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Gao H, Chi X, Song P, Gu H, Xu B, Cai Z, Jiang F, Li B, Zhang T. Maintaining the native gut microbiota of bharal ( Pseudois nayaur) is crucial in ex situ conservation. Front Microbiol 2024; 15:1357415. [PMID: 38533336 PMCID: PMC10963425 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1357415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As wildlife protection continue to strengthen, research on the gut microbiota of wildlife is increasing. Carrying out conservation and research on endangered species in the Qinghai Tibet Plateau plays an important role in global biodiversity conservation. This study utilized 16S rRNA sequencing of fecal samples to investigate the composition, function, and changes of the gut microbiota of bharal in different environments, seasons, and genders. The results showed that Firmicutes and Bacteroidota were the dominant phyla and UCG-005, Bacteroides, UCG-010 were the dominant genera of bharal. In the wild, the abundance of Firmicutes increased which was conducive to the decomposition and utilization of cellulose, hemicellulose, and carbohydrate. Due to the variety of food types and nutrition in different seasons, the composition and function of gut microbiota were obviously different between genders. Compared with zoo, higher alpha diversity, a more complex gut microbiota network structure, and stronger metabolic function were conducive bharal to adapting to the wild environment. In the zoo, captive bharals were fed foods rich in high fat and protein, which increased the abundance of Bacteroidota and reduced the alpha diversity of gut microbiota. A fixed diet unified the gut microbiota between genders of bharal. It is very important to pay attention to the impact of captive environments and maintain the native gut microbiota of wildlife.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
| | - Xiangwen Chi
- Students’ Affairs Division, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Pengfei Song
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Haifeng Gu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
| | - Bo Xu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyuan Cai
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
| | - Bin Li
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Tongzuo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, Qinghai, China
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Hu Y, Hu Y, Zhou W, Wei F. Conservation Genomics and Metagenomics of Giant and Red Pandas in the Wild. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2024; 12:69-89. [PMID: 37863091 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-021022-054730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Giant pandas and red pandas are endangered species with similar specialized bamboo diet and partial sympatric distribution in China. Over the last two decades, the rapid development of genomics and metagenomics research on these species has enriched our knowledge of their biology, ecology, physiology, genetics, and evolution, which is crucial and useful for their conservation. We describe the evolutionary history, endangerment processes, genetic diversity, and population structure of wild giant pandas and two species of red pandas (Chinese and Himalayan red pandas). In addition, we explore how genomics and metagenomics studies have provided insight into the convergent adaptation of pandas to the specialized bamboo diet. Finally, we discuss how these findings are applied to effective conservation management of giant and red pandas in the wild and in captivity to promote the long-term persistence of these species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yisi Hu
- College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China;
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yibo Hu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Wenliang Zhou
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, China;
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, China
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Sun Y, Hao Y, Zhang Q, Liu X, Wang L, Li J, Li M, Li D. Coping with extremes: Alternations in diet, gut microbiota, and hepatic metabolic functions in a highland passerine. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 905:167079. [PMID: 37714349 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.167079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 09/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 09/17/2023]
Abstract
In wild animals, diet and gut microbiota interactions are critical moderators of metabolic functions and are highly contingent on habitat conditions. Challenged by the extreme conditions of high-altitude environments, the strategies implemented by highland animals to adjust their diet and gut microbial composition and modulate their metabolic substrates remain largely unexplored. By employing a typical human commensal species, the Eurasian tree sparrow (Passer montanus, ETS), as a model species, we studied the differences in diet, digestive tract morphology and enzyme activity, gut microbiota, and metabolic energy profiling between highland (the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, QTP; 3230 m) and lowland (Shijiazhuang, Hebei; 80 m) populations. Our results showed that highland ETSs had enlarged digestive organs and longer small intestinal villi, while no differences in key digestive enzyme activities were observed between the two populations. The 18S rRNA sequencing results revealed that the dietary composition of highland ETSs were more animal-based and less plant-based than those of the lowland ones. Furthermore, 16S rRNA sequencing results suggested that the intestinal microbial communities were structurally segregated between populations. PICRUSt metagenome predictions further indicated that the expression patterns of microbial genes involved in material and energy metabolism, immune system and infection, and xenobiotic biodegradation were strikingly different between the two populations. Analysis of liver metabolomics revealed significant metabolic differences between highland and lowland ETSs in terms of substrate utilization, as well as distinct sex-specific alterations in glycerophospholipids. Furthermore, the interplay between diet, liver metabolism, and gut microbiota suggests a dietary shift resulting in corresponding changes in gut microbiota and metabolic functions. Our findings indicate that highland ETSs have evolved to optimize digestion and absorption, rely on more protein-rich foods, and possess gut microbiota tailored to their dietary composition, likely adaptive physiological and ecological strategies adopted to cope with extreme highland environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanfeng Sun
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao 066003, China; Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Yaotong Hao
- Ocean College, Hebei Agricultural University, Qinhuangdao 066003, China
| | - Qian Zhang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Xu Liu
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Limin Wang
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Juyong Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China
| | - Mo Li
- College of Life Sciences, Cangzhou Normal University, Cangzhou 061001, China.
| | - Dongming Li
- Hebei Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China; Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Eco-Environment, Hebei Normal University, Shijiazhuang 050024, China.
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Michel A, Minocher R, Niehoff PP, Li Y, Nota K, Gadhvi MA, Su J, Iyer N, Porter A, Ngobobo-As-Ibungu U, Binyinyi E, Nishuli Pekeyake R, Parducci L, Caillaud D, Guschanski K. Isolated Grauer's gorilla populations differ in diet and gut microbiome. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:6523-6542. [PMID: 35976262 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2022] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The animal gut microbiome has been implicated in a number of key biological processes, ranging from digestion to behaviour, and has also been suggested to facilitate local adaptation. Yet studies in wild animals rarely compare multiple populations that differ ecologically, which is the level at which local adaptation may occur. Further, few studies simultaneously characterize diet and gut microbiome from the same sample, despite their probable interdependence. Here, we investigate the interplay between diet and gut microbiome in three geographically isolated populations of the critically endangered Grauer's gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri), which we show to be genetically differentiated. We find population- and social group-specific dietary and gut microbial profiles and covariation between diet and gut microbiome, despite the presence of core microbial taxa. There was no detectable effect of age, and only marginal effects of sex and genetic relatedness on the microbiome. Diet differed considerably across populations, with the high-altitude population consuming a lower diversity of plants compared to low-altitude populations, consistent with plant availability constraining dietary choices. The observed pattern of covariation between diet and gut microbiome is probably a result of long-term social and environmental factors. Our study suggests that the gut microbiome is sufficiently plastic to support flexible food selection and hence contribute to local adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Michel
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Riana Minocher
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Peter-Philip Niehoff
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Yuhong Li
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Conservation Ecology Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Kevin Nota
- Plant Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maya A Gadhvi
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jiancheng Su
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Neetha Iyer
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Amy Porter
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | | | - Escobar Binyinyi
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Radar Nishuli Pekeyake
- Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Laura Parducci
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Damien Caillaud
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Katerina Guschanski
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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Gao H, Jiang F, Zhang J, Chi X, Song P, Li B, Cai Z, Zhang T. Effects of ex situ conservation on diversity and function of the gut microbiota of the Tibetan wild ass (Equus kiang). Integr Zool 2023; 18:1089-1104. [PMID: 37231976 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Ex situ conservation is the main method for the protection of endangered wildlife. To explore the effect of ex situ conservation on the gut microbiota of the kiang (Equus kiang), metagenomic sequencing combined with bioinformatics analysis was used to investigate the composition and function of the gut microbiota of the kiang. The results showed that ex situ conservation not only protected wildlife, but also affected the composition and function of gut microbiota, as well as the health of animals. In the zoo, the ratio of the relative abundance of Firmicutes to that of Bacteroidetes (F/B) is higher, clusters of potentially pathogenic bacteria (such as Catonella, Catonella, and Mycoplasma) are more numerous, the abundance of resistance genes is higher, and the abundance of metabolic functions is increased. The dynamic changes of the gut microbiota also played an important role in the nutritional absorption, energy metabolism, and environmental adaptation of the kiang. Improving the rearing environment and increasing food diversity play important roles for increasing the diversity of gut microbiota, reducing the spread of potentially pathogenic bacteria, and reducing diseases. In the wild, especially in winter and in food-deficient areas, food supplementation can enhance the gut microbial homeostasis of wild animals and reduce the impact of crises. In depth studies of the gut microbial function of wildlife have important implications for improving ex situ conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongmei Gao
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Feng Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Jingjie Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xiangwen Chi
- Department of Student Affairs, Qinghai University, Xining, China
| | - Pengfei Song
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Bin Li
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zhenyuan Cai
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
| | - Tongzuo Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, China
- Qinghai Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Ecological Genomics, Xining, China
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Gao W, Yang Y, Shi L. Seasonal dietary shifts alter the gut microbiota of a frugivorous lizard Teratoscincus roborowskii (Squamata, Sphaerodactylidae). Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10363. [PMID: 37546566 PMCID: PMC10396791 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal dietary shifts in animals are important strategies for ecological adaptation. 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 and has a flexible dietary shift to fruit-eating in warm seasons. However, the effect of such shifts on the gut microbiota is poorly understood. In this study, 16S rRNA sequencing and LC-MS metabolomics were used to examine changes in the gut microbiota composition and metabolic patterns of T. roborowskii. The results demonstrated that the gut microbes of T. roborowskii underwent significant seasonal changes, and the abundance of phylum level in autumn was significantly higher than spring, but meanwhile, the diversity was lower. At the family level, the abundance and diversity of the gut microbiota were both higher in autumn. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, and Proteobacteria were the dominant gut microbes of T. roborowskii. Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria exhibited dynamic ebb and flow patterns between spring and autumn. Metabolomic profiling also revealed differences mainly related to the formation of secondary bile acids. The pantothenate and CoA biosynthesis, and lysine degradation pathways identified by KEGG enrichment symbolize the exuberant metabolic capacity of T. roborowskii. Furthermore, strong correlations were detected between metabolite types and bacteria, and this correlation may be an important adaptation of T. roborowskii to cope with dietary shifts and improve energy acquisition. Our study provides a theoretical basis for exploring the adaptive evolution of the special frugivorous behavior of T. roborowskii, which is an important progress in the study of gut microbes in desert lizards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei‐Zhen Gao
- College of Life SciencesXinjiang Agricultural UniversityUrumqiChina
| | - Yi Yang
- College of Life SciencesXinjiang Agricultural UniversityUrumqiChina
| | - Lei Shi
- College of Life SciencesXinjiang Agricultural UniversityUrumqiChina
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Li Q, Fei HL, Luo ZH, Gao SM, Wang PD, Lan LY, Zhao XF, Huang LN, Fan PF. Gut microbiome responds compositionally and functionally to the seasonal diet variations in wild gibbons. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2023; 9:21. [PMID: 37085482 PMCID: PMC10121652 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-023-00388-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild animals may encounter multiple challenges especially food shortage and altered diet composition in their suboptimal ranges. Yet, how the gut microbiome responds to dietary changes remains poorly understood. Prior studies on wild animal microbiomes have typically leaned upon relatively coarse dietary records and individually unresolved fecal samples. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study integrating 514 time-series individually recognized fecal samples with parallel fine-grained dietary data from two Skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) groups populating high-altitude mountainous forests in western Yunnan Province, China. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed a remarkable seasonal fluctuation in the gibbons' gut microbial community structure both across individuals and between the social groups, especially driven by the relative abundances of Lanchnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceae associated with fluctuating consumption of leaf. Metagenomic functional profiling revealed that diverse metabolisms associated with cellulose degradation and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production were enriched in the high-leaf periods possibly to compensate for energy intake. Genome-resolved metagenomics further enabled the resolving metabolic capacities associated with carbohydrate breakdown among community members which exhibited a high degree of functional redundancy. Our results highlight a taxonomically and functionally sensitive gut microbiome actively responding to the seasonally shifting diet, facilitating the survival and reproduction of the endangered gibbon species in their suboptimal habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qi Li
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Han-Lan Fei
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China
- College of Life Science, China West Normal University, 637002, Nanchong, P.R. China
| | - Zhen-Hao Luo
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Shao-Ming Gao
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Pan-Deng Wang
- School of Ecology, Shenzhen Campus of Sun Yat-sen University, 518107, Shenzhen, P.R. China
| | - Li-Ying Lan
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Xin-Feng Zhao
- School of Life Sciences, South China Normal University, 510631, Guangzhou, P.R. China
| | - Li-Nan Huang
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
| | - Peng-Fei Fan
- School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, 510275, Guangzhou, P.R. China.
