# Genomic-based health-screening of reintroduced

## *Emys orbicularis*

Eichert C.₁, Meka J.₂,₃, Baranski D.₄, Schell T.₄, Romahn J.₄, Georges J.-Y.₃, Quintard B.₅, Theissinger K.₂

₁ Department of Biogeography, University of Trier, Trier, Germany; ₂ Justus Liebig University Giessen, Institute for Insect Biotechnology, Giessen, Germany; ₃ Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, UMR7178, Strasbourg, France; ₄ Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, Georg-Voigt-Straße 14-16, Frankfurt/Main, Germany; ₅ Parc Zoologique et Botanique de Mulhouse, Mulhouse, France

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## Introduction

**Emys-R:** participatory action-oriented research for defining the most effective methods of wetland restoration in favor of *Emys o.* reintroduction and associated biodiversity throughout Europe (one health)

**Microbiome research:** integrative understanding of patterns of microbial diversity and early signs of impending microbial disruption -> valuable tool for promoting individual health for most operational conservation strategies

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## Methodology

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* screening gut microbial community along broad biogeographic gradient (FR, LV, ES)

* scanning microbiome and infective pathogen load via turtles' fecal, cloacal & combined oral cloacal swabs

* metagenomic approach based on Next Generation Sequencing (NGS)

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## Prospect

* biomarker identification + functional annotation

* -> dysbiosis index -> health status

* screening of pathogens (*Rana*-, *Adeno*-, *Herpesvirus*, *Mycoplasma*) of larger sample size + at the breeding centres

* combine microbiome data with information on turtles' diet (J. Meka)

* combine microbiome with SMI and reproductive output (J.-Y. Georges)

## Hypotheses

* Microbiome <-> immune system & host physiology interactions: change in taxonomic community structure in health impaired turtles

* => a calculated body condition index will positively correlate with a more heterogenous (presumably healthier) turtle gut microbiome

## Preliminary results

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-> Bacterial species richness significantly higher in faecal samples compared to cloacal swab samples.

Mantel statistic based on Pearson's product-moment correlation between bacterial species richness and body condition index (SMI):

Mantel statistic r: 0.02821

Significance: 0.285

-> non-significant

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Visually, there is a clear difference in microbial composition between different infection states; however, the sample size from year 2023 is too small for a statistical analysis.

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biodiverse

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Water, JPI

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tbg
LEDEW Centre for
translational
biodiversity genomics

CITS

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JUSTUS-LIEBIG-
UNIVERSITAT
GIESSEN

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Emys-R is funded through the join 2020-2021 *Biodiversa & Water* JPI joint call for research proposals, under the Biodivrestore ERA-Net COFUND programme, and with the funding organisations Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR, France), Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF, Germany), State Education Development Agency (VIAA, Latvia), and National Science Center (NSC, Poland)

Université

de Strasbourg

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UNIVERSITAT
TRIER

IPHC

IPHC