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Shang Z, Chen K, Han T, Bu F, Sun S, Zhu N, Man D, Yang K, Yuan S, Fu H. Natural Foraging Selection and Gut Microecology of Two Subterranean Rodents from the Eurasian Steppe in China. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:2334. [PMID: 39199868 PMCID: PMC11350848 DOI: 10.3390/ani14162334] [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: 06/25/2024] [Revised: 07/30/2024] [Accepted: 08/08/2024] [Indexed: 09/01/2024] Open
Abstract
As the most abundant group of mammals, rodents possess a very rich ecotype, which makes them ideal for studying the relationship between diet and host gut microecology. Zokors are specialized herbivorous rodents adapted to living underground. Unlike more generalized herbivorous rodents, they feed on the underground parts of grassland plants. There are two species of the genus Myospalax in the Eurasian steppes in China: one is Myospalax psilurus, which inhabits meadow grasslands and forest edge areas, and the other is M. aspalax, which inhabits typical grassland areas. How are the dietary choices of the two species adapted to long-term subterranean life, and what is the relationship of this diet with gut microbes? Are there unique indicator genera for their gut microbial communities? Relevant factors, such as the ability of both species to degrade cellulose, are not yet clear. In this study, we analyzed the gut bacterial communities and diet compositions of two species of zokors using 16S amplicon technology combined with macro-barcoding technology. We found that the diversity of gut microbial bacterial communities in M. psilurus was significantly higher than that in M. aspalax, and that the two species of zokors possessed different gut bacterial indicator genera. Differences in the feeding habits of the two species of zokors stem from food composition rather than diversity. Based on the results of Mantel analyses, the gut bacterial community of M. aspalax showed a significant positive correlation with the creeping-rooted type food, and there was a complementary relationship between the axis root-type-food- and the rhizome-type-food-dominated (containing bulb types and tuberous root types) food groups. Functional prediction based on KEGG found that M. psilurus possessed a stronger degradation ability in the same cellulose degradation pathway. Neutral modeling results show that the gut flora of the M. psilurus has a wider ecological niche compared to that of the M. aspalax. This provides a new perspective for understanding how rodents living underground in grassland areas respond to changes in food conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenghaoni Shang
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Kai Chen
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Tingting Han
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Fan Bu
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Shanshan Sun
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Na Zhu
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Duhu Man
- College of Agriculture, Hulunbuir University, Hulunbuir 021000, China;
| | - Ke Yang
- Alxa League Meteorological Bureau, Alxa 750300, China;
| | - Shuai Yuan
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
| | - Heping Fu
- College of Grassland Resources and Environment, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot 010011, China; (Z.S.); (K.C.); (T.H.); (F.B.); (S.S.); (N.Z.)
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Rodent Ecology and Pest Controlled, Hohhot 010011, China
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Resources, Ministry of Education, Hohhot 010011, China
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Bezděčková K, Bezděčka P, Fibich P, Klimeš P. Different feeding preferences for macronutrients across seasons and sites indicate temporal and spatial nutrient limitation in the black bog ant. Oecologia 2024; 204:959-973. [PMID: 38635052 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-024-05545-8] [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: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024]
Abstract
How the resource use by consumers vary in different environments and time scales is one of the fundamental ecological questions. Replicated field studies are rare, however; so the extent to which nutrient use varies and why is uncertain. We studied an endangered tyrphobiotic species, the black bog ant (Formica picea), and its feeding preferences in temperate peatlands. We conducted a baiting experiment at three different sites with high nest densities, repeated over three years and three periods of growing season. Preferences for three main macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids) were assessed. We hypothesised that if nutrient limitation plays a role, ants will have an increased need for proteins and lipids in early seasons when brood is raised, while carbohydrates use will increase in late seasons. We also expected that site identity would influence nutrient preferences, but not year. Our results supported the nutrient limitation hypothesis for proteins that were consumed more in the early season. In contrast, preference for carbohydrates was rather high and did not increase consistently through season. Although the occupancy of lipid baits was low overall, it increased at colder temperatures, in contrast to carbohydrate and protein baits. Nutrient preferences varied more among sites than years, with the lowest nutrient use observed in a diverse fen-meadow, consistent with the nutrient limitation hypothesis. Year affected ant abundance, but not bait occupancy. Our results suggest that black bog ants flexibly adapt their diet to environmental conditions and that an interplay between nutrient limitation and climate determines their feeding behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klára Bezděčková
- Muzeum Vysočiny Jihlava, Masarykovo náměstí 55, 586 01, Jihlava, Czech Republic.
