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Cabirol A, Chhun A, Liberti J, Kesner L, Neuschwander N, Schaerli Y, Engel P. Fecal transplant allows transmission of the gut microbiota in honey bees. mSphere 2024:e0026224. [PMID: 39158277 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00262-24] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The study of the fecal microbiota is crucial for unraveling the pathways through which gut symbionts are acquired and transmitted. While stable gut microbial communities are essential for honey bee health, their modes of acquisition and transmission are yet to be confirmed. The gut of honey bees is colonized by symbiotic bacteria within 5 days after emergence from their wax cells as adults. Few studies have suggested that bees could be colonized in part via contact with fecal matter in the hive. However, the composition of the fecal microbiota is still unknown. It is particularly unclear whether all bacterial species can be found viable in the feces and can therefore be transmitted to newborn nestmates. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we revealed that the composition of the honey bee fecal microbiota is strikingly similar to the microbiota of entire guts. We found that fecal transplantation resulted in gut microbial communities similar to those obtained from feeding gut homogenates. Our study shows that fecal sampling and transplantation are viable tools for the non-invasive analysis of bacterial community composition and host-microbe interactions. It also implies that contact of young bees with fecal matter in the hive is a plausible route for gut microbiota acquisition. IMPORTANCE Honey bees are crucial pollinators for many crops and wildflowers. They are also powerful models for studying microbiome-host interactions. However, current methods rely on gut tissue disruption to analyze microbiota composition and use gut homogenates to inoculate microbiota-deprived bees. Here, we provide two new and non-invasive approaches that will open doors to longitudinal studies: fecal sampling and transplantation. Furthermore, our findings provide insights into gut microbiota transmission in social insects by showing that ingestion of fecal matter can result in gut microbiota acquisition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie Cabirol
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Audam Chhun
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Joanito Liberti
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucie Kesner
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Neuschwander
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Yolanda Schaerli
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Philipp Engel
- Department of Fundamental Microbiology, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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2
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Worsley SF, Davies CS, Lee CZ, Mannarelli ME, Burke T, Komdeur J, Dugdale HL, Richardson DS. Longitudinal gut microbiome dynamics in relation to age and senescence in a wild animal population. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17477. [PMID: 39010794 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17477] [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] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024]
Abstract
In humans, gut microbiome (GM) differences are often correlated with, and sometimes causally implicated in, ageing. However, it is unclear how these findings translate in wild animal populations. Studies that investigate how GM dynamics change within individuals, and with declines in physiological condition, are needed to fully understand links between chronological age, senescence and the GM, but have rarely been done. Here, we use longitudinal data collected from a closed population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis) to investigate how bacterial GM alpha diversity, composition and stability are associated with host senescence. We hypothesised that GM diversity and composition will differ, and become more variable, in older adults, particularly in the terminal year prior to death, as the GM becomes increasingly dysregulated due to senescence. However, GM alpha diversity and composition remained largely invariable with respect to adult age and did not differ in an individual's terminal year. Furthermore, there was no evidence that the GM became more heterogenous in senescent age groups (individuals older than 6 years), or in the terminal year. Instead, environmental variables such as season, territory quality and time of day, were the strongest predictors of GM variation in adult Seychelles warblers. These results contrast with studies on humans, captive animal populations and some (but not all) studies on non-human primates, suggesting that GM deterioration may not be a universal hallmark of senescence in wild animal species. Further work is needed to disentangle the factors driving variation in GM-senescence relationships across different host taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Worsley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | - Charli S Davies
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | - Chuen Zhang Lee
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
| | | | - Terry Burke
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norfolk, UK
- Nature Seychelles, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles
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3
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Park CE, Jo YJ, Jung DR, Park HC, Shin JH. Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota between Captive and Wild Long-Tailed Gorals for Ex Situ Conservation. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1419. [PMID: 39065187 PMCID: PMC11278867 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12071419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2024] [Revised: 07/10/2024] [Accepted: 07/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The long-tailed goral is close to extinction, and ex situ conservation is essential to prevent this phenomenon. Studies on the gut microbiome of the long-tailed goral are important for understanding the ecology of this species. We amplified DNA from the 16S rRNA regions and compared the microbiomes of wild long-tailed gorals and two types of captive long-tailed gorals. Our findings revealed that the gut microbiome diversity of wild long-tailed gorals is greatly reduced when they are reared in captivity. A comparison of the two types of captive long-tailed gorals confirmed that animals with a more diverse diet exhibit greater gut microbiome diversity. Redundancy analysis confirmed that wild long-tailed gorals are distributed throughout the highlands, midlands, and lowlands. For the first time, it was revealed that the long-tailed goral are divided into three groups depending on the height of their habitat, and that the gut bacterial community changes significantly when long-tailed gorals are raised through ex situ conservation. This provides for the first time a perspective on the diversity of food plants associated with mountain height that will be available to long-tailed goral in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chang-Eon Park
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; (C.-E.P.); (Y.-J.J.); (D.-R.J.)
- Institute of Ornithology, Ex Situ Conservation Institution Designated by the Ministry of Environment, Gumi 39105, Republic of Korea;
| | - Young-Jae Jo
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; (C.-E.P.); (Y.-J.J.); (D.-R.J.)
| | - Da-Ryung Jung
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; (C.-E.P.); (Y.-J.J.); (D.-R.J.)
| | - Hee-Cheon Park
- Institute of Ornithology, Ex Situ Conservation Institution Designated by the Ministry of Environment, Gumi 39105, Republic of Korea;
| | - Jae-Ho Shin
- Department of Applied Biosciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea; (C.-E.P.); (Y.-J.J.); (D.-R.J.)
