Phylogenetic analysis of the fecal microbial community in herbivorous land and marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands using 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing

Diet significantly shapes the gut microbial communities of herbivorous iguanas in the Galápagos Islands, with marine and land iguanas exhibiting distinct bacterial compositions. Marine iguanas, which consume algae, show higher abundances of Bacteroides spp., Lachnospiraceae, and Clostridiaceae, while land iguanas, feeding on terrestrial vegetation, harbor a greater diversity of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) and a fivefold increase in Ruminococcaceae. Archaea were uniquely detected in land iguanas, suggesting their role in breaking down recalcitrant polysaccharides. The study used 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing to analyze fecal samples from both species across the archipelago, revealing novel microbial diversity that could lead to discoveries of enzymes capable of degrading complex polysaccharides.

Hong, P.-Y., Wheeler, E., Cann, I. K. O., & Mackie, R. I. (2011). Phylogenetic analysis of the fecal microbial community in herbivorous land and marine iguanas of the Galápagos Islands using 16S rRNA-based pyrosequencing. The ISME Journal, 5(9), 1461–1470. https://doi.org/10.1038/ismej.2011.33