Blastocystis presence alters gut archaeal communities and metabolic functions in Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii)

Jin-Wen Su^1,2Si-Yuan Qin³Jian Liu²Cong-Cong Lei³Xiao-Tian Zhang³Wen-Hui Shi³Lin-Hong Xie³Yan Liu³Hong-Bo Ni²Ming-Yuan Yu³Hong-Rui Liang³Ya Qin⁴Jing Jiang⁵He-Ting Sun^3*He Ma²Zhong-Yuan Li^1*Xiao-Xuan Zhang^2*

• ¹Guilin Medical University, Guilin, China
• ²Qingdao Agricultural University, Qingdao, China
• ³State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Shenyang, China
• ⁴Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun, China
• ⁵Changchun Sci-Tech University, Changchun, China

Archaea are vital members of the gut microbiota, yet their diversity and functions in high-altitude wildlife remain poorly understood. Here, we used metagenome-assembled genome (MAG)-based approaches to investigate gut archaea in Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsonii) and their shifts under Blastocystis presence. We reconstructed 463 non-redundant archaeal MAGs encompassing 16,189 protein clusters, with over 70% representing potentially novel species, highlighting unexplored archaeal diversity. Although alpha diversity showed no significant difference between healthy and Blastocystis-present groups, beta diversity analysis revealed marked community restructuring, with decreased Methanobacteriota and increased Halobacteriota and Thermoplasmatota in the Blastocystis-present group. Functional annotation indicated alterations in energy and nucleotide metabolism, as well as in carbohydrate-active enzyme composition. Additionally, putative viral sequences were detected within archaeal MAGs, which may indicate potential but unconfirmed associations with virus-microbe interactions. Our findings provide novel insights into the diversity and ecological functions of gut archaea in Tibetan antelopes and offer a foundation for future research on their contributions to host health and microbial ecology.