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Zhao J, Yao Y, Li D, Zhu W, Xiao H, Xie M, Xiong Y, Wu J, Ni Q, Zhang M, Xu H. Metagenome and metabolome insights into the energy compensation and exogenous toxin degradation of gut microbiota in high-altitude rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2023; 9:20. [PMID: 37081021 PMCID: PMC10119431 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-023-00387-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2023] Open
Abstract
There have been many reports on the genetic mechanism in rhesus macaques (RMs) for environmental adaptation to high altitudes, but the synergistic involvement of gut microbiota in this adaptation remains unclear. Here we performed fecal metagenomic and metabolomic studies on samples from high- and low-altitude populations to assess the synergistic role of gut microbiota in the adaptation of RMs to high-altitude environments. Microbiota taxonomic annotation yielded 7471 microbiota species. There were 37 bacterial species whose abundance was significantly enriched in the high-altitude populations, 16 of which were previously reported to be related to the host's dietary digestion and energy metabolism. Further functional gene enrichment found a stronger potential for gut microbiota to synthesize energy substrate acetyl-CoA using CO2 and energy substrate pyruvate using oxaloacetate, as well as a stronger potential to transform acetyl-CoA to energy substrate acetate in high-altitude populations. Interestingly, there were no apparent differences between low-altitude and high-altitude populations in terms of genes enriched in the main pathways by which the microbiota consumed the three energy substrates, and none of the three energy substrates were detected in the fecal metabolites. These results strongly suggest that gut microbiota plays an important energy compensatory role that helps RMs to adapt to high-altitude environments. Further functional enrichment after metabolite source analysis indicated the abundance of metabolites related to the degradation of exogenous toxins was also significantly higher in high-altitude populations, which suggested a contributory role of gut microbiota to the degradation of exogenous toxins in wild RMs adapted to high-altitude environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junsong Zhao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
- College of Agronomy and Life Sciences, Zhaotong University, Zhaotong, 657000, China
| | - Yongfang Yao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
| | - Diyan Li
- School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University, Chengdu, 610106, China
| | - Wei Zhu
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Hongtao Xiao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
| | - Meng Xie
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
| | - Ying Xiong
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
| | - Jiayun Wu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China
| | - Qingyong Ni
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Mingwang Zhang
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Huailiang Xu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya'an, 625014, China.
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Schmiedová L, Kreisinger J, Kubovčiak J, Těšický M, Martin JF, Tomášek O, Kauzálová T, Sedláček O, Albrecht T. Gut microbiota variation between climatic zones and due to migration strategy in passerine birds. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1080017. [PMID: 36819027 PMCID: PMC9928719 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1080017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/09/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Decreasing biotic diversity with increasing latitude is an almost universal macroecological pattern documented for a broad range of taxa, however, there have been few studies focused on changes in gut microbiota (GM) across climatic zones. Methods Using 16S rRNA amplicon profiling, we analyzed GM variation between temperate (Czechia) and tropical (Cameroon) populations of 99 passerine bird species and assessed GM similarity of temperate species migrating to tropical regions with that of residents/short-distance migrants and tropical residents. Our study also considered the possible influence of diet on GM. Results We observed no consistent GM diversity differences between tropical and temperate species. In the tropics, GM composition varied substantially between dry and rainy seasons and only a few taxa exhibited consistent differential abundance between tropical and temperate zones, irrespective of migration behavior and seasonal GM changes. During the breeding season, trans-Saharan migrant GM diverged little from species not overwintering in the tropics and did not show higher similarity to tropical passerines than temperate residents/short-distance migrants. Interestingly, GM of two temperate-breeding trans-Saharan migrants sampled in the tropical zone matched that of tropical residents and converged with other temperate species during the breeding season. Diet had a slight effect on GM composition of tropical species, but no effect on GM of temperate hosts. Discussion Consequently, our results demonstrate extensive passerine GM plasticity, the dominant role of environmental factors in its composition and limited effect of diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucie Schmiedová
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Jakub Kreisinger
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia,*Correspondence: Jakub Kreisinger,
| | - Jan Kubovčiak
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Martin Těšický
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | | | - Oldřich Tomášek
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Tereza Kauzálová
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
| | - Ondřej Sedláček
- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia
| | - Tomáš Albrecht
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czechia
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10
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Eisenhofer R, Brice KL, Blyton MDJ, Bevins SE, Leigh K, Singh BK, Helgen KM, Hough I, Daniels CB, Speight N, Moore BD. Individuality and stability of the koala ( Phascolarctos cinereus) faecal microbiota through time. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14598. [PMID: 36710873 PMCID: PMC9879153 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Gut microbiota studies often rely on a single sample taken per individual, representing a snapshot in time. However, we know that gut microbiota composition in many animals exhibits intra-individual variation over the course of days to months. Such temporal variations can be a confounding factor in studies seeking to compare the gut microbiota of different wild populations, or to assess the impact of medical/veterinary interventions. To date, little is known about the variability of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) gut microbiota through time. Here, we characterise the gut microbiota from faecal samples collected at eight timepoints over a month for a captive population of South Australian koalas (n individuals = 7), and monthly over 7 months for a wild population of New South Wales koalas (n individuals = 5). Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that microbial diversity was stable over the course of days to months. Each koala had a distinct faecal microbiota composition which in the captive koalas was stable across days. The wild koalas showed more variation across months, although each individual still maintained a distinct microbial composition. Per koala, an average of 57 (±16) amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) were detected across all time points; these ASVs accounted for an average of 97% (±1.9%) of the faecal microbial community per koala. The koala faecal microbiota exhibits stability over the course of days to months. Such knowledge will be useful for future studies comparing koala populations and developing microbiota interventions for this regionally endangered marsupial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raphael Eisenhofer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kylie L. Brice
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Michaela DJ Blyton
- School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Scott E. Bevins
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kellie Leigh
- Science for Wildlife Ltd, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Brajesh K. Singh
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia,Global Centre for Land Based Innovation, Western Sydney University, Penrith, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Australian Museum Research Institute, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia,Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ian Hough
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Christopher B. Daniels
- Koala Life Foundation, Cleland Wildlife Park, Department for Environment and Water, 365c Mt Lofty Summit Road, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Natasha Speight
- School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Ben D. Moore
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Richmond, New South Wales, Australia
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11
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The History of the Intestinal Microbiota and the Gut-Brain Axis. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11121540. [PMID: 36558874 PMCID: PMC9786924 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11121540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut-brain axis and the intestinal microbiota have been an area of an intensive research in the last few years. However, it is not a completely novel area of interest for physicians and scientists. From the earliest centuries, both professionals and patients turned their attention to the gastrointestinal system in order to find the root of physical and mental disturbances. The approach to the gut-brain axis and the therapeutic methods have changed alongside the development of different medical approaches to health and illness. They often reflected the social changes. The authors of this article aim to provide a brief history of the gut-brain axis and the intestinal microbiota in order to demonstrate how important the study of these systems is for both scientists and medical professionals, as well as for the general public. We analysed the publications accessible through PubMed regarding the microbiota and gut-brain axis history. If available, we accessed the original historical sources. We conclude that although the history of this science might be long, there are still many areas that need to be researched, analysed, and understood in future projects. The interest in the subject is not diminishing, but rather it has increased throughout the years.
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12
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Sawada A, Hayakawa T, Kurihara Y, Lee W, Hanya G. Seasonal responses and host uniqueness of gut microbiome of Japanese macaques in lowland Yakushima. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:54. [PMID: 36163043 PMCID: PMC9513907 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00205-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Changes in the gut microbial composition is an important response to cope with the seasonal fluctuations in the environment such as food availability. We examined the bacterial gut microbiome of the wild nonhuman primate, Japanese macaque (Macaca fuscata) in Yakushima over 13 months by noninvasive continuous sampling from three identified adult females. Results Dietary composition varied considerably over the study period and displayed marked shifts with the seasons. Feeding of leaves, fruits, and invertebrates were their main foods for at least one month. Diet had a significant influence on the gut microbiome. We also confirmed significant effect of host uniqueness in the gut microbiome among the three macaques. Leaf-dominated diet shaped unique gut microbiome structures where the macaques had the highest alpha diversity and their gut microbiome was enriched with Spirochaetes and Tenericutes. Diet-related differences in the putative function were detected, such as a differentially abundant urea cycle during the leaf-feeding season. Conclusion Both diet and host individuality exerted similar amounts of effect on gut microbe community composition. Major bacterial taxa showed a similar response to monthly fluctuations of fruit and invertebrate feeding, which was largely opposite to that of leaf feeding. The main constituents of fruits and invertebrates are both digestible with the enzyme of the host animals, but that of leaves is not available as an energy source without the aid of the fermentation of the gut microbiome. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42523-022-00205-9.