- NGS Core Facility, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of Korea
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4
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Grieneisen L, Hays A, Cook E, Blekhman R, Tecot S. Temporal patterns of gut microbiota in lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer) living in intact and disturbed habitats in a novel sample type. Am J Primatol 2024:e23656. [PMID: 38873762 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is a plastic phenotype; gut microbial composition is highly variable across an individual host's lifetime and between host social groups, and this variation has consequences for host health. However, we do not yet fully understand how longitudinal microbial dynamics and their social drivers may be influenced by ecological stressors, such as habitat degradation. Answering these questions is difficult in most wild animal systems, as it requires long-term collections of matched host, microbiome, and environmental trait data. To test if temporal and social influences on microbiome composition differ by the history of human disturbance, we leveraged banked, desiccated fecal samples collected over 5 months in 2004 from two ecologically distinct populations of wild, red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer) that are part of a long-term study system. We found that social group explained more variation in microbiome composition than host population membership did, and that temporal variation in common microbial taxa was similar between populations, despite differences in history of human disturbance. Furthermore, we found that social group membership and collection month were both more important than individual lemur identity. Taken together, our results suggest that synchronized environments use can lead to synchronized microbial dynamics over time, even between habitats of varying quality, and that desiccated samples could become a viable approach for studying primate gut microbiota. Our work opens the door for other projects to utilize historic biological sample data sets to answer novel temporal microbiome questions in an ecological context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Grieneisen
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia-Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC, Canada
| | - Allison Hays
- Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Erica Cook
- Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
| | - Ran Blekhman
- Section of Genetic Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Stacey Tecot
- Laboratory for the Evolutionary Endocrinology of Primates, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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5
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Raulo A, Bürkner PC, Finerty GE, Dale J, Hanski E, English HM, Lamberth C, Firth JA, Coulson T, Knowles SCL. Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:972-985. [PMID: 38689017 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Gut microbes shape many aspects of organismal biology, yet how these key bacteria transmit among hosts in natural populations remains poorly understood. Recent work in mammals has emphasized either transmission through social contacts or indirect transmission through environmental contact, but the relative importance of different routes has not been directly assessed. Here we used a novel radio-frequency identification-based tracking system to collect long-term high-resolution data on social relationships, space use and microhabitat in a wild population of mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), while regularly characterizing their gut microbiota with 16S ribosomal RNA profiling. Through probabilistic modelling of the resulting data, we identify positive and statistically distinct signals of social and environmental transmission, captured by social networks and overlap in home ranges, respectively. Strikingly, microorganisms with distinct biological attributes drove these different transmission signals. While the social network effect on microbiota was driven by anaerobic bacteria, the effect of shared space was most influenced by aerotolerant spore-forming bacteria. These findings support the prediction that social contact is important for the transfer of microorganisms with low oxygen tolerance, while those that can tolerate oxygen or form spores may be able to transmit indirectly through the environment. Overall, these results suggest social and environmental transmission routes can spread biologically distinct members of the mammalian gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | | | - Genevieve E Finerty
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Jarrah Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Holly M English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Curt Lamberth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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6
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Dunbar A, Drigo B, Djordjevic SP, Donner E, Hoye BJ. Impacts of coprophagic foraging behaviour on the avian gut microbiome. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:582-597. [PMID: 38062990 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13036] [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] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/06/2024]
Abstract
Avian gut microbial communities are complex and play a fundamental role in regulating biological functions within an individual. Although it is well established that diet can influence the structure and composition of the gut microbiota, foraging behaviour may also play a critical, yet unexplored role in shaping the composition, dynamics, and adaptive potential of avian gut microbiota. In this review, we examine the potential influence of coprophagic foraging behaviour on the establishment and adaptability of wild avian gut microbiomes. Coprophagy involves the ingestion of faeces, sourced from either self (autocoprophagy), conspecific animals (allocoprophagy), or heterospecific animals. Much like faecal transplant therapy, coprophagy may (i) support the establishment of the gut microbiota of young precocial species, (ii) directly and indirectly provide nutritional and energetic requirements, and (iii) represent a mechanism by which birds can rapidly adapt the microbiota to changing environments and diets. However, in certain contexts, coprophagy may also pose risks to wild birds, and their microbiomes, through increased exposure to chemical pollutants, pathogenic microbes, and antibiotic-resistant microbes, with deleterious effects on host health and performance. Given the potentially far-reaching consequences of coprophagy for avian microbiomes, and the dearth of literature directly investigating these links, we have developed a predictive framework for directing future research to understand better when and why wild birds engage in distinct types of coprophagy, and the consequences of this foraging behaviour. There is a need for comprehensive investigation into the influence of coprophagy on avian gut microbiotas and its effects on host health and performance throughout ontogeny and across a range of environmental perturbations. Future behavioural studies combined with metagenomic approaches are needed to provide insights into the function of this poorly understood behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Dunbar
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471 5095, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Barbara Drigo
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471 5095, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- UniSA STEM, University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471, Adelaide, South Australia, 5001, Australia
| | - Steven P Djordjevic
- Australian Institute for Microbiology and Infection, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
- Australian Centre for Genomic Epidemiological Microbiology, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Ultimo, New South Wales, 2007, Australia
| | - Erica Donner
- Future Industries Institute (FII), University of South Australia, Mawson Lakes Campus, GPO Box 2471 5095, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Cooperative Research Centre for Solving Antimicrobial Resistance in Agribusiness, Food, and Environments (CRC SAAFE), University of South Australia, GPO Box 2471 5095, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Bethany J Hoye
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, 2522, Australia
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7
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Berggren H, Nordahl O, Yıldırım Y, Larsson P, Tibblin P, Forsman A. Effects of environmental translocation and host characteristics on skin microbiomes of sun-basking fish. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231608. [PMID: 38113936 PMCID: PMC10730295 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1608] [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] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Variation in the composition of skin-associated microbiomes has been attributed to host species, geographical location and habitat, but the role of intraspecific phenotypic variation among host individuals remains elusive. We explored if and how host environment and different phenotypic traits were associated with microbiome composition. We conducted repeated sampling of dorsal and ventral skin microbiomes of carp individuals (Cyprinus carpio) before and after translocation from laboratory conditions to a semi-natural environment. Both alpha and beta diversity of skin-associated microbiomes increased substantially within and among individuals following translocation, particularly on dorsal body sites. The variation in microbiome composition among hosts was significantly associated with body site, sun-basking, habitat switch and growth, but not temperature gain while basking, sex, personality nor colour morph. We suggest that the overall increase in the alpha and beta diversity estimates among hosts were induced by individuals expressing greater variation in behaviours and thus exposure to potential colonizers in the pond environment compared with the laboratory. Our results exemplify how biological diversity at one level of organization (phenotypic variation among and within fish host individuals) together with the external environment impacts biological diversity at a higher hierarchical level of organization (richness and composition of fish-associated microbial communities).
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Berggren
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Oscar Nordahl
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Yeşerin Yıldırım
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Per Larsson
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Petter Tibblin
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Anders Forsman
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems, EEMiS Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, 391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
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8
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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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9
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Turko AJ, Firth BL, Craig PM, Eliason EJ, Raby GD, Borowiec BG. Physiological differences between wild and captive animals: a century-old dilemma. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb246037. [PMID: 38031957 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Laboratory-based research dominates the fields of comparative physiology and biomechanics. The power of lab work has long been recognized by experimental biologists. For example, in 1932, Georgy Gause published an influential paper in Journal of Experimental Biology describing a series of clever lab experiments that provided the first empirical test of competitive exclusion theory, laying the foundation for a field that remains active today. At the time, Gause wrestled with the dilemma of conducting experiments in the lab or the field, ultimately deciding that progress could be best achieved by taking advantage of the high level of control offered by lab experiments. However, physiological experiments often yield different, and even contradictory, results when conducted in lab versus field settings. This is especially concerning in the Anthropocene, as standard laboratory techniques are increasingly relied upon to predict how wild animals will respond to environmental disturbances to inform decisions in conservation and management. In this Commentary, we discuss several hypothesized mechanisms that could explain disparities between experimental biology in the lab and in the field. We propose strategies for understanding why these differences occur and how we can use these results to improve our understanding of the physiology of wild animals. Nearly a century beyond Gause's work, we still know remarkably little about what makes captive animals different from wild ones. Discovering these mechanisms should be an important goal for experimental biologists in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy J Turko
- Department of Biology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3C5
| | - Britney L Firth
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
| | - Paul M Craig
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
| | - Erika J Eliason
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Goleta, CA 93117, USA
| | - Graham D Raby
- Department of Biology, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada, K9L 0G2
| | - Brittney G Borowiec
- Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada, N2L 3G1
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10
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Huang G, Shi W, Wang L, Qu Q, Zuo Z, Wang J, Zhao F, Wei F. PandaGUT provides new insights into bacterial diversity, function, and resistome landscapes with implications for conservation. MICROBIOME 2023; 11:221. [PMID: 37805557 PMCID: PMC10559513 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-023-01657-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 10/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The gut microbiota play important roles in host adaptation and evolution, but are understudied in natural population of wild mammals. To address host adaptive evolution and improve conservation efforts of threatened mammals from a metagenomic perspective, we established a high-quality gut microbiome catalog of the giant panda (pandaGUT) to resolve the microbiome diversity, functional, and resistome landscapes using approximately 7 Tbp of long- and short-read sequencing data from 439 stool samples. RESULTS The pandaGUT catalog comprises 820 metagenome-assembled genomes, including 40 complete closed genomes, and 64.5% of which belong to species that have not been previously reported, greatly expanding the coverage of most prokaryotic lineages. The catalog contains 2.37 million unique genes, with 74.8% possessing complete open read frames, facilitating future mining of microbial functional potential. We identified three microbial enterotypes across wild and captive panda populations characterized by Clostridium, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia, respectively. We found that wild pandas exhibited host genetic-specific microbial structures and functions, suggesting host-gut microbiota phylosymbiosis, while the captive cohorts encoded more multi-drug resistance genes. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides largely untapped resources for biochemical and biotechnological applications as well as potential intervention avenues via the rational manipulation of microbial diversity and reducing antibiotic usage for future conservation management of wildlife. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangping Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Wenyu Shi
- Microbial Resource and Big Data Center, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Le Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Qingyue Qu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Zhenqiang Zuo
- Laboratory for Computational Genomics, Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Jinfeng Wang
- Laboratory for Computational Genomics, Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Fangqing Zhao
- Laboratory for Computational Genomics, Beijing Institutes of Life Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
| | - Fuwen Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
- College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang, 330045, China.
