Abstract:
Micro-organisms are present in the gut of all vertebrates and many invertebrates. The gut microbiota is beneficial to the health of many of these animals, with roles in nutrient processing, detoxification, immunity and intestinal development. However, for many birds, especially New Zealand species, the gut microbiota has not been investigated. This includes the kaka and kea which, along with the kakapo, make up the endangered Strigopidae parrot family. In order to study the gut microbiota of endangered birds, cloacal swabs and faecal samples are widely used, often interchangeably, as a proxy for the gut communities. Cloacal swabs are faster to obtain as they can be taken after capture without waiting for defecation, however they are more invasive and may not represent the gut microbiota as well as faecal samples. I examined the differences between community fingerprints in cloacal swabs and faecal samples from kakapo using denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). This allowed me to determine whether the difference in sampling methodology leads to a difference in the diversity results obtained, and indicated which sampling methodology is more suitable for examining the gut microbiota of Strigopidae parrots. The lack of knowledge about the Strigopidae gut microbiota is a knowledge gap in a likely important part of bird health. The gut microbiota of kaka, kakapo and kea was analysed with clone library and 454 pyrosequencing of faecal samples. This gave a detailed assessment of the gut microbiota of the kaka and kea, and revealed substantial differences among the gut microbiota of different Strigopidae parrots. Species translocation is an important tool in wildlife conservation and involves moving members of endangered species to another region in the hope of establishing additional populations of genetically diverse individuals. The effect of translocation on the gut microbiota has not been studied before and could potentially play a role in the incidence of disease in stressed translocated birds. Faecal samples from kakapo individuals pre- and post-translocation were analysed using 454 pyrosequencing to investigate if there were any effects of translocation on the kakapo gut microbiota. Overall, in this thesis I aim to investigate various areas of Strigopidae gut microbiology, which could have further implications for bird health, add knowledge to this interesting field and potentially aid conservation efforts for these birds.