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13
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Mallott EK, Skovmand LH, Garber PA, Amato KR. The fecal metabolome of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) varies in response to seasonal dietary changes. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4146-4161. [PMID: 35665560 PMCID: PMC9543302 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mammals rely on the metabolic functions of their gut microbiota to meet their energetic needs and digest potentially toxic components in their diet. The gut microbiome plastically responds to shifts in host diet and may buffer variation in energy and nutrient availability. However, it is unclear how seasonal differences in the gut microbiome influence microbial metabolism and nutrients available to hosts. In this study, we examine seasonal variation in the gut metabolome of black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra) to determine whether those variations are associated with differences in gut microbiome composition and nutrient intake, and if plasticity in the gut microbiome buffers shortfalls in energy or nutrient intake. We integrated data on the metabolome of 81 faecal samples from 16 individuals collected across three distinct seasons with gut microbiome, nutrient intake and plant metabolite consumption data from the same period. Faecal metabolite profiles differed significantly between seasons and were strongly associated with changes in plant metabolite consumption. However, microbial community composition and faecal metabolite composition were not strongly associated. Additionally, the connectivity and stability of faecal metabolome networks varied seasonally, with network connectivity being highest during the dry, fruit‐dominated season when black howler monkey diets were calorically and nutritionally constrained. Network stability was highest during the dry, leaf‐dominated season when most nutrients were being consumed at intermediate rates. Our results suggest that the gut microbiome buffers seasonal variation in dietary intake, and that the buffering effect is most limited when host diet becomes calorically or nutritionally restricted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth K Mallott
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.,Vanderbilt Microbiome Innovation Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA.,International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
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14
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Mason B, Petrzelkova KJ, Kreisinger J, Bohm T, Cervena B, Fairet E, Fuh T, Gomez A, Knauf S, Maloueki U, Modry D, Shirley MH, Tagg N, Wangue N, Pafco B. Gastrointestinal symbiont diversity in wild gorilla: a comparison of bacterial and strongylid communities across multiple localities. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4127-4145. [PMID: 35661299 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16558] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are Critically Endangered and show continued population decline. Consequently, pressure mounts to better understand their conservation threats and ecology. Gastrointestinal symbionts, such as bacterial and eukaryotic communities, are believed to play vital roles in the physiological landscape of the host. Gorillas host a broad spectrum of eucaryotes, so called parasites, with strongylid nematodes being particularly prevalent. While these communities are partially consistent, they are also shaped by various ecological factors, such as diet or habitat type. To investigate gastrointestinal symbionts of wild western lowland gorillas, we analysed 215 faecal samples from individuals in five distinct localities across the Congo Basin, using high-throughput sequencing techniques. We describe the gut bacterial microbiome and genetic diversity of strongylid communities, including strain-level identification of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs). We identified strongylid ASVs from eight genera and bacterial ASVs from twenty phyla. We compared these communities across localities, with reference to varying environmental factors among populations, finding differences in alpha diversity and community compositions of both gastrointestinal components. Moreover, we also investigated covariation between strongylid nematodes and the bacterial microbiome, finding correlations between strongylid taxa and Prevotellaceae and Rikenellaceae ASVs that were consistent across multiple localities. Our research highlights complexity of the bacterial microbiome and strongylid communities in several gorilla populations and emphasizes potential interactions between these two symbiont communities. This study provides a framework for ongoing research into strongylid nematode diversity, and their interactions with the bacterial microbiome, amongst great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bethan Mason
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
| | - Klara J Petrzelkova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences.,Liberec Zoo, Liberec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Torsten Bohm
- African Parks, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of, Congo
| | | | - Emilie Fairet
- SFM Safari Gabon, Loango National Park, Gabon.,Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
| | | | - Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota
| | - Sascha Knauf
- Institute of International Animal Health / One Health, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald - Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Ulrich Maloueki
- African Parks, Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of, Congo
| | - David Modry
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences.,Department of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources/CINeZ, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
| | - Matthew H Shirley
- SFM Safari Gabon, Loango National Park, Gabon.,Institute of Environment, Florida International University, North Miami, FL, USA
| | - Nikki Tagg
- Project Grands Singes, , Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp
| | | | - Barbora Pafco
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences
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15
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Sharma AK, Davison S, Pafco B, Clayton JB, Rothman JM, McLennan MR, Cibot M, Fuh T, Vodicka R, Robinson CJ, Petrzelkova K, Gomez A. The primate gut mycobiome-bacteriome interface is impacted by environmental and subsistence factors. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2022; 8:12. [PMID: 35301322 PMCID: PMC8930997 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-022-00274-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome of primates is known to be influenced by both host genetic background and subsistence strategy. However, these inferences have been made mainly based on adaptations in bacterial composition - the bacteriome and have commonly overlooked the fungal fraction - the mycobiome. To further understand the factors that shape the gut mycobiome of primates and mycobiome-bacteriome interactions, we sequenced 16 S rRNA and ITS2 markers in fecal samples of four different nonhuman primate species and three human groups under different subsistence patterns (n = 149). The results show that gut mycobiome composition in primates is still largely unknown but highly plastic and weakly structured by primate phylogeny, compared with the bacteriome. We find significant gut mycobiome overlap between captive apes and human populations living under industrialized subsistence contexts; this is in contrast with contemporary hunter-gatherers and agriculturalists, who share more mycobiome traits with diverse wild-ranging nonhuman primates. In addition, mycobiome-bacteriome interactions were specific to each population, revealing that individual, lifestyle and intrinsic ecological factors affect structural correspondence, number, and kind of interactions between gut bacteria and fungi in primates. Our findings indicate a dominant effect of ecological niche, environmental factors, and diet over the phylogenetic background of the host, in shaping gut mycobiome composition and mycobiome-bacteriome interactions in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashok K Sharma
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.,Department of Gastroenterology, Inflammatory Bowel & Immunology Research Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Sam Davison
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Barbora Pafco
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jonathan B Clayton
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA.,Callitrichid Research Center (CRC, Marmoset Colony) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE, USA.,Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA.,Primate Microbiome Project, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Avenue, New York, NY, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Matthew R McLennan
- Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.,Bulindi Chimpanzee & Community Project, Hoima, Uganda
| | - Marie Cibot
- Department of Social Sciences, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK.,Bulindi Chimpanzee & Community Project, Hoima, Uganda.,Anicoon Vétérinaires, Ploemeur, France
| | - Terence Fuh
- WWF Central African Republic, Bayanga, Central African Republic
| | | | | | - Klara Petrzelkova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA. .,Primate Microbiome Project, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA. .,Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
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16
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Eschweiler K, Clayton JB, Moresco A, McKenney EA, Minter LJ, Suhr Van Haute MJ, Gasper W, Hayer SS, Zhu L, Cooper K, Ange-van Heugten K. Host Identity and Geographic Location Significantly Affect Gastrointestinal Microbial Richness and Diversity in Western Lowland Gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla) under Human Care. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3399. [PMID: 34944176 PMCID: PMC8697915 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Revised: 11/13/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The last few decades have seen an outpouring of gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome studies across diverse host species. Studies have ranged from assessments of GI microbial richness and diversity to classification of novel microbial lineages. Assessments of the "normal" state of the GI microbiome composition across multiple host species has gained increasing importance for distinguishing healthy versus diseased states. This study aimed to determine baselines and trends over time to establish "typical" patterns of GI microbial richness and diversity, as well as inter-individual variation, in three populations of western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) under human care at three zoological institutions in North America. Fecal samples were collected from 19 western lowland gorillas every two weeks for seven months (n = 248). Host identity and host institution significantly affected GI microbiome community composition (p < 0.05), although host identity had the most consistent and significant effect on richness (p = 0.03) and Shannon diversity (p = 0.004) across institutions. Significant changes in microbial abundance over time were observed only at Denver Zoo (p < 0.05). Our results suggest that individuality contributes to most of the observed GI microbiome variation in the study populations. Our results also showed no significant changes in any individual's microbial richness or Shannon diversity during the 7-month study period. While some microbial taxa (Prevotella, Prevotellaceae and Ruminococcaceae) were detected in all gorillas at varying levels, determining individual baselines for microbial composition comparisons may be the most useful diagnostic tool for optimizing non-human primate health under human care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrina Eschweiler
- Department of Nutrition, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 80205, USA;
- Department of Animal Science, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Jonathan B. Clayton
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA; (J.B.C.); (S.S.H.)
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA;
- Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
- Primate Microbiome Project, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - Anneke Moresco
- Department of Animal Welfare and Research, Denver Zoo, Denver, CO 80205, USA;
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA;
| | - Erin A. McKenney
- Department of Applied Ecology, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA;
| | - Larry J. Minter
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, NC State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA;
- Hanes Veterinary Medical Center, North Carolina Zoo, Asheboro, NC 27205, USA
| | - Mallory J. Suhr Van Haute
- Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA;
- Nebraska Food for Health Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | - William Gasper
- College of Information Science and Technology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA;
| | - Shivdeep Singh Hayer
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA; (J.B.C.); (S.S.H.)
| | - Lifeng Zhu
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; (L.Z.); (K.C.)
| | - Kathryn Cooper
- College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210023, China; (L.Z.); (K.C.)
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17
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Muehlbauer AL, Richards AL, Alazizi A, Burns MB, Gomez A, Clayton JB, Petrzelkova K, Cascardo C, Resztak J, Wen X, Pique-Regi R, Luca F, Blekhman R. Interspecies variation in hominid gut microbiota controls host gene regulation. Cell Rep 2021; 37:110057. [PMID: 34818542 PMCID: PMC8647622 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome exhibits extreme compositional variation between hominid hosts. However, it is unclear how this variation impacts host physiology across species and whether this effect can be mediated through microbial regulation of host gene expression in interacting epithelial cells. Here, we characterize the transcriptional response of human colonic epithelial cells in vitro to live microbial communities extracted from humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans. We find that most host genes exhibit a conserved response, whereby they respond similarly to the four hominid microbiomes. However, hundreds of host genes exhibit a divergent response, whereby they respond only to microbiomes from specific host species. Such genes are associated with intestinal diseases in humans, including inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn’s disease. Last, we find that inflammation-associated microbial species regulate the expression of host genes previously associated with inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting health-related consequences for species-specific host-microbiome interactions across hominids. Muehlbauer et al. investigate how variation between different hominid microbiomes drives host gene expression in colonic epithelial cell cultures. They find that host genes that respond only to microbiomes from a specific hominid species are linked to gastrointestinal diseases, suggesting implications for understanding how the microbiome can impact human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda L Muehlbauer
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Allison L Richards
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Adnan Alazizi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Michael B Burns
- Department of Biology, Loyola University, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN, USA
| | - Jonathan B Clayton
- Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NB, USA; Department of Food Science and Technology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NB, USA
| | - Klara Petrzelkova
- The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Brno, Czech Republic; Liberec Zoo, Liberec, Czech Republic; The Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Parasitology, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Camilla Cascardo
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Justyna Resztak
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Xiaoquan Wen
- Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Roger Pique-Regi
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA
| | - Francesca Luca
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Genetics, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
| | - Ran Blekhman
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
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18
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Greene LK, Rambeloson E, Rasoanaivo HA, Foss ED, Yoder AD, Drea CM, Blanco MB. Gut Microbial Diversity and Ecological Specialization in Four Sympatric Lemur Species Under Lean Conditions. INT J PRIMATOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00257-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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19
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Fontsere C, Frandsen P, Hernandez-Rodriguez J, Niemann J, Scharff-Olsen CH, Vallet D, Le Gouar P, Ménard N, Navarro A, Siegismund HR, Hvilsom C, Gilbert MTP, Kuhlwilm M, Hughes D, Marques-Bonet T. The genetic impact of an Ebola outbreak on a wild gorilla population. BMC Genomics 2021; 22:735. [PMID: 34635054 PMCID: PMC8504571 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-08025-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Numerous Ebola virus outbreaks have occurred in Equatorial Africa over the past decades. Besides human fatalities, gorillas and chimpanzees have also succumbed to the fatal virus. The 2004 outbreak at the Odzala-Kokoua National Park (Republic of Congo) alone caused a severe decline in the resident western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) population, with a 95% mortality rate. Here, we explore the immediate genetic impact of the Ebola outbreak in the western lowland gorilla population. Results Associations with survivorship were evaluated by utilizing DNA obtained from fecal samples from 16 gorilla individuals declared missing after the outbreak (non-survivors) and 15 individuals observed before and after the epidemic (survivors). We used a target enrichment approach to capture the sequences of 123 genes previously associated with immunology and Ebola virus resistance and additionally analyzed the gut microbiome which could influence the survival after an infection. Our results indicate no changes in the population genetic diversity before and after the Ebola outbreak, and no significant differences in microbial community composition between survivors and non-survivors. However, and despite the low power for an association analysis, we do detect six nominally significant missense mutations in four genes that might be candidate variants associated with an increased chance of survival. Conclusion This study offers the first insight to the genetics of a wild great ape population before and after an Ebola outbreak using target capture experiments from fecal samples, and presents a list of candidate loci that may have facilitated their survival. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12864-021-08025-y.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Fontsere
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Peter Frandsen
- Research and Conservation, Copenhagen Zoo, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark.,Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Jessica Hernandez-Rodriguez
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Genomics of Health Research Group, Hospital Universitari Son Espases (HUSE) and Institut d'Investigacions Sanitaries de Balears (IDISBA), Palma, Spain
| | - Jonas Niemann
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Dominique Vallet
- UMR 6553, ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution, CNRS/University of Rennes 1, Station Biologique de Paimpont, 35380, Paimpont, France
| | - Pascaline Le Gouar
- UMR 6553, ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution, CNRS/University of Rennes 1, Station Biologique de Paimpont, 35380, Paimpont, France
| | - Nelly Ménard
- UMR 6553, ECOBIO: Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Evolution, CNRS/University of Rennes 1, Station Biologique de Paimpont, 35380, Paimpont, France
| | - Arcadi Navarro
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08036, Barcelona, Spain.,BarcelonaBeta Brain Research Center, Pasqual Maragall Foundation, 08005, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Hans R Siegismund
- Department of Biology, Section for Computational and RNA Biology, University of Copenhagen, Ole Maaløes Vej 5, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christina Hvilsom
- Research and Conservation, Copenhagen Zoo, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, 1353, Copenhagen, Denmark.,University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Martin Kuhlwilm
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - David Hughes
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.,MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), PRBB, Doctor Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,Institucio Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA, 08010, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. .,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri i Reixac 4, 08028, Barcelona, Spain. .,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain.