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China.
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11
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Pfau M, Degregori S, Johnson G, Tennenbaum SR, Barber PH, Philson CS, Blumstein DT. The social microbiome: gut microbiome diversity and abundance are negatively associated with sociality in a wild mammal. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231305. [PMID: 37830026 PMCID: PMC10565414 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiome has a well-documented relationship with host fitness. Greater microbial diversity and abundance of specific microbes have been associated with improved fitness outcomes. Intestinal microbes also may be associated with patterns of social behaviour. However, these associations have been largely studied in captive animal models; we know less about microbiome composition as a potential driver of individual social behaviour and position in the wild. We used linear mixed models to quantify the relationship between fecal microbial composition, diversity and social network traits in a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We focused our analyses on microbes previously linked to sociability and neurobehavioural alterations in captive rodents, primates and humans. Using 5 years of data, we found microbial diversity (Shannon-Wiener and Faith's phylogenetic diversity) has a modest yet statistically significant negative relationship with the number of social interactions an individual engaged in. We also found a negative relationship between Streptococcus spp. relative abundance and two social network measures (clustering coefficient and embeddedness) that quantify an individual's position relative to others in their social group. These findings highlight a potentially consequential relationship between microbial composition and social behaviour in a wild social mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Pfau
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Sam Degregori
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Gina Johnson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Stavi R. Tennenbaum
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, PO Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Paul H. Barber
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Conner S. Philson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, PO Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, PO Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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12
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Villatoro-Castañeda M, Forsburg ZR, Ortiz W, Fritts SR, Gabor CR, Carlos-Shanley C. Exposure to Roundup and Antibiotics Alters Gut Microbial Communities, Growth, and Behavior in Rana berlandieri Tadpoles. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1171. [PMID: 37759571 PMCID: PMC10525943 DOI: 10.3390/biology12091171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
The gut microbiome is important for digestion, host fitness, and defense against pathogens, which provides a tool for host health assessment. Amphibians and their microbiomes are highly susceptible to pollutants including antibiotics. We explored the role of an unmanipulated gut microbiome on tadpole fitness and phenotype by comparing tadpoles of Rana berlandieri in a control group (1) with tadpoles exposed to: (2) Roundup® (glyphosate active ingredient), (3) antibiotic cocktail (enrofloxacin, sulfamethazine, trimethoprim, streptomycin, and penicillin), and (4) a combination of Roundup and antibiotics. Tadpoles in the antibiotic and combination treatments had the smallest dorsal body area and were the least active compared to control and Roundup-exposed tadpoles, which were less active than control tadpoles. The gut microbial community significantly changed across treatments at the alpha, beta, and core bacterial levels. However, we did not find significant differences between the antibiotic- and combination-exposed tadpoles, suggesting that antibiotic alone was enough to suppress growth, change behavior, and alter the gut microbiome composition. Here, we demonstrate that the gut microbial communities of tadpoles are sensitive to environmental pollutants, namely Roundup and antibiotics, which may have consequences for host phenotype and fitness via altered behavior and growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa Villatoro-Castañeda
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Zachery R. Forsburg
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
- Archbold Biological Station, 123 Main Dr., Venus, FL 33960, USA
| | - Whitney Ortiz
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Sarah R. Fritts
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Caitlin R. Gabor
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
| | - Camila Carlos-Shanley
- Department of Biology, Texas State University, 601 University Dr., San Marcos, TX 78666, USA; (M.V.-C.); (Z.R.F.); (W.O.); (S.R.F.); (C.C.-S.)
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13
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Lim YZ, Poh YH, Lee KC, Pointing SB, Wainwright BJ, Tan EJ. Influence of native and exotic plant diet on the gut microbiome of the Gray's Malayan stick insect, Lonchodes brevipes. Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1199187. [PMID: 37577436 PMCID: PMC10412900 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1199187] [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: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Herbivorous insects require an active lignocellulolytic microbiome to process their diet. Stick insects (phasmids) are common in the tropics and display a cosmopolitan host plant feeding preference. The microbiomes of social insects are vertically transmitted to offspring, while for solitary species, such as phasmids, it has been assumed that microbiomes are acquired from their diet. This study reports the characterization of the gut microbiome for the Gray's Malayan stick insect, Lonchodes brevipes, reared on native and introduced species of host plants and compared to the microbiome of the host plant and surrounding soil to gain insight into possible sources of recruitment. Clear differences in the gut microbiome occurred between insects fed on native and exotic plant diets, and the native diet displayed a more species-rich fungal microbiome. While the findings suggest that phasmids may be capable of adapting their gut microbiome to changing diets, it is uncertain whether this may lead to any change in dietary efficiency or organismal fitness. Further insight in this regard may assist conservation and management decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zhen Lim
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yan Hong Poh
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kevin C. Lee
- School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Stephen Brian Pointing
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Benjamin J. Wainwright
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Eunice Jingmei Tan
- Division of Science, Yale-NUS College, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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14
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Tang K, Tao L, Wang Y, Wang Q, Fu C, Chen B, Zhang Z, Fu Y. Temporal Variations in the Gut Microbiota of the Globally Endangered Sichuan Partridge (Arborophila rufipectus): Implications for Adaptation to Seasonal Dietary Change and Conservation. Appl Environ Microbiol 2023; 89:e0074723. [PMID: 37272815 PMCID: PMC10305732 DOI: 10.1128/aem.00747-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Host-associated microbiotas are known to influence host health by aiding digestion, metabolism, nutrition, physiology, immune function, and pathogen resistance. Although an increasing number of studies have investigated the avian microbiome, there is a lack of research on the gut microbiotas of wild birds, especially endangered pheasants. Owing to the difficulty of characterizing the dynamics of dietary composition, especially in omnivores, how the gut microbiotas of birds respond to seasonal dietary changes remains poorly understood. The Sichuan partridge (Arborophila rufipectus) is an endangered pheasant species with a small population endemic to the mountains of southwest China. Here, 16S rRNA sequencing and Tax4Fun were used to characterize and compare community structure and functions of the gut microbiota in the Sichuan partridges across three critical periods of their annual life cycle (breeding, postbreeding wandering, and overwintering). We found that the microbial communities were dominated by Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Cyanobacteria throughout the year. Diversity of the gut microbiotas was highest during postbreeding wandering and lowest during the overwintering periods. Seasonal dietary changes and reassembly of the gut microbial community occurred consistently. Composition, diversity, and functions of the gut microbiota exhibited diet-associated variations, which might facilitate host adaptation to diverse diets in response to environmental shifts. Moreover, 28 potential pathogenic genera were detected, and their composition differed significantly between the three periods. Investigation of the wild bird gut microbiota dynamics has enhanced our understanding of diet-microbiota associations over the annual life cycle of birds, aiding in the integrative conservation of this endangered bird. IMPORTANCE Characterizing the gut microbiotas of wild birds across seasons will shed light on their annual life cycle. Due to sampling difficulties and the lack of detailed dietary information, studies on how the gut microbiota adapts to seasonal dietary changes of wild birds are scarce. Based on more detailed dietary composition, we found a seasonal reshaping pattern of the gut microbiota of Sichuan partridges corresponding to their seasonal dietary changes. The variation in diet and gut microbiota potentially facilitated the diversity of dietary niches of this endangered pheasant, revealing a seasonal diet-microbiota association across the three periods of the annual cycle. In addition, identifying a variety of potentially pathogenic bacterial genera aids in managing the health and improving survival of Sichuan partridges. Incorporation of microbiome research in the conservation of endangered species contributes to our comprehensive understanding the diet-host-microbiota relationship in wild birds and refinement of conservation practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keyi Tang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Ling Tao
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yufeng Wang
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Qiong Wang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Changkun Fu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Benping Chen
- Laojunshan National Nature Reserve Administration, Pingshan, Sichuan, China
| | - Zhengwang Zhang
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yiqiang Fu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Land Resources Evaluation and Monitoring in Southwest, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
- College of Life Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
