Change in gut histomorphology and microbiota in Chinese strip‐necked turtle hatchlings

The development of the digestive system in the hatchling, especially in the critical stage of first feeding, is of great importance for rearing techniques of turtles. In the present study, the developments of intestinal histomorphology and microbiota during the first 30 days (0, 10, 20 and 30 days after hatched) of Chinese strip‐necked turtle (Mauremys sinensis) were investigated. The results showed that the height and width of intestinal villus and total length of intestine progressed with turtle's growth. The diversity of intestinal microbiota (Shannon and Simpson index) was no significant difference between first 30 days, but the richness indexes (Chao and Ace) significantly increased at 20 days after hatched. The phylum Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes dominated the turtle gut microbiota. The abundances of family Weeksellaceae, Aeromonadaceae, Cytophagaceae and Lachnospiraceae increased, whereas the family Ruminococcaceae decreased at 10 days after the first feeding. With turtle growing, the abundances of Bacteroidaceae and Methylobacteriaceae increased, which dominated at 30 days (28.49% and 22.08%, respectively). The order of Clostridiales and genus of Clostridium dominated in all the tested turtle samples in spite of the low abundance of environment including vermiculite, water and feed. Therefore, the members of Clostridium would be potential probiotic for turtles although future investigations should determine their roles in the turtle gut microbiota.