Abstract

Simple Summary Gut microbiota in captive animals can still change markedly across seasons, even when animals are maintained under the same feeding regime. In this study, we compared the gut microbiota of three captive wild sheep species mouflon, argali, and blue sheep in summer and winter. We found that microbial richness declined in winter, while overall community structure was strongly reorganized. The three species showed relatively similar gut microbial communities in summer, but they became more differentiated in winter, especially in mouflon and blue sheep. Seasonal changes were therefore stronger than species differences overall, although host species still influenced the magnitude and taxonomic pattern of winter restructuring. These results indicate that seasonal conditions should be considered in captive animal management, even when diet is standardized, and that microbiome-informed management may help improve animal welfare and conservation practice.