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15
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Wanelik KM, Raulo A, Troitsky T, Husby A, Knowles SCL. Maternal transmission gives way to social transmission during gut microbiota assembly in wild mice. Anim Microbiome 2023; 5:29. [PMID: 37259168 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00247-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mammalian gut microbiota influences a wide array of phenotypes which are relevant to fitness, yet knowledge about the transmission routes by which gut microbes colonise hosts in natural populations remains limited. Here, we use an intensively studied wild population of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to examine how vertical (maternal) and horizontal (social) transmission routes influence gut microbiota composition throughout life. RESULTS We identify independent signals of maternal transmission (sharing of taxa between a mother and her offspring) and social transmission (sharing of taxa predicted by the social network), whose relative magnitudes shift as hosts age. In early life, gut microbiota composition is predicted by both maternal and social relationships, but by adulthood the impact of maternal transmission becomes undetectable, leaving only a signal of social transmission. By exploring which taxa drive the maternal transmission signal, we identify a candidate maternally-transmitted bacterial family in wood mice, the Muribaculaceae. CONCLUSION Overall, our findings point to an ontogenetically shifting transmission landscape in wild mice, with a mother's influence on microbiota composition waning as offspring age, while the relative impact of social contacts grows.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aura Raulo
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | | | - Arild Husby
- Evolutionary Biology Centre, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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16
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Diez-Méndez D, Bodawatta KH, Freiberga I, Klečková I, Jønsson KA, Poulsen M, Sam K. Indirect maternal effects via nest microbiome composition drive gut colonization in altricial chicks. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37096441 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16959] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Gut microbial communities are complex and heterogeneous and play critical roles for animal hosts. Early-life disruptions to microbiome establishment can negatively impact host fitness and development. However, the consequences of such early-life disruptions remain unknown in wild birds. To help fill this gap, we investigated the effect of continuous early-life gut microbiome disruptions on the establishment and development of gut communities in wild Great tit (Parus major) and Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings by applying antibiotics and probiotics. Treatment neither affected nestling growth nor their gut microbiome composition. Independent of treatment, nestling gut microbiomes of both species grouped by brood, which shared the highest numbers of bacterial taxa with both nest environment and their mother. Although fathers showed different gut communities than their nestlings and nests, they still contributed to structuring chick microbiomes. Lastly, we observed that the distance between nests increased inter-brood microbiome dissimilarity, but only in Great tits, indicating that species-specific foraging behaviour and/or microhabitat influence gut microbiomes. Overall, the strong maternal effect, driven by continuous recolonization from the nest environment and vertical transfer of microbes during feeding, appears to provide resilience towards early-life disruptions in nestling gut microbiomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Diez-Méndez
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Kasun H Bodawatta
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Molecular Ecology and Evolution, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Inga Freiberga
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Irena Klečková
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Knud A Jønsson
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Katerina Sam
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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17
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Worsley SF, Davies CS, Mannarelli ME, Komdeur J, Dugdale HL, Richardson DS. Assessing the causes and consequences of gut mycobiome variation in a wild population of the Seychelles warbler. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:242. [PMID: 36575553 PMCID: PMC9795730 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01432-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Considerable research has focussed on the importance of bacterial communities within the vertebrate gut microbiome (GM). However, studies investigating the significance of other microbial kingdoms, such as fungi, are notably lacking, despite their potential to influence host processes. Here, we characterise the fungal GM of individuals living in a natural population of Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis). We evaluate the extent to which fungal GM structure is shaped by environment and host factors, including genome-wide heterozygosity and variation at key immune genes (major histocompatibility complex (MHC) and Toll-like receptor (TLR)). Importantly, we also explore the relationship between fungal GM differences and subsequent host survival. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the genetic drivers and fitness consequences of fungal GM variation have been characterised for a wild vertebrate population. RESULTS Environmental factors, including season and territory quality, explain the largest proportion of variance in the fungal GM. In contrast, neither host age, sex, genome-wide heterozygosity, nor TLR3 genotype was associated with fungal GM differences in Seychelles warblers. However, the presence of four MHC-I alleles and one MHC-II allele was associated with changes in fungal GM alpha diversity. Changes in fungal richness ranged from between 1 and 10 sequencing variants lost or gained; in some cases, this accounted for 20% of the fungal variants carried by an individual. In addition to this, overall MHC-I allelic diversity was associated with small, but potentially important, changes in fungal GM composition. This is evidenced by the fact that fungal GM composition differed between individuals that survived or died within 7 months of being sampled. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that environmental factors play a primary role in shaping the fungal GM, but that components of the host immune system-specifically the MHC-may also contribute to the variation in fungal communities across individuals within wild populations. Furthermore, variation in the fungal GM can be associated with differential survival in the wild. Further work is needed to establish the causality of such relationships and, thus, the extent to which components of the GM may impact host evolution. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Worsley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Charli S Davies
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
- NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Maria-Elena Mannarelli
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
- Nature Seychelles, Roche Caiman, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles.
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18
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Dietz MW, Matson KD, Versteegh MA, van der Velde M, Parmentier HK, Arts JAJ, Salles JF, Tieleman BI. Gut microbiota of homing pigeons shows summer-winter variation under constant diet indicating a substantial effect of temperature. Anim Microbiome 2022; 4:64. [PMID: 36514126 PMCID: PMC9749179 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-022-00216-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Gut microbiotas play a pivotal role in host physiology and behaviour, and may affect host life-history traits such as seasonal variation in host phenotypic state. Generally, seasonal gut microbiota variation is attributed to seasonal diet variation. However, seasonal temperature and day length variation may also drive gut microbiota variation. We investigated summer-winter differences in the gut bacterial community (GBC) in 14 homing pigeons living outdoors under a constant diet by collecting cloacal swabs in both seasons during two years. Because temperature effects may be mediated by host metabolism, we determined basal metabolic rate (BMR) and body mass. Immune competence is influenced by day length and has a close relationship with the GBC, and it may thus be a link between day length and gut microbiota. Therefore, we measured seven innate immune indices. We expected the GBC to show summer-winter differences and to correlate with metabolism and immune indices. RESULTS BMR, body mass, and two immune indices varied seasonally, other host factors did not. The GBC showed differences between seasons and sexes, and correlated with metabolism and immune indices. The most abundant genus (Lachnoclostridium 12, 12%) and associated higher taxa, were more abundant in winter, though not significantly at the phylum level, Firmicutes. Bacteroidetes were more abundant in summer. The Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio tended to be higher in winter. The KEGG ortholog functions for fatty acid biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism (PICRUSt2) had increased abundances in winter. CONCLUSIONS The GBC of homing pigeons varied seasonally, even under a constant diet. The correlations between immune indices and the GBC did not involve consistently specific immune indices and included only one of the two immune indices that showed seasonal differences, suggesting that immune competence may be an unlikely link between day length and the GBC. The correlations between the GBC and metabolism indices, the higher Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio in winter, and the resemblance of the summer-winter differences in the GBC with the general temperature effects on the GBC in the literature, suggest that temperature partly drove the summer-winter differences in the GBC in homing pigeons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maurine W Dietz
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Kevin D Matson
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, Environmental Science Group, Wageningen University & Research, Droevendaalsesteeg 3a, 6708PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Maaike A Versteegh
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marco van der Velde
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Henk K Parmentier
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joop A J Arts
- Adaptation Physiology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, De Elst 1, 6708 WD, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Joana F Salles
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - B Irene Tieleman
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
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19
