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Li H, Qu J, Li T, Wirth S, Zhang Y, Zhao X, Li X. Diet simplification selects for high gut microbial diversity and strong fermenting ability in high-altitude pikas. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 2018; 102:6739-6751. [PMID: 29862448 DOI: 10.1007/s00253-018-9097-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 05/12/2018] [Accepted: 05/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiota in mammals plays a key role in host metabolism and adaptation. However, relatively little is known regarding to how the animals adapts to extreme environments through regulating gut microbial diversity and function. Here, we investigated the diet, gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) profiles, and cellulolytic activity from two common pika (Ochotona spp.) species in China, including Plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Daurian pika (Ochotona daurica) from the Inner Mongolia Grassland. Despite a partial diet overlap, Plateau pikas harbored lower diet diversity than Daurian pikas. Some bacteria (e.g., Prevotella and Ruminococcus) associated with fiber degradation were enriched in Plateau pikas. They harbored higher gut microbial diversity, total SCFA concentration, and cellulolytic activity than Daurian pikas. Interestingly, cellulolytic activity was positively correlated with the gut microbial diversity and SCFAs. Gut microbial communities and SCFA profiles were segregated structurally between host species. PICRUSt metagenome predictions demonstrated that microbial genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and energy metabolism were overrepresented in the gut microbiota of Plateau pikas. Our results demonstrate that Plateau pikas harbor a stronger fermenting ability for the plant-based diet than Daurian pikas via gut microbial fermentation. The enhanced ability for utilization of plant-based diets in Plateau pikas may be partly a kind of microbiota adaptation for more energy requirements in cold and hypoxic high-altitude environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huan Li
- Institute of Occupational Health and Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China
| | - Jiapeng Qu
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810008, Qinghai, People's Republic of China
| | - Tongtong Li
- Department of Applied Biology, College of Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China
| | - Stephan Wirth
- Leibniz-Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Institute of Landscape Biogeochemistry, Eberswalder Str. 84, 15374, Muncheberg, Germany
| | - Yanming Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Adaptation and Evolution of Plateau Biota, Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, 810008, Qinghai, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xinquan Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, CAS; Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China
| | - Xiangzhen Li
- Key Laboratory of Environmental and Applied Microbiology, CAS; Environmental Microbiology Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.
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Melo-Ferreira J, Lemos de Matos A, Areal H, Lissovsky AA, Carneiro M, Esteves PJ. The phylogeny of pikas (Ochotona) inferred from a multilocus coalescent approach. Mol Phylogenet Evol 2015; 84:240-4. [PMID: 25637497 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2015.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2014] [Revised: 12/18/2014] [Accepted: 01/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The clarification of the systematics of pikas (genus Ochotona) has been hindered by largely overlapping morphological characters among species and the lack of a comprehensive molecular phylogeny. Here we estimate the first multilocus phylogeny of the genus to date, by analysing 12 nuclear DNA markers (total of 7.5Kb) in 11 species of pikas from the four classified subgenera (Pika, Ochotona, Lagotona and Conothoa) using a multispecies coalescent-based framework. The species-tree confirmed the subgeneric classification by retrieving as monophyletic the subgenera represented here by more than one species. Contrary to previous phylogenies based on mtDNA alone, Lagotona was found to be sister to Pika. Also, support for the monophyly of the alpina group was not strong, thus caution should be used in future analyses of this group. A relaxed molecular clock calibrated using the Ochotonidae-Leporidae divergence resulted in more recent estimates of divergence times relative to previous studies. Strong concordance with inferences based on fossil records was found, suggesting that the initial diversification of the genus took place by the end of late Miocene. Finally, this work sets up methodologies and gathers molecular markers that can be used to extend the understanding of the evolutionary history of the genus.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Melo-Ferreira
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.
| | - Ana Lemos de Matos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Helena Areal
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, 4099-002 Porto, Portugal
| | - Andrey A Lissovsky
- Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, B. Nikitskaya, 6, Moscow 125009, Russia
| | - Miguel Carneiro
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal
| | - Pedro J Esteves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto, InBIO, Laboratório Associado, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal; CITS, Centro de Investigação em Tecnologias da Saúde, IPSN, CESPU, Gandra, Portugal
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Bhattacharyya S, Adhikari BS, Rawat GS. Forage selection by Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) in the western Himalaya, India. ZOOLOGY 2013; 116:300-6. [PMID: 23932023 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2013.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2012] [Revised: 05/02/2013] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Forage selection decisions of herbivores are often complex and dynamic; they are modulated by multiple cues, such as quality, accessibility and abundance of forage plants. To advance the understanding of plant-herbivore interactions, we explored foraging behavior of the alpine lagomorph Royle's pika (Ochotona roylei) in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, India. Pika bite counts on food plants were recorded through focal sampling in three permanently marked plots. Food plant abundance was recorded by traditional quadrat procedures; forage selection was estimated with Jacob's selection index. Multiple food-choice experiments were conducted to determine whether forage selection criteria would change with variation in food plant composition. We also analyzed leaf morphology and nutrient content in both major food plants and abundantly available non-food plants. Linear regression models were used to test competing hypotheses in order to identify factors governing forage selection. Royle's pika fed primarily on 17 plant species and each forage selection decision was positively modulated by leaf area and negatively modulated by contents of avoided substances (neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, acid detergent lignin and tannin) in food plants. Furthermore, significance of the interaction term "leaf size × avoided substance" indicates that plants with large leaves were selected only when they had low avoided substance content. The forage selection criteria did not differ between field and laboratory experiments. The parameter estimates of best fit models indicate that the influence of leaf size or amount of avoided substance on pika forage selection was modulated by the magnitude of predation risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabuj Bhattacharyya
- Department of Habitat Ecology, Wildlife Institute of India, P.O. Box # 18, Chandrabani, Dehradun, India.
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