The gut microbiota contributes to host health by facilitating nutrient uptake, digestion, energy metabolism, intestinal development, vitamin synthesis, and immunomodulation, and plays an important role in the growth and reproduction of the animal itself. Considering the paucity of research on the gut microbiota of wild snakes, this study focused on bamboo pitviper (Viridovipera stejnegeri) populations from Anhui, Guizhou, and Hunan, with multiple fecal samples collected from each population (six, five, and three, respectively). Total microbial DNA was extracted from the fecal samples using metagenomic next-generation sequencing and differences in gut microbial composition, abundance, and carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) were analyzed among the three populations. Results showed no significant variance in the α-diversity of the gut microbes across the three populations, while principal coordinate analysis revealed significant differences in gut microbe composition. The four most abundant phyla in the gut microbiota of V. stejnegeri were Pseudomonadota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Bacillota, while the four most abundant genera were Salmonella, Citrobacter, Bacteroides, and Yokenella. Linear discriminant analysis effect size demonstrated notable differences in gut microbial abundance among the three populations. Marked differences in CAZyme abundance were also observed across the microbial communities. Future studies should incorporate diverse ecological factors to evaluate their influence on the composition and function of gut microbiota. This integrated approach, alongside detailed functional analysis of microbiota, should deepen our understanding of gut microbial dynamics in wild snakes.

Seasonal dietary shifts of animals are important ecological adaptation strategies. An increasing number of studies have shown that seasonal dietary shifts can influence or even determine the composition of gut microbiota. The turpan wonder gecko Teratoscincus roborowskii lives in extreme desert environments, which have flexible dietary shift to fruit-eating in warm seasons. But the impact of such shifts on gut microbiota is poorly understood. Here, 16SrRNA sequencing and LC-MS metabolomics we used to examine the changes of gut microbiota composition and metabolic pattern of T. roborowskii. The results demonstrated that the gut microbes of T. roborowskii had significant seasonal changes, the diversity and abundance of gut microbiota in autumn were higher than those of in spring. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria were the core gut microbes of T. roborowskii. Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria exhibit dynamic pattern of ebb and flow between spring and autumn.The composition and structure of gut microbes in different seasons perform specific metabolic functions, and this change may be an important adaptation for T. roborowskii to cope with dietary shifts and improve energy acquisition. Our study will provide a theoretical basis for exploring the adaptive evolution to special frugivorous behavior of the T. roborowskii, which is an important supplement to the study of the gut microbiology of desert lizards.