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Grieves LA, Bottini CLJ, Gloor GB, MacDougall-Shackleton EA. Uropygial gland microbiota differ between free-living and captive songbirds. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18283. [PMID: 36316352 PMCID: PMC9622905 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-22425-4] [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: 06/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Symbiotic microbes can affect host behavior and fitness. Gut microbiota have received the most study, with less attention to other important microbial communities like those of scent-producing glands such as mammalian anal glands and the avian uropygial gland. However, mounting evidence suggests that microbes inhabiting scent-producing glands play an important role in animal behavior by contributing to variation in chemical signals. Free-living and captive conditions typically differ in social environment, food diversity and availability, disease exposure, and other factors-all of which can translate into differences in gut microbiota. However, whether extrinsic factors such as captivity alter microbial communities in scent glands remains an open question. We compared the uropygial gland microbiota of free-living and captive song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and tested for an effect of dietary manipulations on the gland microbiota of captive birds. As predicted, the uropygial gland microbiota was significantly different between free-living and captive birds. Surprisingly, microbial diversity was higher in captive than free-living birds, and we found no effect of dietary treatments on captive bird microbiota. Identifying the specific factors responsible for microbial differences among groups and determining whether changes in symbiotic microbiota alter behavior and fitness are important next steps in this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. A. Grieves
- grid.39381.300000 0004 1936 8884Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5B7 Canada ,grid.25073.330000 0004 1936 8227Present Address: Department of Biology, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W, Hamilton, ON L8S 3L8 Canada
| | - C. L. J. Bottini
- grid.39381.300000 0004 1936 8884Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5B7 Canada
| | - G. B. Gloor
- grid.39381.300000 0004 1936 8884Department of Biochemistry, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5C1 Canada
| | - E. A. MacDougall-Shackleton
- grid.39381.300000 0004 1936 8884Department of Biology, The University of Western Ontario, 1151 Richmond St., London, ON N6A 5B7 Canada
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20
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Koziol A, Odriozola I, Nyholm L, Leonard A, San José C, Pauperio J, Ferreira C, Hansen AJ, Aizpurua O, Gilbert MTP, Alberdi A. Enriching captivity conditions with natural elements does not prevent the loss of wild-like gut microbiota but shapes its compositional variation in two small mammals. Microbiologyopen 2022; 11:e1318. [PMID: 36314753 PMCID: PMC9517064 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [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: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
As continued growth in gut microbiota studies in captive and model animals elucidates the importance of their role in host biology, further pursuit of how to retain a wild-like microbial community is becoming increasingly important to obtain representative results from captive animals. In this study, we assessed how the gut microbiota of two wild-caught small mammals, namely Crocidura russula (Eulipotyphla, insectivore) and Apodemus sylvaticus (Rodentia, omnivore), changed when bringing them into captivity. We analyzed fecal samples of 15 A. sylvaticus and 21 C. russula, immediately after bringing them into captivity and 5 weeks later, spread over two housing treatments: a "natural" setup enriched with elements freshly collected from nature and a "laboratory" setup with sterile artificial elements. Through sequencing of the V3-V4 region of the 16S recombinant RNA gene, we found that the initial microbial diversity dropped during captivity in both species, regardless of treatment. Community composition underwent a change of similar magnitude in both species and under both treatments. However, we did observe that the temporal development of the gut microbiome took different trajectories (i.e., changed in different directions) under different treatments, particularly in C. russula, suggesting that C. russula may be more susceptible to environmental change. The results of this experiment do not support the use of microbially enriched environments to retain wild-like microbial diversities and compositions, yet show that specific housing conditions can significantly affect the drift of microbial communities under captivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Koziol
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Iñaki Odriozola
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Lasse Nyholm
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Aoife Leonard
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Carlos San José
- Biodonostia Health Research InstituteDonostia‐San SebastianSpain
| | - Joana Pauperio
- CIBIO—Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoUniversidade do PortoVila do CondeCampus de VairãoPortugal
| | - Clara Ferreira
- Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and BiologyUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Anders J. Hansen
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - Ostaizka Aizpurua
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
| | - M. Thomas P. Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
- University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and TechnologyTrondheimNorway
| | - Antton Alberdi
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe InstituteUniversity of CopenhagenCopenhagenDenmark
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21
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Huang G, Qu Q, Wang M, Huang M, Zhou W, Wei F. Global landscape of gut microbiome diversity and antibiotic resistomes across vertebrates. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 838:156178. [PMID: 35618126 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 05/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Multiple factors influence gut microbiome diversity in vertebrate hosts. Most previous studies have only investigated specific factors and certain host species or taxa. However, a comprehensive assessment of the relative contributions of individual factors towards gut microbial diversity within a broader evolutionary context remains lacking. Here, 2202 16S rRNA gene sequencing samples of gut bacterial communities collected from 452 host species across seven classes were analyzed together to understand the factors broadly affecting vertebrate gut microbiomes across hosts with different diets, threatened status, captivity status, and habitat environmental factors. Among wild vertebrates, diet was most significantly associated with gut microbiome alpha diversity, while host phylogeny and diet were significantly associated with beta diversity, consistent with a previous study. Host threatened status and habitat environmental factors (e.g., geography and climate) were also associated with gut bacterial community beta diversity. Subsequent ecological modeling revealed a strong association between stochastic assembly processes and patterns of gut bacterial diversity among free-ranging vertebrates. In addition, metagenomic analysis of gut microbiomes from 62 captive vertebrates and sympatric humans revealed similar diversity and resistome profiles despite differences in host phylogeny, diet, and threatened status. These results thus suggest that captivity diminishes the effects of host phylogeny, diet, and threatened status on the diversity of vertebrate gut bacterial communities. The most overrepresented antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) observed in these samples are involved in resistance to β-lactams, aminoglycosides, and tetracycline. These results also revealed potential horizontal transfers of ARGs between captive animals and humans, thereby jointly threatening public health and vertebrate conservation. Together, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the diversity and resistomes of vertebrate gut microbiomes. These combined analyses will help guide future vertebrate conservation via the rational manipulation of microbial diversity and reducing antibiotic usage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guangping Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Qingyue Qu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Meng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Mingpan Huang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenliang Zhou
- Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China
| | - Fuwen Wei
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; Center for Evolution and Conservation Biology, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou 511458, China.
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22
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Goldenberg SZ, Parker JM, Chege SM, Greggor AL, Hunt M, Lamberski N, Leigh KA, Nollens HH, Ruppert KA, Thouless C, Wittemyer G, Owen MA. Revisiting the 4 R’s: Improving post-release outcomes for rescued mammalian wildlife by fostering behavioral competence during rehabilitation. FRONTIERS IN CONSERVATION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fcosc.2022.910358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Rescue, rehabilitation, and release (‘rescue-rehab-release’) of wildlife is an increasingly widespread practice across ecosystems, largely driven by habitat loss, wildlife exploitation and a changing climate. Despite this, its conservation value has not been realized, in part due to the scarcity of what has been termed “the 4th R”, research. Similar to conservation breeding and headstarting, rescue and rehabilitation entails close association of humans and the wildlife in their care over impressionable and extended periods. However, unlike these interventions, rescue and rehabilitation require an initial, and sometimes sustained, focus on crisis management and veterinary needs which can impede the development of natural behaviors and promote habituation to humans, both of which can compromise post-release survival and recruitment. In this perspective, we discuss the pathways toward, and implications of, behavioral incompetence and highlight opportunities for testable interventions to curtail negative outcomes post-release, without compromising the health or welfare of rescued individuals. We propose that practitioners ‘switch gears’ from triage to fostering behavioral competence as early in the rehabilitation process as is possible, and that research be implemented in order to develop an evidence-base for best practices that can be shared amongst practitioners. We focus on four mammalian species to illustrate specific contexts and considerations for fostering behavioral competence by building on research in the conservation translocation literature. Finally, we discuss a way forward that calls for greater cross-pollination among translocation scenarios involving extended time under human care during developmentally sensitive periods.