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20
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Perofsky AC, Ancel Meyers L, Abondano LA, Di Fiore A, Lewis RJ. Social groups constrain the spatiotemporal dynamics of wild sifaka gut microbiomes. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6759-6775. [PMID: 34558751 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 08/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Primates acquire gut microbiota from conspecifics through direct social contact and shared environmental exposures. Host behaviour is a prominent force in structuring gut microbial communities, yet the extent to which group or individual-level forces shape the long-term dynamics of gut microbiota is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of three aspects of host sociality (social groupings, dyadic interactions, and individual dispersal between groups) on gut microbiome composition and plasticity in 58 wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi) from six social groups. Over the course of three dry seasons in a 5-year period, the six social groups maintained distinct gut microbial signatures, with the taxonomic composition of individual communities changing in tandem among coresiding group members. Samples collected from group members during each season were more similar than samples collected from single individuals across different years. In addition, new immigrants and individuals with less stable social ties exhibited elevated rates of microbiome turnover across seasons. Our results suggest that permanent social groupings shape the changing composition of commensal and mutualistic gut microbial communities and thus may be important drivers of health and resilience in wild primate populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda C Perofsky
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Lauren Ancel Meyers
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| | - Laura A Abondano
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.,Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Rebecca J Lewis
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
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21
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Nishida AH, Ochman H. Captivity and the co-diversification of great ape microbiomes. Nat Commun 2021; 12:5632. [PMID: 34561432 PMCID: PMC8463570 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25732-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Wild great apes harbor clades of gut bacteria that are restricted to each host species. Previous research shows the evolutionary relationships among several host-restricted clades mirror those of great-ape species. However, processes such as geographic separation, host-shift speciation, and host-filtering based on diet or gut physiology can generate host-restricted bacterial clades and mimic patterns of co-diversification across host species. To gain insight into the distribution of host-restricted taxa, we examine captive great apes living under conditions where sharing of bacterial strains is readily possible. Here, we show that increased sampling of wild and captive apes identifies additional host-restricted lineages whose relationships are not concordant with the host phylogeny. Moreover, the gut microbiomes of captive apes converge through the displacement of strains that are restricted to their wild conspecifics by human-restricted strains. We demonstrate that host-restricted and co-diversifying bacterial strains in wild apes lack persistence and fidelity in captive environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex H Nishida
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
- Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
| | - Howard Ochman
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
- Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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22
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McMahon EK, Cavigelli SA. Gaps to Address in Ecological Studies of Temperament and Physiology. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 61:1917-1932. [PMID: 34097030 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icab118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Ecology is a diverse field with many researchers interested in drivers and consequences of variability within populations. Two aspects of variability that have been addressed are behavioral and physiological. While these have been shown to separately influence ecological outcomes such as survival, reproductive success and fitness, combined they could better predict within-population variability in survival and fitness. Recently there has been a focus on potential fitness outcomes of consistent behavioral traits that are referred to as personality or temperament (e.g. boldness, sociability, exploration, etc.). Given this recent focus, it is an optimal time to identify areas to supplement in this field, particularly in determining the relationship between temperament and physiological traits. To maximize progress, in this perspective paper we propose that the following two areas be addressed: (1) increased diversity of species, and (2) increased number of physiological processes studied, with an eye toward using more representative and relatively consistent measures across studies. We first highlight information that has been gleaned from species that are frequently studied to determine how animal personality relates to physiology and/or survival/fitness. We then shine a spotlight on important taxa that have been understudied and that can contribute meaningful, complementary information to this area of research. And last, we propose a brief array of physiological processes to relate to temperament, and that can significantly impact fitness, and that may be accessible in field studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elyse K McMahon
- Ecology Graduate Program, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Sonia A Cavigelli
- Center for Brain, Behavior, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.,Department of Biobehavioral Health, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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23
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Gut microbiota of frugo-folivorous sifakas across environments. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:39. [PMID: 34006323 PMCID: PMC8132362 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00093-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Captive animals, compared to their wild counterparts, generally harbor imbalanced gut microbiota owing, in part, to their altered diets. This imbalance is particularly striking for folivores that fundamentally rely on gut microbiota for digestion, yet rarely receive sufficient dietary fiber in captivity. We examine the critically endangered Coquerel’s sifaka (Propithecus coquereli), an anatomically specialized, rather than facultative, folivore that consumes a seasonal frugo-folivorous diet in the wild, but is provisioned predominantly with seasonal foliage and orchard vegetables in captivity. Using amplicon and metagenomic sequencing applied to fecal samples collected from two wild and one captive population (each comprising multiple groups), we clarify how dietary variation underlies the perturbational effect of captivity on the structure and function of this species’ gut microbiota. Results The gut microbiota of wild sifakas varied by study population, most notably in community evenness and in the abundance of diet-associated microbes from Prevotellaeceae and Lachnospiraceae. Nevertheless, the differences among wild subjects were minor compared to those evident between wild and captive sifakas: Unusually, the consortia of captive sifakas were the most diverse, but lacked representation of endemic Bacteroidetes and metagenomic capacity for essential amino-acid biosynthesis. Instead, they were enriched for complex fiber metabolizers from the Firmicutes phylum, for archaeal methanogens, and for several metabolic pathways putatively linked to plant fiber and secondary compound metabolism. Conclusions The relatively minor differences in gut microbial structure and function between wild sifaka populations likely reflect regional and/or temporal environmental variability, whereas the major differences observed in captive conspecifics, including the loss of endemic microbes, but gain in low-abundance taxa, likely reflect imbalanced or unstable consortia. Indeed, community perturbation may not necessarily entail decreased community diversity. Moreover, signatures of greater fiber degradation indicate that captive sifakas consume a more fibrous diet compared to their wild counterparts. These results do not mirror those typically reported for folivores and herbivores, suggesting that the direction and strength of captivity-induced ‘dysbiosis’ may not be universal across species with similar feeding strategies. We propose that tailored, species-specific dietary interventions in captivity, aimed at better approximating naturally foraged diets, could functionally ‘rewild’ gut microbiota and facilitate successful management of diverse species. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s42523-021-00093-5.
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24
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Guo N, Wu Q, Shi F, Niu J, Zhang T, Degen AA, Fang Q, Ding L, Shang Z, Zhang Z, Long R. Seasonal dynamics of diet-gut microbiota interaction in adaptation of yaks to life at high altitude. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes 2021; 7:38. [PMID: 33879801 PMCID: PMC8058075 DOI: 10.1038/s41522-021-00207-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Dietary selection and intake affect the survival and health of mammals under extreme environmental conditions. It has been suggested that dietary composition is a key driver of gut microbiota variation; however, how gut microbiota respond to seasonal dietary changes under extreme natural conditions remains poorly understood. Sequencing plant trnL (UAA) region and 16S rRNA gene analysis were employed to determine dietary composition and gut microbiota in freely grazing yaks on the Tibetan plateau. Dietary composition was more diverse in winter than in summer, while Gramineae and Rosaceae were consumed frequently all year. Turnover of seasonal diet and gut microbiota composition occurred consistently. Yaks shifted enterotypes in response to dietary change between warm and cold seasons to best utilize nitrogen and energy, in particular in the harsh cold season. Our findings provide insights into understanding seasonal changes of diet–microbiota linkages in the adaptation of mammals to high altitudes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Na Guo
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Qunfu Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - Fuyu Shi
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Jiahuan Niu
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Tao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China
| | - A Allan Degen
- Desert Animal Adaptations and Husbandry, Wyler Department of Dryland Agriculture, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Qiangen Fang
- College of Grassland Science/Key Laboratory of Grassland Ecosystem of the Ministry of Education, Gansu Agricultural University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Luming Ding
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Zhanhuan Shang
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
| | - Zhigang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming, Yunnan, China. .,State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Laboratory of Evolutionary & Functional Genomics, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, China.
