Species-specific gut microbiome responses to rodenticide exposure: restructuring in greenfinches but stability in pigeons
Abstract
BackgroundRodent eradication on oceanic islands is essential for the conservation of endemic species. Although anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are widely used for rodent control, their potential impacts on non-target wildlife require careful evaluation. We focused on the gut microbiome as a non-invasive indicator of AR exposure. Here, we administered ARs to Oriental greenfinches (Chloris sinica minor) and rock dove (Columba livia) as surrogate species for the critically endangered Bonin greenfinch (Chloris kittlitzi) and red-headed wood pigeon (Columba janthina nitens) to evaluate gut microbiome responses to ARs exposure.ResultsIn Oriental greenfinches, AR administration altered gut microbial community composition, increased α diversity, and enriched several bile acid-associated bacteria, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Collinsella. In contrast, neither first- nor second-generation AR administration induced significant changes in gut microbial diversity or community composition in rock doves.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate species-specific gut microbiome responses to AR exposure. The consistent enrichment of bile acid-associated bacteria in Oriental greenfinches suggests that alteration in bile acid metabolism may represent a characteristic response to AR exposure. Gut microbiome analysis may therefore provide a useful non-invasive tool for evaluating the impacts of rodenticides on endangered island birds.
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BibTeX
@article{ogasawara2026speciesspecific,
title = {{Species-specific gut microbiome responses to rodenticide exposure: restructuring in greenfinches but stability in pigeons}},
author = {Kohei Ogasawara and Masashi Koide and Ryo Nakao and Yoshinori Ikenaka and Shouta M. M. Nakayama and Mayumi Ishizuka},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1983858},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1983858},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Species-specific gut microbiome responses to rodenticide exposure: restructuring in greenfinches but stability in pigeons
AU - Kohei Ogasawara
AU - Masashi Koide
AU - Ryo Nakao
AU - Yoshinori Ikenaka
AU - Shouta M. M. Nakayama
AU - Mayumi Ishizuka
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/02
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1983858
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1983858
AB - BackgroundRodent eradication on oceanic islands is essential for the conservation of endemic species. Although anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) are widely used for rodent control, their potential impacts on non-target wildlife require careful evaluation. We focused on the gut microbiome as a non-invasive indicator of AR exposure. Here, we administered ARs to Oriental greenfinches (Chloris sinica minor) and rock dove (Columba livia) as surrogate species for the critically endangered Bonin greenfinch (Chloris kittlitzi) and red-headed wood pigeon (Columba janthina nitens) to evaluate gut microbiome responses to ARs exposure.ResultsIn Oriental greenfinches, AR administration altered gut microbial community composition, increased α diversity, and enriched several bile acid-associated bacteria, including Bacteroides, Prevotella, and Collinsella. In contrast, neither first- nor second-generation AR administration induced significant changes in gut microbial diversity or community composition in rock doves.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate species-specific gut microbiome responses to AR exposure. The consistent enrichment of bile acid-associated bacteria in Oriental greenfinches suggests that alteration in bile acid metabolism may represent a characteristic response to AR exposure. Gut microbiome analysis may therefore provide a useful non-invasive tool for evaluating the impacts of rodenticides on endangered island birds.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -