Functional features of microbial communities in the digestive tract of field voles (Microtus rossiaemeridionalis and Clethrionomys glareolus)

The nitrogen-fixating and cellobiohydrolase activity, the nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) contents, and the number of microorganisms in the prestomach, cecum, and colon of two vole species were studied: the southern vole (Microtus rossiaemeridionalis) and the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus), which is characterized by a mixed type of diet. The nitrogen-fixating activity in the cecum was found to be the highest in the voles compared with the mammals studied earlier. The seasonal dynamics of both nitrogenase and cellobiohydrolase activities was registered in the southern vole. The structure of the microbial complex in the southern vole is more varied and includes microorganisms associated with plant substrates.