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23
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Cheon JY, Cho H, Kim M, Park HJ, Park TYS, Lee WY. Fecal microbiota and diets of muskox female adults and calves. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8879. [PMID: 35516419 PMCID: PMC9064827 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2021] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
In mammals, the gut microbiome is vertically transmitted during maternal lactation at birth. In this study, we investigated the gut microbiome and diets of muskox, a large herbivore inhabiting in the high Arctic. We compared the microbiota composition using bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing and diets using stable isotope analysis of muskox feces of six female adults and four calves on Ella Island, East Greenland. Firmicutes were the most abundant bacterial phylum in both the adults and calves, comprising 94.36% and 94.03%, respectively. Significant differences were observed in the relative abundance of the two Firmicutes families. The adults were primarily dominated by Ruminococcaceae (73.90%), and the calves were dominated by both Ruminococcaceae (56.25%) and Lachnospiraceae (24.00%). Stable isotope analysis of the feces in the study area revealed that both adults and calves had similar ranges of 13C and 15N, likely derived from the dominant diet plants. Despite their similar diets, the different gut microbiome compositions in muskox adults and calves indicate that the gut microbiome of the calves may not be fully colonized to the extent of that of the adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yeon Cheon
- Division of Life Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Korea.,Department of Environmental Science and Ecological Engineering Korea University Seoul Korea
| | - Hyunjun Cho
- Division of Life Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Korea
| | - Mincheol Kim
- Division of Life Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Korea
| | - Hyun Je Park
- Department of Marine Bioscience Gangneung-Wonju National University Gangneung Korea
| | - Tae-Yoon S Park
- Division of Earth Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Korea.,Polar Science University of Science & Technology Daejeon Korea
| | - Won Young Lee
- Division of Life Sciences Korea Polar Research Institute Incheon Korea.,Polar Science University of Science & Technology Daejeon Korea
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24
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Alberdi A, Andersen SB, Limborg MT, Dunn RR, Gilbert MTP. Disentangling host-microbiota complexity through hologenomics. Nat Rev Genet 2022; 23:281-297. [PMID: 34675394 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-021-00421-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Research on animal-microbiota interactions has become a central topic in biological sciences because of its relevance to basic eco-evolutionary processes and applied questions in agriculture and health. However, animal hosts and their associated microbial communities are still seldom studied in a systemic fashion. Hologenomics, the integrated study of the genetic features of a eukaryotic host alongside that of its associated microbes, is becoming a feasible - yet still underexploited - approach that overcomes this limitation. Acknowledging the biological and genetic properties of both hosts and microbes, along with the advantages and disadvantages of implemented techniques, is essential for designing optimal studies that enable some of the major questions in biology to be addressed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antton Alberdi
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Sandra B Andersen
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Morten T Limborg
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Robert R Dunn
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
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25
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Madden AA, Oliverio AM, Kearns PJ, Henley JB, Fierer N, Starks PTB, Wolfe BE, Romero LM, Lattin CR. Chronic stress and captivity alter the cloacal microbiome of a wild songbird. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274791. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
There are complex interactions between an organism's microbiome and its response to stressors, often referred to as the “gut-brain axis;” however, the ecological relevance of this axis in wild animals remains poorly understood. Here, we used a chronic mild stress protocol to induce stress in wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus), and compared microbial communities among stressed animals, those recovering from stress, captive controls (unstressed), and a group not brought into captivity. We assessed changes in microbial communities and abundance of shed microbes by culturing cloacal samples on multiple media to select for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and fungi. We complemented this with cultivation-independent 16S and ITS rRNA gene amplification and sequencing, pairing these results with host physiological and immune metrics, including body mass change, relative spleen mass, and plasma corticosterone concentrations. We found significant effects of stress and captivity on the house sparrow microbiomes, with stress leading to an increased relative abundance of endotoxin-producing bacteria— a possible mechanism for the hyperinflammatory response observed in captive avians. While we found evidence that the microbiome community partially recovers after stress cessation, animals may lose key taxa, and the abundance of endotoxin-producing bacteria persists. Our results suggest an overall link between chronic stress, host immune system, and the microbiome, with the loss of potentially beneficial taxa (e.g., lactic acid bacteria), and an increase in endotoxin-producing bacteria due to stress and captivity. Ultimately, consideration of the host's microbiome may be useful when evaluating the impact of stressors on individual and population health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne A. Madden
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- The Microbe Institute, Everett, MA, 02149, USA
| | - Angela M. Oliverio
- Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, 195 Prospect St., New Haven, CT, 06511, USA
| | | | - Jessica B. Henley
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Noah Fierer
- Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | | | | | | | - Christine R. Lattin
- Department of Biology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
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26
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Wang C, Li J, Cheng Y, Tang H, Xiong Y, Wu Y, Wang L, Liu D, Huang J. Investigation on the characteristics of gut microbiota in critically endangered blue-crowned laughingthrush (Garrulax courtoisi). Mol Genet Genomics 2022; 297:655-670. [DOI: 10.1007/s00438-022-01875-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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27
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Weinhold A. Bowel Movement: Integrating Host Mobility and Microbial Transmission Across Host Taxa. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:826364. [PMID: 35242121 PMCID: PMC8886138 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.826364] [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: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiota of animals displays a high degree of plasticity with respect to environmental or dietary adaptations and is shaped by factors like social interactions, diet diversity or the local environment. But the contribution of these drivers varies across host taxa and our ability to explain microbiome variability within wild populations remains limited. Terrestrial animals have divergent mobility ranges and can either crawl, walk or fly, from a couple of centimeters toward thousands of kilometers. Animal movement has been little regarded in host microbiota frameworks, though it can directly influence major drivers of the host microbiota: (1) Aggregation movement can enhance social transmissions, (2) foraging movement can extend range of diet diversity, and (3) dispersal movement determines the local environment of a host. Here, I would like to outline how movement behaviors of different host taxa matter for microbial acquisition across mammals, birds as well as insects. Host movement can have contrasting effects and either reduce or enlarge spatial scale. Increased dispersal movement could dissolve local effects of sampling location, while aggregation could enhance inter-host transmissions and uniformity among social groups. Host movement can also extend the boundaries of microbial dispersal limitations and connect habitat patches across plant-pollinator networks, while the microbiota of wild populations could converge toward a uniform pattern when mobility is interrupted in captivity or laboratory settings. Hence, the implementation of host movement would be a valuable addition to the metacommunity concept, to comprehend microbial dispersal within and across trophic levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Weinhold
- Faculty of Biology, Cellular and Organismic Networks, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
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28
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Lever D, Rush LV, Thorogood R, Gotanda KM. Darwin's small and medium ground finches might have taste preferences, but not for human foods. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211198. [PMID: 35116148 PMCID: PMC8790341 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Urbanization is rapidly changing ecological niches. On the inhabited Galapagos Islands, Darwin's finches consume human-introduced foods preferentially; however, it remains unclear why. Here, we presented pastry with flavour profiles typical of human foods (oily, salty and sweet) to small ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa) and medium ground finches (Geospiza fortis) to test if latent taste preferences might drive the selection of human foods. If human food flavours were consumed more than a neutral or bitter control only at sites with human foods, then we predicted tastes were acquired after urbanization; however, if no site differences were found then this would indicate latent taste preferences. Contrary to both predictions, we found little evidence that human food flavours were preferred compared with control flavours at any site. Instead, finches showed a weak aversion to oily foods, but only at remote (no human foods present) sites. This was further supported by behavioural responses, with beak-wiping occurring more often at remote sites after finches tasted flavours associated with human foods. Our results suggest, therefore, that while Darwin's finches regularly exposed to human foods might have acquired a tolerance to human food flavours, latent taste preferences are unlikely to have played a major role in their dietary response to increased urbanization.
