PubMed · 2026-04-16
Zoo-raised hellbenders (large aquatic salamanders) have far less diverse gut bacteria than wild ones, but switching them to a wild diet helps restore that microbial balance—and their gut communities continue shifting toward wild-type after release into natural habitats.
Zoo-reared hellbenders showed significantly reduced bacterial richness compared to wild individuals, indicating captivity suppresses microbiome diversity.
Introducing a wild diet in zoo settings modulated the gut microbiome, with change primarily driven by bacterial species turnover rather than abundance shifts.
Both bacterial and fungal gut communities restructured after release into natural habitat, trending toward wild-type composition—suggesting microbiome recovery is possible post-reintroduction.