| | - Ruijun Long
- School of Life Science, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-ecosystems, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
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25
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Ni Q, Zhang C, Li D, Xu H, Yao Y, Zhang M, Fan X, Zeng B, Yang D, Xie M. Effects of Dietary Alteration on the Gut Microbiome and Metabolome of the Rescued Bengal Slow Loris. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:650991. [PMID: 33841376 PMCID: PMC8024692 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.650991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis) are threatened by illegal trade. Subsequently, numerous wild-born individuals are rescued and transferred to rescue centers. Metabonomic analysis of intestinal microbiomes has increasingly played a vital role in evaluating the effects of dietary alteration on the captive status of endangered non-human primates. A synthetic analysis was done to test the differences in gut microbes and fecal metabolites between two dietary groups of Bengal slow lorises across 8 weeks. Dietary interventions led to intra-group convergence and inter-group variation in the composition of intestinal flora, metabolites, and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). The control diet, consisting of gums and honey, significantly increased the abundance of some potential probiotics, such as Bifidobacterium and Roseburia, and the concentration of some anti-disease related metabolites. The decrease in some amino acid metabolites in the original group fed without gums was attributed to poor body condition. Some distinct SCFAs found in the control group indicated the dietary alteration herein was fat-restricted but fiber deficient. Cognizant of this, plant exudates and fiber-enriched food supplies should be considered an optimal approach for dietary improvement of the confiscated and captive Bengal slow lorises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyong Ni
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Chen Zhang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Diyan Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Huailiang Xu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, China
| | - Yongfang Yao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, China
| | - Mingwang Zhang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaolan Fan
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Bo Zeng
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Deying Yang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu, China
| | - Meng Xie
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, China
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26
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Quiroga-González C, Cardenas LAC, Ramírez M, Reyes A, González C, Stevenson PR. Monitoring the variation in the gut microbiota of captive woolly monkeys related to changes in diet during a reintroduction process. Sci Rep 2021; 11:6522. [PMID: 33753830 PMCID: PMC7985493 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-85990-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 02/04/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbiome is known to play an important role in the health of organisms and different factors such as diet have been associated with modifications in microbial communities. Differences in the microbiota composition of wild and captive animals has been evaluated; however, variation during a reintroduction process in primates has never been reported. Our aim was to identify changes in the bacterial composition of three individuals of reintroduced woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagothricha) and the variables associated with such changes. Fecal samples were collected and the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was sequenced to determine gut microbial composition and functionality. Individual samples from released individuals showed a higher microbial diversity after being released compared to before liberation, associated with changes in their diet. Beta diversity and functionality analysis showed separation of samples from released and captive conditions and the major factor of variation was the moment of liberation. This study shows that intestinal microbiota varies depending on site conditions and is mainly associated with diet diversity. The intake of food from wild origin by released primates may promote a positive effect on gut microbiota, improving health, and potentially increasing success in reintroduction processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilo Quiroga-González
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
| | - Luis Alberto Chica Cardenas
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Computacional y Ecología Microbiana (BCEM), Max Planck Tandem Research Group in Computational Biology, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Mónica Ramírez
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Alejandro Reyes
- Grupo de Investigación en Biología Computacional y Ecología Microbiana (BCEM), Max Planck Tandem Research Group in Computational Biology, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia.
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Camila González
- Centro de Investigaciones en Microbiología y Parasitología Tropical (CIMPAT), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Pablo R Stevenson
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Bosques Tropicales y Primatología (LEBTYP), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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27
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Baniel A, Amato KR, Beehner JC, Bergman TJ, Mercer A, Perlman RF, Petrullo L, Reitsema L, Sams S, Lu A, Snyder-Mackler N. Seasonal shifts in the gut microbiome indicate plastic responses to diet in wild geladas. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:26. [PMID: 33485388 PMCID: PMC7828014 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-020-00977-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/07/2020] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adaptive shifts in gut microbiome composition are one route by which animals adapt to seasonal changes in food availability and diet. However, outside of dietary shifts, other potential environmental drivers of gut microbial composition have rarely been investigated, particularly in organisms living in their natural environments. RESULTS Here, we generated the largest wild nonhuman primate gut microbiome dataset to date to identify the environmental drivers of gut microbial diversity and function in 758 samples collected from wild Ethiopian geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Because geladas live in a cold, high-altitude environment and have a low-quality grass-based diet, they face extreme thermoregulatory and energetic constraints. We tested how proxies of food availability (rainfall) and thermoregulatory stress (temperature) predicted gut microbiome composition of geladas. The gelada gut microbiome composition covaried with rainfall and temperature in a pattern that suggests distinct responses to dietary and thermoregulatory challenges. Microbial changes were driven by differences in the main components of the diet across seasons: in rainier periods, the gut was dominated by cellulolytic/fermentative bacteria that specialized in digesting grass, while during dry periods the gut was dominated by bacteria that break down starches found in underground plant parts. Temperature had a comparatively smaller, but detectable, effect on the gut microbiome. During cold and dry periods, bacterial genes involved in energy, amino acid, and lipid metabolism increased, suggesting a stimulation of fermentation activity in the gut when thermoregulatory and nutritional stress co-occurred, and potentially helping geladas to maintain energy balance during challenging periods. CONCLUSION Together, these results shed light on the extent to which gut microbiota plasticity provides dietary and metabolic flexibility to the host, and might be a key factor to thriving in changing environments. On a longer evolutionary timescale, such metabolic flexibility provided by the gut microbiome may have also allowed members of Theropithecus to adopt a specialized diet, and colonize new high-altitude grassland habitats in East Africa. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Baniel
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, 60208, USA
| | - Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Arianne Mercer
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Rachel F Perlman
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Lauren Petrullo
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA
| | - Laurie Reitsema
- Department of Anthropology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Sierra Sams
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Amy Lu
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11794, USA.
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85281, USA.
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
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28
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Traditional Human Populations and Nonhuman Primates Show Parallel Gut Microbiome Adaptations to Analogous Ecological Conditions. mSystems 2020; 5:5/6/e00815-20. [PMID: 33361321 PMCID: PMC7762792 DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00815-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The results of this study highlight parallel gut microbiome traits in human and nonhuman primates, depending on subsistence strategy. Although these similarities have been reported before, the functional and ecological bases of this convergence are not fully understood. Compared with urban-industrial populations, small-scale human communities worldwide share a significant number of gut microbiome traits with nonhuman primates. This overlap is thought to be driven by analogous dietary triggers; however, the ecological and functional bases of this similarity are not fully understood. To start addressing this issue, fecal metagenomes of BaAka hunter-gatherers and traditional Bantu agriculturalists from the Central African Republic were profiled and compared with those of a sympatric western lowland gorilla group (Gorillagorilla gorilla) across two seasons of variable dietary intake. Results show that gorilla gut microbiomes shared similar functional traits with each human group, depending on seasonal dietary behavior. Specifically, parallel microbiome traits were observed between hunter-gatherers and gorillas when the latter consumed more structural polysaccharides during dry seasons, while small-scale agriculturalist and gorilla microbiomes showed significant functional overlap when gorillas consumed more seasonal ripe fruit during wet seasons. Notably, dominance of microbial transporters, transduction systems, and gut xenobiotic metabolism was observed in association with traditional agriculture and energy-dense diets in gorillas at the expense of a functional microbiome repertoire capable of metabolizing more complex polysaccharides. Differential abundance of bacterial taxa that typically distinguish traditional from industrialized human populations (e.g., Prevotella spp.) was also recapitulated in the human and gorilla groups studied, possibly reflecting the degree of polysaccharide complexity included in each group’s dietary niche. These results show conserved functional gut microbiome adaptations to analogous diets in small-scale human populations and nonhuman primates, highlighting the role of plant dietary polysaccharides and diverse environmental exposures in this convergence. IMPORTANCE The results of this study highlight parallel gut microbiome traits in human and nonhuman primates, depending on subsistence strategy. Although these similarities have been reported before, the functional and ecological bases of this convergence are not fully understood. Here, we show that this parallelism is, in part, likely modulated by the complexity of plant carbohydrates consumed and by exposures to diverse xenobiotics of natural and artificial origin. Furthermore, we discuss how divergence from these parallel microbiome traits is typically associated with adverse health outcomes in human populations living under culturally westernized subsistence patterns. This is important information as we trace the specific dietary and environmental triggers associated with the loss and gain of microbial functions as humans adapt to various dietary niches.
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29
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Brown BRP, Nunez JCB, Rand DM. Characterizing the cirri and gut microbiomes of the intertidal barnacle Semibalanus balanoides. Anim Microbiome 2020; 2:41. [PMID: 33499976 PMCID: PMC7807441 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-020-00058-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Natural populations inhabiting the rocky intertidal experience multiple ecological stressors and provide an opportunity to investigate how environmental differences influence microbiomes over small geographical scales. However, very few microbiome studies focus on animals that inhabit the intertidal. In this study, we investigate the microbiome of the intertidal barnacle Semibalanus balanoides. We first describe the microbiome of two body tissues: the feeding appendages, or cirri, and the gut. Next, we examine whether there are differences between the microbiome of each body tissue of barnacles collected from the thermally extreme microhabitats of the rocky shores' upper and lower tidal zones. RESULTS Overall, the microbiome of S. balanoides consisted of 18 phyla from 408 genera. Our results showed that although cirri and gut microbiomes shared a portion of their amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), the microbiome of each body tissue was distinct. Over 80% of the ASVs found in the cirri were also found in the gut, and 44% of the ASVs found in the gut were also found in the cirri. Notably, the gut microbiome was not a subset of the cirri microbiome. Additionally, we identified that the cirri microbiome was responsive to microhabitat differences. CONCLUSION Results from this study indicate that S. balanoides maintains distinct microbiomes in its cirri and gut tissues, and that the gut microbiome is more stable than the cirri microbiome between the extremes of the intertidal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca R P Brown
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman St., Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, 85 Waterman St., Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
| | - Joaquin C B Nunez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman St., Providence, RI, 02912, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
| | - David M Rand
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman St., Providence, RI, 02912, USA.
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30
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Narat V, Amato KR, Ranger N, Salmona M, Mercier-Delarue S, Rupp S, Ambata P, Njouom R, Simon F, Giles-Vernick T, LeGoff J. A multi-disciplinary comparison of great ape gut microbiota in a central African forest and European zoo. Sci Rep 2020; 10:19107. [PMID: 33154444 PMCID: PMC7645722 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75847-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Comparisons of mammalian gut microbiota across different environmental conditions shed light on the diversity and composition of gut bacteriome and suggest consequences for human and animal health. Gut bacteriome comparisons across different environments diverge in their results, showing no generalizable patterns linking habitat and dietary degradation with bacterial diversity. The challenge in drawing general conclusions from such studies lies in the broad terms describing diverse habitats ("wild", "captive", "pristine"). We conducted 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to characterize intestinal microbiota of free-ranging sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in southeastern Cameroon and sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in a European zoo. We conducted participant-observation and semi-structured interviews among people living near these great apes to understand better their feeding habits and habitats. Unexpectedly, bacterial diversity (ASV, Faith PD and Shannon) was higher among zoo gorillas than among those in the Cameroonian forest, but zoo and Cameroonian chimpanzees showed no difference. Phylogeny was a strong driver of species-specific microbial composition. Surprisingly, zoo gorilla microbiota more closely resembled that of zoo chimpanzees than of Cameroonian gorillas. Zoo living conditions and dietary similarities may explain these results. We encourage multidisciplinary approach integrating environmental sampling and anthropological evaluation to characterize better diverse environmental conditions of such investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Narat
- Eco-anthropologie, UMR7206 CNRS/MNHN/Université de Paris, Site du Musée de L'Homme, Paris, France
- Institut Pasteur, Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Paris, France
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
- Humans and the Microbiome, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada
| | - Noémie Ranger
- Université de Paris, Equipe INSIGHT, Inserm U976, 75010, Paris, France
| | - Maud Salmona
- Université de Paris, Equipe INSIGHT, Inserm U976, 75010, Paris, France
- Département des Agents Infectieux, Virologie et Greffes, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 75010, Paris, France
| | | | - Stephanie Rupp
- Department of Anthropology, City University of New York - Lehman College, New York, NY, USA
| | - Philippe Ambata
- Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | | | - François Simon
- Université de Paris, Equipe INSIGHT, Inserm U976, 75010, Paris, France
| | - Tamara Giles-Vernick
- Institut Pasteur, Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Paris, France.