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Affiliation(s)
- D. Lever
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - L. V. Rush
- Department of Geology, Laurentian University, 935 Ramsey Lake Rd, Sudbury, Ontario P3E 2C6, Canada
| | - R. Thorogood
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
- Research Program in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki 00014, Finland
| | - K. M. Gotanda
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
- Départment de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500, boul de l'Université, Sherbrooke, Québec J1K 2R1, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St Catharine's, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada
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29
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Worsley SF, Davies CS, Mannarelli ME, Hutchings MI, Komdeur J, Burke T, Dugdale HL, Richardson DS. Gut microbiome composition, not alpha diversity, is associated with survival in a natural vertebrate population. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:84. [PMID: 34930493 PMCID: PMC8685825 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00149-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The vertebrate gut microbiome (GM) can vary substantially across individuals within the same natural population. Although there is evidence linking the GM to health in captive animals, very little is known about the consequences of GM variation for host fitness in the wild. Here, we explore the relationship between faecal microbiome diversity, body condition, and survival using data from the long-term study of a discrete natural population of the Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis) on Cousin Island. To our knowledge, this is the first time that GM differences associated with survival have been fully characterised for a natural vertebrate species, across multiple age groups and breeding seasons. RESULTS We identified substantial variation in GM community structure among sampled individuals, which was partially explained by breeding season (5% of the variance), and host age class (up to 1% of the variance). We also identified significant differences in GM community membership between adult birds that survived, versus those that had died by the following breeding season. Individuals that died carried increased abundances of taxa that are known to be opportunistic pathogens, including several ASVs in the genus Mycobacterium. However, there was no association between GM alpha diversity (the diversity of bacterial taxa within a sample) and survival to the next breeding season, or with individual body condition. Additionally, we found no association between GM community membership and individual body condition. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that components of the vertebrate GM can be associated with host fitness in the wild. However, further research is needed to establish whether changes in bacterial abundance contribute to, or are only correlated with, differential survival; this will add to our understanding of the importance of the GM in the evolution of host species living in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah F Worsley
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Charli S Davies
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Maria-Elena Mannarelli
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK
| | - Matthew I Hutchings
- Department of Molecular Microbiology, John Innes Centre, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, NR4 7UH, UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Faculty of Biological Sciences, School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK.
- Nature Seychelles, Roche Caiman, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles.
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30
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Yan L, Tang L, Zhou Z, Lu W, Wang B, Sun Z, Jiang X, Hu D, Li J, Zhang D. Metagenomics reveals contrasting energy utilization efficiencies of captive and wild camels (Camelus ferus). Integr Zool 2021; 17:333-345. [PMID: 34520120 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Captive conditions can affect the symbiotic microbiome of animals. In this study, we compared the structural and functional differences of the gastrointestinal microbiomes of wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus) between wild and captive populations, as well as their different host energy utilization performances through metagenomics. The results showed that wild-living camels harbored more microbial taxa related to the production of volatile fatty acids, fewer methanogens, and fewer genes encoding enzymes involved in methanogenesis, leading to higher energy utilization efficiency compared to that of captive-living camels. These findings suggest that the wild-living camel fecal microbiome demonstrates a series of adaptive characteristics that enable the host to adjust to a relatively barren field environment. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of wildlife adaptations to habitats from the perspective of the microbiome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liping Yan
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Liping Tang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Zhichao Zhou
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Wei Lu
- Gansu Endangered Animals Protection Center, Wuwei, China
| | - Bo Wang
- Gansu Endangered Animals Protection Center, Wuwei, China
| | - Zhicheng Sun
- Administrative Bureau of Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, Dunhuang, China
| | - Xue Jiang
- Administrative Bureau of Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, Dunhuang, China
| | - Defu Hu
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Junqing Li
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Dong Zhang
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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31
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Bodawatta KH, Hird SM, Grond K, Poulsen M, Jønsson KA. Avian gut microbiomes taking flight. Trends Microbiol 2021; 30:268-280. [PMID: 34393028 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2021.07.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/18/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Birds harbor complex gut bacterial communities that may sustain their ecologies and facilitate their biological roles, distribution, and diversity. Research on gut microbiomes in wild birds is surging and it is clear that they are diverse and important - but strongly influenced by a series of environmental factors. To continue expanding our understanding of how the internal ecosystems of birds work in their natural settings, we believe the most pressing needs involve studies on the functional and evolutionary aspects of these symbioses. Here we summarize the state of the field and provide a roadmap for future studies on aspects that are pivotal to understanding the biology of avian gut microbiomes, emphasizing prospects for integrating gut microbiome work in avian conservation and host health monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasun H Bodawatta
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Sarah M Hird
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA; Institute for Systems Genomics, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Kirsten Grond
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK, USA
| | - Michael Poulsen
- Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Knud A Jønsson
- Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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32
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Han H, Yi B, Zhong R, Wang M, Zhang S, Ma J, Yin Y, Yin J, Chen L, Zhang H. From gut microbiota to host appetite: gut microbiota-derived metabolites as key regulators. MICROBIOME 2021; 9:162. [PMID: 34284827 PMCID: PMC8293578 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01093-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Feelings of hunger and satiety are the key determinants for maintaining the life of humans and animals. Disturbed appetite control may disrupt the metabolic health of the host and cause various metabolic disorders. A variety of factors have been implicated in appetite control, including gut microbiota, which develop the intricate interactions to manipulate the metabolic requirements and hedonic feelings. Gut microbial metabolites and components act as appetite-related signaling molecules to regulate appetite-related hormone secretion and the immune system, or act directly on hypothalamic neurons. Herein, we summarize the effects of gut microbiota on host appetite and consider the potential molecular mechanisms. Furthermore, we propose that the manipulation of gut microbiota represents a clinical therapeutic potential for lessening the development and consequence of appetite-related disorders. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Han
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
- Precision Livestock and Nutrition Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage de Déportés 2, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Bao Yi
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ruqing Zhong
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Mengyu Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Shunfen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Jie Ma
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
| | - Yulong Yin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Ecological Processes in Subtropical Region, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha, Hunan, 410125, China
| | - Jie Yin
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.
| | - Liang Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
| | - Hongfu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition, Institute of Animal Science, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100193, China.
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, 410128, China.
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Stothart MR, Newman AEM. Shades of grey: host phenotype dependent effect of urbanization on the bacterial microbiome of a wild mammal. Anim Microbiome 2021; 3:46. [PMID: 34225812 PMCID: PMC8256534 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-021-00105-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Host-associated microbiota are integral to the ecology of their host and may help wildlife species cope with rapid environmental change. Urbanization is a globally replicated form of severe environmental change which we can leverage to better understand wildlife microbiomes. Does the colonization of separate cities result in parallel changes in the intestinal microbiome of wildlife, and if so, does within-city habitat heterogeneity matter? Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we quantified the effect of urbanization (across three cities) on the microbiome of eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Grey squirrels are ubiquitous in rural and urban environments throughout their native range, across which they display an apparent coat colour polymorphism (agouti, black, intermediate). RESULTS Grey squirrel microbiomes differed between rural and city environments; however, comparable variation was explained by habitat heterogeneity within cities. Our analyses suggest that operational taxonomic unit (OTU) community structure was more strongly influenced by local environmental conditions (rural and city forests versus human built habitats) than urbanization of the broader landscape (city versus rural). The bacterial genera characterizing the microbiomes of built-environment squirrels are thought to specialize on host-derived products and have been linked in previous research to low fibre diets. However, despite an effect of urbanization at fine spatial scales, phylogenetic patterns in the microbiome were coat colour phenotype dependent. City and built-environment agouti squirrels displayed greater phylogenetic beta-dispersion than those in rural or forest environments, and null modelling results indicated that the phylogenetic structure of urban agouti squirrels did not differ greatly from stochastic expectations. CONCLUSIONS Squirrel microbiomes differed between city and rural environments, but differences of comparable magnitude were observed between land classes at a within-city scale. We did not observe strong evidence that inter-environmental differences were the result of disparate selective pressures. Rather, our results suggest that microbiota dispersal and ecological drift are integral to shaping the inter-environmental differences we observed. However, these processes were partly mediated by squirrel coat colour phenotype. Given a well-known urban cline in squirrel coat colour melanism, grey squirrels provide a useful free-living system with which to study how host genetics mediate environment x microbiome interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mason R. Stothart
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, T2N 4Z6 Canada
