensis 0911MAR22V3T (98.0 %), Bacillus humi LMG22167T (97.5 %), ' Bacillus timonensis ' 10403023(97.4 %) and ' Bacillus sinesaloumensis' P3516 (97.1 %). However, the DNA–DNA hybridization values between YN-1T and closely related strains of species of the genus Bacillus were well below 47 %, indicating that they represent different taxa. The average nucleotide identity and the Genome-to-Genome Distance Calculator also revealed low relatedness (below 95 and 70 %, respectively) between YN-1T and type strains of closely related species of the genus Bacillus . The DNA G+C content of the strain was 40 mol%. The major cellular fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0, anteiso-C15 : 0, and C16 : 0. The polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids, three unidentified aminophospholipids and two other unidentified lipids. Physiological and biochemical test results were also different from those of the most closely related species. On the basis of the phenotypic, genetic and chemotaxonomic data, strain YN-1T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Bacillus , for which the name Bacillus aciditolerans sp. nov. is proposed, with strain YN-1T (=CCTCC AB 2017280T=JCM 32973T) as the type strain.

The gut microbiota promotes host health by maintaining homeostasis and enhancing digestive efficiency. The gut microflora in wild birds affects host physiological characteristics, nutritional status, and stress response. The relict gull (Larus Relictus, a Chinese national first-class protected species) and the black-necked grebe (Podiceps Nigricollis, a secondary protected species) bred in the Ordos Relic Gull National Nature Reserve share similar feeding habits and living environments but are distantly related genetically. To explore the composition and differences in the gut microbiota of these two key protected avian species in Erdos Relic Gull National Nature Reserve and provide a basis for their protection, 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing was performed and the gut microbial diversity and composition of the relict gull (L. Relictus) and black-necked grebe (P. Nigricollis) was characterized. In total, 445 OTUs (operational taxonomic units) were identified and classified into 15 phyla, 22 classes, 64 orders, 126 families, and 249 genera. Alpha diversity analysis indicates that the gut microbial richness of the relict gull is significantly lower than that of the black-necked grebe. Gut microbe composition differs significantly between the two species. The most abundant bacterial phyla in these samples were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The prominent phylum in the relict gull was Proteobacteria, whereas the prominent phylum in the black-necked grebe was Firmicutes. The average relative abundance of the 17 genera identified was greater than 1%. The dominant genus in the relict gull was Escherichia-Shigella, whereas Halomonas was dominant in the black-necked grebe. Microbial functional analyses indicate that environmental factors exert a greater impact on relict gulls than on black-necked grebes. Compared with the relict gull, the black-necked grebe was able to use food more efficiently to accumulate its nutrient requirements, and the gut of the relict gull harbored more pathogenic bacteria, which may be one reason for the decline in the relict gull population, rendering it an endangered species. This analysis of the gut microbial composition of these two wild avian species in the same breeding grounds is of great significance, offers important guidance for the protection of these two birds, especially relict gulls, and provides a basis for understanding the propagation of related diseases.