- Humans and the Microbiome, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada.
| | - Jérôme LeGoff
- Université de Paris, Equipe INSIGHT, Inserm U976, 75010, Paris, France.
- Département des Agents Infectieux, Virologie et Greffes, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, 75010, Paris, France.
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31
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Grieneisen L, Muehlbauer AL, Blekhman R. Microbial control of host gene regulation and the evolution of host-microbiome interactions in primates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2020; 375:20190598. [PMID: 32772669 PMCID: PMC7435160 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent comparative studies have found evidence consistent with the action of natural selection on gene regulation across primate species. Other recent work has shown that the microbiome can regulate host gene expression in a wide range of relevant tissues, leading to downstream effects on immunity, metabolism and other biological systems in the host. In primates, even closely related host species can have large differences in microbiome composition. One potential consequence of these differences is that host species-specific microbial traits could lead to differences in gene expression that influence primate physiology and adaptation to local environments. Here, we will discuss and integrate recent findings from primate comparative genomics and microbiome research, and explore the notion that the microbiome can influence host evolutionary dynamics by affecting gene regulation across primate host species. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of the microbiome in host evolution'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Grieneisen
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Amanda L. Muehlbauer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ran Blekhman
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
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32
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Hanya G, Tackmann J, Sawada A, Lee W, Pokharel SS, de Castro Maciel VG, Toge A, Kuroki K, Otsuka R, Mabuchi R, Liu J, Hatakeyama M, Yamasaki E, von Mering C, Shimizu-Inatsugi R, Hayakawa T, Shimizu KK, Ushida K. Fermentation Ability of Gut Microbiota of Wild Japanese Macaques in the Highland and Lowland Yakushima: In Vitro Fermentation Assay and Genetic Analyses. MICROBIAL ECOLOGY 2020; 80:459-474. [PMID: 32328670 DOI: 10.1007/s00248-020-01515-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata Blyth) living in the highland and lowland areas of Yakushima are known to have different diets, with highland individuals consuming more leaves. We aim to clarify whether and how these differences in diet are also reflected by gut microbial composition and fermentation ability. Therefore, we conduct an in vitro fermentation assay using fresh feces from macaques as inoculum and dry leaf powder of Eurya japonica Thunb. as a substrate. Fermentation activity was higher for feces collected in the highland, as evidenced by higher gas and butyric acid production and lower pH. Genetic analysis indicated separation of highland and lowland in terms of both community structure and function of the gut microbiota. Comparison of feces and suspension after fermentation indicated that the community structure changed during fermentation, and the change was larger for lowland samples. Analysis of the 16S rRNA V3-V4 barcoding region of the gut microbiota showed that community structure was clearly clustered between the two areas. Furthermore, metagenomic analysis indicated separation by gene and pathway abundance patterns. Two pathways (glycogen biosynthesis I and D-galacturonate degradation I) were enriched in lowland samples, possibly related to the fruit-eating lifestyle in the lowland. Overall, we demonstrated that the more leaf-eating highland Japanese macaques harbor gut microbiota with higher leaf fermentation ability compared with the more fruit-eating lowland ones. Broad, non-specific taxonomic and functional gut microbiome differences suggest that this pattern may be driven by a complex interplay between many taxa and pathways rather than single functional traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Goro Hanya
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan.
| | - Janko Tackmann
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Akiko Sawada
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
- Chubu University Academy of Emerging Sciences, Kasugai, Japan
| | - Wanyi Lee
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | | | | | - Akito Toge
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Kota Kuroki
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Ryoma Otsuka
- Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ryoma Mabuchi
- Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jie Liu
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Masaomi Hatakeyama
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eri Yamasaki
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Rie Shimizu-Inatsugi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Takashi Hayakawa
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Japan
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Japan
| | - Kentaro K Shimizu
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan
| | - Kazunari Ushida
- Chubu University Academy of Emerging Sciences, Kasugai, Japan
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33
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Ni Q, He X, Zeng B, Meng X, Xu H, Li Y, Yang M, Li D, Yao Y, Zhang M, Li Y, Fan X, Yang D, Xie M. Variation in Gut Microbiota of Captive Bengal Slow Lorises. Curr Microbiol 2020; 77:2623-2632. [PMID: 32440808 DOI: 10.1007/s00284-020-02035-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/14/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Gastrointestinal microbiome plays an important role in animal metabolism, immune system and pathology associated with health and disease. Many wild slow lorises were confiscated from illegal trade into captivities and experienced a range of changes in living environment and diet. Microbiome analysis contributes to improving captive management by identifying the alteration in their gastrointestinal microbial communities and aiding in determining the factors affecting the health of captive slow lorises. The fecal samples of eighteen Bengal slow lorises (Nycticebus bengalensis) were used to compare gut microbiota from four rescue centers located in Dehong, Gejiu, Nanning and Puer cities of China. The results showed a significant site-dependent difference in microbial community diversity. Similar to other Lorisinae species, the Phyla including Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria dominated their gut microbiome composition. The Gejiu group exhibited a higher overall diversity and the unique OTUs, which is resulted from long-term isolated husbandry and heavy human disturbances. The scarcity of gums in the captive diet was likely to cause a lower abundance of Prevotella associated with soluble fiber degradation. The variation of intestinal microbiota in different environments highlights the necessity to improve feed preparation and husbandry management for the captive Bengal slow lorises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingyong Ni
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China. .,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.
| | - Xin He
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Bo Zeng
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Xiangyun Meng
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Huailiang Xu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, 46 Xinkang Road, Yaan, 625014, China
| | - Ying Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Mingyao Yang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Diyan Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Yongfang Yao
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, 46 Xinkang Road, Yaan, 625014, China
| | - Mingwang Zhang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Yan Li
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Xiaolan Fan
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Deying Yang
- Farm Animal Genetic Resources Exploration and Innovation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China.,College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, 211 Huimin Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, 611130, China
| | - Meng Xie
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Agricultural University, 46 Xinkang Road, Yaan, 625014, China.
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34
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Risely A. Applying the core microbiome to understand host-microbe systems. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:1549-1558. [PMID: 32248522 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The host-associated core microbiome was originally coined to refer to common groups of microbes or genes that were likely to be particularly important for host biological function. However, the term has evolved to encompass variable definitions across studies, often identifying key microbes with respect to their spatial distribution, temporal stability or ecological influence, as well as their contribution to host function and fitness. A major barrier to reaching a consensus over how to define the core microbiome and its relevance to biological, ecological and evolutionary theory is a lack of precise terminology and associated definitions, as well the persistent association of the core microbiome with host function. Common, temporal and ecological core microbiomes can together generate insights into ecological processes that act independently of host function, while functional and host-adapted cores distinguish between facultative and near-obligate symbionts that differ in their effects on host fitness. This commentary summarizes five broad definitions of the core microbiome that have been applied across the literature, highlighting their strengths and limitations for advancing our understanding of host-microbe systems, noting where they are likely to overlap, and discussing their potential relevance to host function and fitness. No one definition of the core microbiome is likely to capture the range of key microbes across a host population. Applied together, they have the potential to reveal different layers of microbial organization from which we can begin to understand the ecological and evolutionary processes that govern host-microbe interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Risely
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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35
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A role for gut microbiota in host niche differentiation. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:1675-1687. [PMID: 32238913 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0640-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2019] [Revised: 03/16/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
If gut microbes influence host behavioral ecology in the short term, over evolutionary time, they could drive host niche differentiation. We explored this possibility by comparing the gut microbiota of Madagascar's folivorous lemurs from Indriidae and Lepilemuridae. Occurring sympatrically in the eastern rainforest, our four, target species have different dietary specializations, including frugo-folivory (sifakas), young-leaf folivory (indri and woolly lemurs), and mature-leaf folivory (sportive lemurs). We collected fecal samples, from 2013 to 2017, and used amplicon sequencing, metagenomic sequencing, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, respectively, to integrate analyses of gut microbiome structure and function with analysis of the colonic metabolome. The lemurs harbored species-specific microbiomes, metagenomes, and metabolomes that were tuned to their dietary specializations: Frugo-folivores had greater microbial and metagenomic diversity, and harbored generalist taxa. Mature-leaf folivores had greater individual microbiome variation, and taxa and metabolites putatively involved in cellulolysis. The consortia even differed between related, young-leaf specialists, with indri prioritizing metabolism of fiber and plant secondary compounds, and woolly lemurs prioritizing amino-acid cycling. Specialized gut microbiota and associated gastrointestinal morphologies enable folivores to variably tolerate resource fluctuation and support nutrient extraction from challenging resources (e.g., by metabolizing plant secondary compounds or recalcitrant fibers), perhaps ultimately facilitating host species' diversity and specialized feeding ecologies.
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36
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Campbell TP, Sun X, Patel VH, Sanz C, Morgan D, Dantas G. The microbiome and resistome of chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans across host lifestyle and geography. ISME JOURNAL 2020; 14:1584-1599. [PMID: 32203121 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-020-0634-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2019] [Revised: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The gut microbiome can vary across differences in host lifestyle, geography, and host species. By comparing closely related host species across varying lifestyles and geography, we can evaluate the relative contributions of these factors in structuring the composition and functions of the microbiome. Here we show that the gut microbial taxa, microbial gene family composition, and resistomes of great apes and humans are more related by host lifestyle than geography. We show that captive chimpanzees and gorillas are enriched for microbial genera commonly found in non-Westernized humans. Captive ape microbiomes also had up to ~34-fold higher abundance and up to ~5-fold higher richness of all antibiotic resistance genes compared with wild apes. Through functional metagenomics, we identified a number of novel antibiotic resistance genes, including a gene conferring resistance to colistin, an antibiotic of last resort. Finally, by comparing our study cohorts to human and ape gut microbiomes from a diverse range of environments and lifestyles, we find that the influence of host lifestyle is robust to various geographic locations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tayte P Campbell
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Xiaoqing Sun
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Vishal H Patel
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Crickette Sanz
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.,Congo Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - David Morgan
- Lincoln Park Zoo, Lester E. Fisher Center, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
| | - Gautam Dantas
- The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences & Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Department of Pathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA. .,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA.