| | - Amy E. M. Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, N1G 2W1 Canada
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Maraci Ö, Antonatou-Papaioannou A, Jünemann S, Castillo-Gutiérrez O, Busche T, Kalinowski J, Caspers BA. The Gut Microbial Composition Is Species-Specific and Individual-Specific in Two Species of Estrildid Finches, the Bengalese Finch and the Zebra Finch. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:619141. [PMID: 33679641 PMCID: PMC7933042 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.619141] [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: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Microbial communities residing in the gastrointestinal tracts of animals have profound impacts on the physiological processes of their hosts. In humans, host-specific and environmental factors likely interact together to shape gut microbial communities, resulting in remarkable inter-individual differences. However, we still lack a full understanding of to what extent microbes are individual-specific and controlled by host-specific factors across different animal taxa. Here, we document the gut microbial characteristics in two estrildid finch species, the Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica) and the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) to investigate between-species and within-species differences. We collected fecal samples from breeding pairs that were housed under strictly controlled environmental and dietary conditions. All individuals were sampled at five different time points over a range of 120 days covering different stages of the reproductive cycle. We found significant species-specific differences in gut microbial assemblages. Over a period of 3 months, individuals exhibited unique, individual-specific microbial profiles. Although we found a strong individual signature in both sexes, within-individual variation in microbial communities was larger in males of both species. Furthermore, breeding pairs had more similar microbial profiles, compared to randomly chosen males and females. Our study conclusively shows that host-specific factors contribute structuring of gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Öncü Maraci
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Anna Antonatou-Papaioannou
- Evolutionary Biology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Institute of Biology-Zoology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sebastian Jünemann
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Omar Castillo-Gutiérrez
- Faculty of Technology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tobias Busche
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jörn Kalinowski
- Center for Biotechnology (CeBiTec), Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Barbara A. Caspers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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35
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Davidson GL, Somers SE, Wiley N, Johnson CN, Reichert MS, Ross RP, Stanton C, Quinn JL. A time-lagged association between the gut microbiome, nestling weight and nestling survival in wild great tits. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:989-1003. [PMID: 33481278 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Natal body mass is a key predictor of viability and fitness in many animals. While variation in body mass and therefore juvenile viability may be explained by genetic and environmental factors, emerging evidence points to the gut microbiota as an important factor influencing host health. The gut microbiota is known to change during development, but it remains unclear whether the microbiome predicts fitness, and if it does, at which developmental stage it affects fitness traits. We collected data on two traits associated with fitness in wild nestling great tits Parus major: weight and survival to fledging. We characterised the gut microbiome using 16S rRNA sequencing from nestling faeces and investigated temporal associations between the gut microbiome and fitness traits across development at Day-8 (D8) and Day-15 (D15) post-hatching. We also explored whether particular microbial taxa were 'indicator species' that reflected whether nestlings survived or not. There was no link between mass and microbial diversity on D8 or D15. However, we detected a time-lagged relationship where weight at D15 was negatively associated with the microbial diversity at D8, controlling for weight at D8, therefore reflecting relative weight gain over the intervening period. Indicator species analysis revealed that specificity values were high and fidelity values were low, suggesting that indicator taxa were primarily detected within either the survived or not survived groups, but not always detected in birds that either survived or died. Therefore these indicator taxa may be sufficient, but not necessary for determining either survival or mortality, perhaps owing to functional overlap in microbiota. We highlight that measuring microbiome-fitness relationships at just one time point may be misleading, especially early in life. Instead, microbial-host fitness effects may be best investigated longitudinally to detect critical development windows for key microbiota and host traits associated with neonatal weight. Our findings should inform future hypothesis testing to pinpoint which features of the gut microbial community impact on host fitness, and when during development this occurs. Such confirmatory research will shed light on population level processes and could have the potential to support conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle L Davidson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shane E Somers
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Niamh Wiley
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Ireland
| | - Crystal N Johnson
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Ireland
| | - Michael S Reichert
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Ireland
| | - Catherine Stanton
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Ireland
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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36
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Davidson GL, Raulo A, Knowles SCL. Response to Nguyen et al. 'Laboratory-Inspired Manipulations Hold Value for Wild Microbiome-Behaviour Research'. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:278-280. [PMID: 33546876 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.01.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aura Raulo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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37
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Nguyen HKD, Jones PJ, Kendal D, Flies EJ. Disentangling the Environment in Wildlife Microbiome-Behaviour Interactions: Response to Davidson et al. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 36:277-278. [PMID: 33293194 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2020] [Revised: 11/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanh K D Nguyen
- School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005, Australia.
| | - Penelope J Jones
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Dave Kendal
- School of Technology, Environments and Design, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005, Australia
| | - Emily J Flies
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, TAS 7005, Australia
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38
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Robinson JM, Cameron R. The Holobiont Blindspot: Relating Host-Microbiome Interactions to Cognitive Biases and the Concept of the " Umwelt". Front Psychol 2020; 11:591071. [PMID: 33281689 PMCID: PMC7705375 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cognitive biases can lead to misinterpretations of human and non-human biology and behavior. The concept of the Umwelt describes phylogenetic contrasts in the sensory realms of different species and has important implications for evolutionary studies of cognition (including biases) and social behavior. It has recently been suggested that the microbiome (the diverse network of microorganisms in a given environment, including those within a host organism such as humans) has an influential role in host behavior and health. In this paper, we discuss the host’s microbiome in relation to cognitive biases and the concept of the Umwelt. Failing to consider the role of host–microbiome (collectively termed a “holobiont”) interactions in a given behavior, may underpin a potentially important cognitive bias – which we refer to as the Holobiont Blindspot. We also suggest that microbially mediated behavioral responses could augment our understanding of the Umwelt. For example, the potential role of the microbiome in perception and action could be an important component of the system that gives rise to the Umwelt. We also discuss whether microbial symbionts could be considered in System 1 thinking – that is, decisions driven by perception, intuition and associative memory. Recognizing Holobiont Blindspots and considering the microbiome as a key factor in the Umwelt and System 1 thinking has the potential to advance studies of cognition. Furthermore, investigating Holobiont Blindspots could have important implications for our understanding of social behaviors and mental health. Indeed, the way we think about how we think may need to be revisited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jake M Robinson
- Department of Landscape Architecture, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.,In vivo Planetary Health, Worldwide Universities Network (WUN), West New York, NJ, United States.,The Healthy Urban Microbiome Initiative (HUMI), Australia
| | - Ross Cameron
- Department of Landscape Architecture, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
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39
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Davidson GL, Wiley N, Cooke AC, Johnson CN, Fouhy F, Reichert MS, de la Hera I, Crane JMS, Kulahci IG, Ross RP, Stanton C, Quinn JL. Diet induces parallel changes to the gut microbiota and problem solving performance in a wild bird. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20783. [PMID: 33247162 PMCID: PMC7699645 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77256-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [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: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The microbial community in the gut is influenced by environmental factors, especially diet, which can moderate host behaviour through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. However, the ecological relevance of microbiome-mediated behavioural plasticity in wild animals is unknown. We presented wild-caught great tits (Parus major) with a problem-solving task and showed that performance was weakly associated with variation in the gut microbiome. We then manipulated the gut microbiome by feeding birds one of two diets that differed in their relative levels of fat, protein and fibre content: an insect diet (low content), or a seed diet (high content). Microbial communities were less diverse among individuals given the insect compared to those on the seed diet. Individuals were less likely to problem-solve after being given the insect diet, and the same microbiota metrics that were altered as a consequence of diet were also those that correlated with variation in problem solving performance. Although the effect on problem-solving behaviour could have been caused by motivational or nutritional differences between our treatments, our results nevertheless raise the possibility that dietary induced changes in the gut microbiota could be an important mechanism underlying individual behavioural plasticity in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle L Davidson
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland.
- Department of Psychology, Downing Street, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Niamh Wiley
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Amy C Cooke
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
| | - Crystal N Johnson
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Fiona Fouhy
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Michael S Reichert
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA
| | - Iván de la Hera
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, USA
| | - Jodie M S Crane
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
- Kākāpō Recovery Programme, Department of Conservation, 7th Floor, 33 Don Street, Invercargill, 9810, New Zealand
| | - Ipek G Kulahci
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Science Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - R Paul Ross
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Catherine Stanton
- APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, Ireland.
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
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