Characteristics of fecal mycobiota and bacteriota in laying hens during different laying periods

Mycobiota represents an important component of the gut microbiome in poultry and plays important roles in host nutrition and metabolism. However, the understanding of gut mycobiota in laying hens during the production cycle is limited. The present study aimed to characterize the structure and diversity of fecal mycobiota and bacteriota and examine the interplays between both microbial communities in laying hens during different laying periods. Sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and 16S rRNA gene amplicon was performed on 50 fecal samples of laying hens at 5 different time points during the laying cycle. The analysis yielded 1314 and 3840 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), respectively. The results showed that Ascomycota and Basidiomycota were the most predominant. The statistical analysis of fecal flora composition succession in laying hens showed that different laying periods were one of the main factors affecting the fecal flora of laying hens. Mycobiota displayed greater variability across different laying periods compared to the bacterial community, in terms of taxonomic structure and community diversity. Co-occurrence analysis revealed varying degrees of interaction between the mycobiota and bacteriota during different laying periods. The present study aimed to improve the understanding of the fecal mycobiota and bacterial community of laying hens across different laying periods and has provided basic data support for further research into the complex fecal microbiota of laying hens.