Abstract
To compare the differences in floral composition and functions between the two types of microbiota, ileal contents and feces were collected from Sprague Dawley (SD) rats fed in a conventional or specific-pathogen free (SPF) environment and rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD), and the V3-V4 region of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene in these rats was then amplified and sequenced. Compared with feces, about 60% of the bacterial genera in the ileum were exclusive, with low abundance (operational taxonomic units (OTUs) < 1000). Of bacteria shared between the ileum and feces, a few genera were highly abundant (dominant), whereas most had low abundance (less dominant). The dominant bacteria differed between the ileum and feces. Ileal bacteria showed greater β-diversity, and the distance between in-group samples was nearer than that between paired ileum-feces samples. Moreover, the ileum shared various biomarkers and functions with feces (p < 0.05). The HFD and SPF conditions had a profound influence on α-diversity and abundance but not on the exclusive/shared features or β-diversity of samples. The present findings suggested that, under conventional circumstances, fecal bacteria can represent approximately 40% of the low abundant ileal bacterial genera and that dominant fecal bacteria failed to represent the ileal dominant flora. Moreover, fecal flora diversity does not reflect β-diversity in the ileum.