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37
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Manara S, Asnicar F, Beghini F, Bazzani D, Cumbo F, Zolfo M, Nigro E, Karcher N, Manghi P, Metzger MI, Pasolli E, Segata N. Microbial genomes from non-human primate gut metagenomes expand the primate-associated bacterial tree of life with over 1000 novel species. Genome Biol 2019; 20:299. [PMID: 31883524 PMCID: PMC6935492 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1923-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 12/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Humans have coevolved with microbial communities to establish a mutually advantageous relationship that is still poorly characterized and can provide a better understanding of the human microbiome. Comparative metagenomic analysis of human and non-human primate (NHP) microbiomes offers a promising approach to study this symbiosis. Very few microbial species have been characterized in NHP microbiomes due to their poor representation in the available cataloged microbial diversity, thus limiting the potential of such comparative approaches. RESULTS We reconstruct over 1000 previously uncharacterized microbial species from 6 available NHP metagenomic cohorts, resulting in an increase of the mappable fraction of metagenomic reads by 600%. These novel species highlight that almost 90% of the microbial diversity associated with NHPs has been overlooked. Comparative analysis of this new catalog of taxa with the collection of over 150,000 genomes from human metagenomes points at a limited species-level overlap, with only 20% of microbial candidate species in NHPs also found in the human microbiome. This overlap occurs mainly between NHPs and non-Westernized human populations and NHPs living in captivity, suggesting that host lifestyle plays a role comparable to host speciation in shaping the primate intestinal microbiome. Several NHP-specific species are phylogenetically related to human-associated microbes, such as Elusimicrobia and Treponema, and could be the consequence of host-dependent evolutionary trajectories. CONCLUSIONS The newly reconstructed species greatly expand the microbial diversity associated with NHPs, thus enabling better interrogation of the primate microbiome and empowering in-depth human and non-human comparative and co-diversification studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Manara
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | | | - Fabio Cumbo
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Moreno Zolfo
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | | | - Paolo Manghi
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | | | - Edoardo Pasolli
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy
| | - Nicola Segata
- CIBIO Department, University of Trento, Trento, Italy.
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38
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McDonald RC, Watts JEM, Schreier HJ. Effect of Diet on the Enteric Microbiome of the Wood-Eating Catfish Panaque nigrolineatus. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:2687. [PMID: 31849863 PMCID: PMC6895002 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.02687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2019] [Accepted: 11/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Wood is consistently found in high levels in the gastrointestinal tract of the Amazonian catfish Panaque nigrolineatus, which, depending on environmental conditions, can switch between xylivorous and detritivorous dietary strategies. This is highly unusual among primary wood consumers and provides a unique system to examine the effect of dietary change in a xylivorous system. In this study, microbiome and predictive metagenomic analyses were performed for P. nigrolineatus fed either wood alone or a less refractory mixed diet containing wood and plant nutrition. While diet had an impact on enteric bacterial community composition, there was a high degree of interindividual variability. Members of the Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes were ubiquitous and dominated most communities; Bacteroidetes, Fusobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobia also contributed in a tissue and diet-specific manner. Although predictive metagenomics revealed functional differences between communities, the relative abundance of predicted lignocellulose-active enzymes remained similar across diets. The microbiomes from both diets appeared highly adapted for hemicellulose hydrolysis as the predicted metagenomes contained several classes of hemicellulases and lignin-modifying enzymes. Enteric communities from both diets appeared to lack the necessary cellobiohydrolases for efficient cellulose hydrolysis, suggesting that cellobiose is not the primary source of dietary carbon for the fish. Our findings suggest that the P. nigrolineatus gut environment selects for an enteric community based on function, rather than a vertically transferred symbiotic relationship. This functional selection strategy may provide an advantage to an organism that switches between dietary strategies to survive a highly variable environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan C. McDonald
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Joy E. M. Watts
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom
| | - Harold J. Schreier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Department of Marine Biotechnology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, United States
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39
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Abstract
Diet and gut microbiome composition are important for health and nutrition in mammals, but how they covary in response to environmental change remains poorly understood—both because diet composition is rarely quantified precisely, and because studies of diet−microbiome linkages in captive animals may not accurately reflect the dynamics of natural communities. By analyzing diet−microbiome linkages in an assemblage of large mammalian herbivores in Kenya, we found that seasonal changes in diet and microbiome composition were strongly correlated within some populations, whereas other populations exhibited little temporal turnover in either diet or microbiome. Identifying mechanisms that generate species-specific variation in the sensitivity of the diet−microbiome nexus to environmental changes could help to explain differential population performance and food-web structure within ecological communities. A major challenge in biology is to understand how phylogeny, diet, and environment shape the mammalian gut microbiome. Yet most studies of nonhuman microbiomes have relied on relatively coarse dietary categorizations and have focused either on individual wild populations or on captive animals that are sheltered from environmental pressures, which may obscure the effects of dietary and environmental variation on microbiome composition in diverse natural communities. We analyzed plant and bacterial DNA in fecal samples from an assemblage of 33 sympatric large-herbivore species (27 native, 6 domesticated) in a semiarid East African savanna, which enabled high-resolution assessment of seasonal variation in both diet and microbiome composition. Phylogenetic relatedness strongly predicted microbiome composition (r = 0.91) and was weakly but significantly correlated with diet composition (r = 0.20). Dietary diversity did not significantly predict microbiome diversity across species or within any species except kudu; however, diet composition was significantly correlated with microbiome composition both across and within most species. We found a spectrum of seasonal sensitivity at the diet−microbiome nexus: Seasonal changes in diet composition explained 25% of seasonal variation in microbiome composition across species. Species’ positions on (and deviations from) this spectrum were not obviously driven by phylogeny, body size, digestive strategy, or diet composition; however, domesticated species tended to exhibit greater diet−microbiome turnover than wildlife. Our results reveal marked differences in the influence of environment on the degree of diet−microbiome covariation in free-ranging African megafauna, and this variation is not well explained by canonical predictors of nutritional ecology.
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Gomez A, Sharma AK, Mallott EK, Petrzelkova KJ, Jost Robinson CA, Yeoman CJ, Carbonero F, Pafco B, Rothman JM, Ulanov A, Vlckova K, Amato KR, Schnorr SL, Dominy NJ, Modry D, Todd A, Torralba M, Nelson KE, Burns MB, Blekhman R, Remis M, Stumpf RM, Wilson BA, Gaskins HR, Garber PA, White BA, Leigh SR. Plasticity in the Human Gut Microbiome Defies Evolutionary Constraints. mSphere 2019; 4:e00271-19. [PMID: 31366708 PMCID: PMC6669335 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00271-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome of primates, including humans, is reported to closely follow host evolutionary history, with gut microbiome composition being specific to the genetic background of its primate host. However, the comparative models used to date have mainly included a limited set of closely related primates. To further understand the forces that shape the primate gut microbiome, with reference to human populations, we expanded the comparative analysis of variation among gut microbiome compositions and their primate hosts, including 9 different primate species and 4 human groups characterized by a diverse set of subsistence patterns (n = 448 samples). The results show that the taxonomic composition of the human gut microbiome, at the genus level, exhibits increased compositional plasticity. Specifically, we show unexpected similarities between African Old World monkeys that rely on eclectic foraging and human populations engaging in nonindustrial subsistence patterns; these similarities transcend host phylogenetic constraints. Thus, instead of following evolutionary trends that would make their microbiomes more similar to that of conspecifics or more phylogenetically similar apes, gut microbiome composition in humans from nonindustrial populations resembles that of generalist cercopithecine monkeys. We also document that wild cercopithecine monkeys with eclectic diets and humans following nonindustrial subsistence patterns harbor high gut microbiome diversity that is not only higher than that seen in humans engaging in industrialized lifestyles but also higher compared to wild primates that typically consume fiber-rich diets.IMPORTANCE The results of this study indicate a discordance between gut microbiome composition and evolutionary history in primates, calling into question previous notions about host genetic control of the primate gut microbiome. Microbiome similarities between humans consuming nonindustrialized diets and monkeys characterized by subsisting on eclectic, omnivorous diets also raise questions about the ecological and nutritional drivers shaping the human gut microbiome. Moreover, a more detailed understanding of the factors associated with gut microbiome plasticity in primates offers a framework to understand why humans following industrialized lifestyles have deviated from states thought to reflect human evolutionary history. The results also provide perspectives for developing therapeutic dietary manipulations that can reset configurations of the gut microbiome to potentially improve human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Ashok Kumar Sharma
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
| | - Elizabeth K Mallott
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Klara J Petrzelkova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Liberec Zoo, Liberec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Carl J Yeoman
- Department of Animal and Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, USA
| | - Franck Carbonero
- Department of Nutrition & Exercise Physiology, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, Washington, USA
| | - Barbora Pafco
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jessica M Rothman
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of CUNY and New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York, USA
| | - Alexander Ulanov
- Metabolomics Center, Roy J. Carver Biotechnology Center, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Klara Vlckova
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Stephanie L Schnorr
- Department of Anthropology, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
- Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition Research, Klosterneuburg, Austria
| | - Nathaniel J Dominy
- Department of Anthropology, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, USA
| | - David Modry
- Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
- Department of Pathology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
- Central European Institute for Technology (CEITEC), University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Angelique Todd
- World Wildlife Fund, Dzanga-Sangha Protected Areas, Bayanga, Central African Republic
| | | | | | - Michael B Burns
- Department of Biology, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Ran Blekhman
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Melissa Remis
- Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Rebecca M Stumpf
- Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Brenda A Wilson
- Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - H Rex Gaskins
- Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Bryan A White
- Carl Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Steven R Leigh
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
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Garber PA, Mallott EK, Porter LM, Gomez A. The gut microbiome and metabolome of saddleback tamarins (Leontocebus weddelli): Insights into the foraging ecology of a small-bodied primate. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e23003. [PMID: 31190348 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Body mass is a strong predictor of diet and nutritional requirements across a wide range of mammalian taxa. In the case of small-bodied primates, because of their limited gut volume, rapid food passage rate, and high metabolic rate, they are hypothesized to maintain high digestive efficiency by exploiting foods rich in protein, fats, and readily available energy. However, our understanding of the dietary requirements of wild primates is limited because little is known concerning the contributions of their gut microbiome to the breakdown and assimilation of macronutrients and energy. To study how the gut microbiome contributes to the feeding ecology of a small-bodied primate, we analyzed the fecal microbiome composition and metabolome of 22 wild saddleback tamarins (adult body mass 360-390 g) in Northern Bolivia. Samples were analyzed using high-throughput Illumina sequencing of the 16 S rRNA gene V3-V5 regions, coupled with GC-MS metabolomic profiling. Our analysis revealed that the distal microbiome of Leontocebus weddelli is largely dominated by two main bacterial genera: Xylanibacter and Hallella (34.7 ± 14.7 and 22.6 ± 12.4%, respectively). A predictive analysis of functions likely carried out by bacteria in the tamarin gut demonstrated the dominance of membrane transport systems and carbohydrate metabolism as the predominant metabolic pathways. Moreover, given a fecal metabolome composed mainly of glucose, fructose, and lactic acid (21.7 ± 15.9%, 16.5 ± 10.7%, and 6.8 ± 5.5%, respectively), the processing of highly fermentable carbohydrates appears to play a central role in the nutritional ecology of these small-bodied primates. Finally, the results also show a potential influence of environmentally-derived bacteria in colonizing the tamarin gut. These results indicate high energetic turnover in the distal gut of Weddell's saddleback tamarin, likely influenced by dominant bacterial taxa that facilitate dietary dependence on highly digestible carbohydrates present in nectar, plant exudates, and ripe fruits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois
| | | | - Leila M Porter
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois
| | - Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, Integrated Animal Systems Biology Team, University of Minnesota, Minnesota
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Singh A, Faber-Hammond JJ, O'Rourke CF, Renn SC. Gut microbial diversity increases with social rank in the African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.04.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Nagpal R, Shively CA, Register TC, Craft S, Yadav H. Gut microbiome-Mediterranean diet interactions in improving host health. F1000Res 2019; 8:699. [PMID: 32704349 PMCID: PMC7359750 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.18992.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota plays a fundamental role in host health and disease. Host diet is one of the most significant modulators of the gut microbial community and its metabolic activities. Evidence demonstrates that dietary patterns such as the 'Western diet' and perturbations in gut microbiome (dysbiosis) have strong associations with a wide range of human diseases, including obesity, metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. However, consumption of Mediterranean-style diets is considered healthy and associated with the prevention of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, colorectal cancers and many other diseases. Such beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet might be attributed to high proportion of fibers, mono- and poly-unsaturated fatty acids, antioxidants and polyphenols. Concurrent literature has demonstrated beneficial modulation of the gut microbiome following a Mediterranean-style diet in humans as well as in experimental animal models such as rodents. We recently demonstrated similar positive changes in the gut microbiome of non-human primates consuming a Mediterranean-style diet for long term (30 months). Therefore, it is rational to speculate that this positive modulation of the gut microbiome diversity, composition and function is one of the main factors intermediating the health effects of Mediterranean diet on the host. The present perspective discusses the evidences that the Mediterranean diet induces gut microbiome modulation in rodents, non-human primates and human subjects, and discusses the potential role of gut microbiota and microbial metabolites as one of the fundamental catalysts intermediating various beneficial health effects of Mediterranean diet on the host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ravinder Nagpal
- Division of Internal Medicine - Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
- Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
| | - Carol A. Shively
- Department of Pathology - Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
| | - Thomas C. Register
- Department of Pathology - Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
| | - Suzanne Craft
- Department of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
| | - Hariom Yadav
- Division of Internal Medicine - Molecular Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
- Microbiology and Immunology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 27101, USA
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Abstract
The gut microbiome can influence host energy balances and metabolic programming. While this information is valuable in a disease context, it also has important implications for understanding host energetics from an ecological and evolutionary perspective. Here I argue that gut microbial influences on host life history-the timing of events that make up an organism's life-are an overlooked but robust area of study given that variation in life history is linked directly to host energetic budgets and allocation patterns. Additionally, while cultural influences on life history complicate the exploration of these links in humans, nonhuman primates represent an alternative system in which more robust associations can be made. By integrating human and nonhuman primate microbiome research within the context of life history theory, we will be able to more effectively pinpoint microbial contributions to host phenotypes. This information will improve our understanding of host-microbe interactions in health and disease and will transform the fields of ecology and evolution more generally.
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Bornbusch SL, Greene LK, McKenney EA, Volkoff SJ, Midani FS, Joseph G, Gerhard WA, Iloghalu U, Granek J, Gunsch CK. A comparative study of gut microbiomes in captive nocturnal strepsirrhines. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22986. [PMID: 31081142 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2018] [Revised: 03/23/2019] [Accepted: 04/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Feeding strategy and diet are increasingly recognized for their roles in governing primate gut microbiome (GMB) composition. Whereas feeding strategy reflects evolutionary adaptations to a host's environment, diet is a more proximate measure of food intake. Host phylogeny, which is intertwined with feeding strategy, is an additional, and often confounding factor that shapes GMBs across host lineages. Nocturnal strepsirrhines are an intriguing and underutilized group in which to examine the links between these three factors and GMB composition. Here, we compare GMB composition in four species of captive, nocturnal strepsirrhines with varying feeding strategies and phylogenetic relationships, but nearly identical diets. We use 16S rRNA sequences to determine gut bacterial composition. Despite similar husbandry conditions, including diet, we find that GMB composition varies significantly across host species and is linked to host feeding strategy and phylogeny. The GMBs of the omnivorous and the frugivorous species were significantly more diverse than were those of the insectivorous and exudativorous species. Across all hosts, GMBs were enriched for bacterial taxa associated with the macronutrient resources linked to the host's respective feeding strategy. Ultimately, the reported variation in microbiome composition suggests that the impacts of captivity and concurrent diet do not overshadow patterns of feeding strategy and phylogeny. As our understanding of primate GMBs progresses, populations of captive primates can provide insight into the evolution of host-microbe relationships, as well as inform future captive management protocols that enhance primate health and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sally L Bornbusch
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Lydia K Greene
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Erin A McKenney
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Savannah J Volkoff
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Firas S Midani
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Gail Joseph
- Department of Energy and Environmental Systems, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - William A Gerhard
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Uchenna Iloghalu
- Department of Applied Science and Technology, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, Greensboro, North Carolina
| | - Joshua Granek
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Claudia K Gunsch
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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Pafčo B, Sharma AK, Petrželková KJ, Vlčková K, Todd A, Yeoman CJ, Wilson BA, Stumpf R, White BA, Nelson KE, Leigh S, Gomez A. Gut microbiome composition of wild western lowland gorillas is associated with individual age and sex factors. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 169:575-585. [PMID: 31025322 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 04/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Environmental and ecological factors, such as geographic range, anthropogenic pressure, group identity, and feeding behavior are known to influence the gastrointestinal microbiomes of great apes. However, the influence of individual host traits such as age and sex, given specific dietary and social constraints, has been less studied. The objective of this investigation was to determine the associations between an individual's age and sex on the diversity and composition of the gut microbiome in wild western lowland gorillas. MATERIALS AND METHODS Publicly available 16S rRNA data generated from fecal samples of different groups of Gorilla gorilla gorilla in the Central African Republic were downloaded and bioinformatically processed. The groups analyzed included habituated, partially habituated and unhabituated gorillas, sampled during low fruit (dry, n = 28) and high fruit (wet, n = 82) seasons. Microbial community analyses (alpha and beta diversity and analyses of discriminant taxa), in tandem with network-wide approaches, were used to (a) mine for specific age and sex based differences in gut bacterial community composition and to (b) asses for gut community modularity and bacterial taxa with potential functional roles, in the context of seasonal food variation, and social group affiliation. RESULTS Both age and sex significantly influenced gut microbiome diversity and composition in wild western lowland gorillas. However, the largest differences were observed between infants and adults in habituated groups and between adults and immature gorillas within all groups, and across dry and wet seasons. Specifically, although adults always showed greater bacterial richness than infants and immature gorillas, network-wide analyses showed higher microbial community complexity and modularity in the infant gorilla gut. Sex-based microbiome differences were not evident among adults, being only detected among immature gorillas. CONCLUSIONS The results presented point to a dynamic gut microbiome in Gorilla spp., associated with ontogeny and individual development. Of note, the gut microbiomes of breastfeeding infants seemed to reflect early exposure to complex, herbaceous vegetation. Whether increased compositional complexity of the infant gorilla gut microbiome is an adaptive response to an energy-limited diet and an underdeveloped gut needs to be further tested. Overall, age and sex based gut microbiome differences, as shown here, maybe mainly attributed to access to specific feeding sources, and social interactions between individuals within groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbora Pafčo
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Pathology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Ashok K Sharma
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota
| | - Klára J Petrželková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Institute of Parasitology, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Ceske Budejovice, Czech Republic
| | - Klára Vlčková
- Institute of Vertebrate Biology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Pathology and Parasitology, University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic.,School of Microbiology and APC Microbiome Ireland, Food Science Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | | | - Carl J Yeoman
- Department of Animal & Range Sciences, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana
| | - Brenda A Wilson
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, Illinois.,Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Rebecca Stumpf
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, Illinois.,Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois
| | - Bryan A White
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, Illinois
| | | | - Steven Leigh
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, Urbana, Illinois.,Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado
| | - Andres Gomez
- Department of Animal Science, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, St. Paul, Minnesota
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Greene LK, Bornbusch SL, McKenney EA, Harris RL, Gorvetzian SR, Yoder AD, Drea CM. The importance of scale in comparative microbiome research: New insights from the gut and glands of captive and wild lemurs. Am J Primatol 2019; 81:e22974. [PMID: 30932230 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Research on animal microbiomes is increasingly aimed at determining the evolutionary and ecological factors that govern host-microbiome dynamics, which are invariably intertwined and potentially synergistic. We present three empirical studies related to this topic, each of which relies on the diversity of Malagasy lemurs (representing a total of 19 species) and the comparative approach applied across scales of analysis. In Study 1, we compare gut microbial membership across 14 species in the wild to test the relative importance of host phylogeny and feeding strategy in mediating microbiome structure. Whereas host phylogeny strongly predicted community composition, the same feeding strategies shared by distant relatives did not produce convergent microbial consortia, but rather shaped microbiomes in host lineage-specific ways, particularly in folivores. In Study 2, we compare 14 species of wild and captive folivores, frugivores, and omnivores, to highlight the importance of captive populations for advancing gut microbiome research. We show that the perturbational effect of captivity is mediated by host feeding strategy and can be mitigated, in part, by modified animal management. In Study 3, we examine various scent-gland microbiomes across three species in the wild or captivity and show them to vary by host species, sex, body site, and a proxy of social status. These rare data provide support for the bacterial fermentation hypothesis in olfactory signal production and implicate steroid hormones as mediators of microbial community structure. We conclude by discussing the role of scale in comparative microbial studies, the links between feeding strategy and host-microbiome coadaptation, the underappreciated benefits of captive populations for advancing conservation research, and the need to consider the entirety of an animal's microbiota. Ultimately, these studies will help move the field from exploratory to hypothesis-driven research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia K Greene
- Duke University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Primate Microbiome Project, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Sally L Bornbusch
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Erin A McKenney
- Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina.,North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, North Carolina
| | - Rachel L Harris
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Sarah R Gorvetzian
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Anne D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - Christine M Drea
- Duke University Program in Ecology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.,Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
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Nutrient-based diet modifications impact on the gut microbiome of the Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus). Sci Rep 2019; 9:4078. [PMID: 30858577 PMCID: PMC6411731 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-40911-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2018] [Accepted: 02/26/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Environment and diet are key factors which shape the microbiome of organisms. There is also a disparity between captive and wild animals of the same species, presumably because of the change in diet. Being able to reverse the microbiome to the wild type is thus particularly important for the reintroduction efforts of Critically Endangered animals. The Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) is a suitable model, being kept in the thousands within rescue centres throughout Southeast Asia. With next-generation sequencing, we show how a naturalistic diet impacts the gut microbiome of captive slow lorises (Primates: Nycticebus). A comparison of the microbiome of wild animals with captive animals that had been fed a standard captive or improved diet reveals strong microbiome differences between wild and captive animals; however, diet changes failed to alter the microbiome of captive populations significantly. Bifidobacterium was the most abundant genus in wild animals (46.7%) while Bacteroides (11.6%) and Prevotella (18.9%) were the most abundant in captive animals fed the captive and improved diets, respectively. Correlation analyses of nutrients with microbial taxa suggest important implications in using nutrition to suppress potential pathogens, with soluble fibre and water-soluble carbohydrates both being associated with opposing microbiome profiles. The improved diet significantly increased microbe diversity, which exemplifies the importance of high fibre diets; however, wild individuals had lower diversity, which contradicts recent studies. Detection of methanogens appeared to be dependent on diet and whether the animals were living in captivity or in the wild. This study highlights the potential of nutrition in modulating the microbiome of animals prior to release. Unexpectedly, the results were not as significant as has been suggested in recent studies.
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