| | - Pavel Bezděčka
- Muzeum Vysočiny Jihlava, Masarykovo náměstí 55, 586 01, Jihlava, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Fibich
- Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 1760, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
- Institute of Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Dukelská 135, 379 01, Třeboň, Czech Republic
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Klimeš
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 1160/31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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Raubenheimer D, Hou R, Dong Y, Ren C, Cui Z. Towards an integrated understanding of dietary phenotypes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220545. [PMID: 37839453 PMCID: PMC10577033 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0545] [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: 04/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Diet and nutrition comprise a complex, multi-faceted interface between animal biology and food environments. With accumulating information on the many facets of this association arises a need for systems-based approaches that integrate dietary components and their links with ecology, feeding, post-ingestive processes and the functional and ecological consequences of these interactions. We briefly show how a modelling approach, nutritional geometry, has used the experimental control afforded in laboratory studies to begin to unravel these links. Laboratory studies, however, have limited ability to establish whether and how the feeding and physiological mechanisms interface with realistic ecological environments. We next provide an overview of observational field studies of free-ranging primates that have examined this, producing largely correlative data suggesting that similar feeding mechanisms operate in the wild as in the laboratory. Significant challenges remain, however, in establishing causal links between feeding, resource variation and physiological processes in the wild. We end with a more detailed account of two studies of temperate primates that have capitalized on the discrete variation provided by seasonal environments to strengthen causal inference in field studies and link patterns of intake to dynamics of nutrient processing. This article is part of the theme issue 'Food processing and nutritional assimilation in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Rong Hou
- Shanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710069, People's Republic of China
| | - Yunlong Dong
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Cuiru Ren
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhenwei Cui
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, 450001, People's Republic of China
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Raubenheimer D, Simpson SJ. Protein appetite as an integrator in the obesity system: the protein leverage hypothesis. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220212. [PMID: 37661737 PMCID: PMC10475875 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the large volume and extensive range of obesity research, there is substantial disagreement on the causes and effective preventative strategies. We suggest the field will benefit from greater emphasis on integrative approaches that examine how various potential contributors interact, rather than regarding them as competing explanations. We demonstrate the application of nutritional geometry, a multi-nutrient integrative framework developed in the ecological sciences, to obesity research. Such studies have shown that humans, like many other species, regulate protein intake more strongly than other dietary components, and consequently if dietary protein is diluted there is a compensatory increase in food intake-a process called protein leverage. The protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) proposes that the dilution of protein in modern food supplies by fat and carbohydrate-rich highly processed foods has resulted in increased energy intake through protein leverage. We present evidence for the PLH from a variety of sources (mechanistic, experimental and observational), and show that this mechanism is compatible with many other findings and theories in obesity research. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Raubenheimer
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia
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Xi L, Han J, Wen X, Zhao L, Qin X, Luo S, Lv D, Song S. Species variations in the gut microbiota of captive snub-nosed monkeys. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2023; 14:1250865. [PMID: 37780618 PMCID: PMC10534982 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1250865] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Snub-nosed monkeys are species in danger of extinction due to habitat fragmentation and human activities. Captivity has been suggested as an Auxiliary Conservation Area (ASA) strategy. However, little is known about the adaptation of different species of snub-nosed monkeys to captive environments. Methods This study compared the gut microbiota between Rhinopithecus bieti, R. brelichi, and R. roxellana under identical captive conditions to provide insights for improving captive conservation strategies. Results The results showed that these three Rhinopithecus species shared 80.94% of their Operational Taxonomic Unit (OTU), indicating high similarity in gut microbiota composition. The predominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes for all three Rhinopithecus species, but differences were observed in diversity, characteristic bacterial communities, and predicted function. Significant enrichment of cellulolytic families, including Ruminococcaceae, Clostridiales vadinBB60 group, Christensenellaceae, and Erysipelotrichaceae, and pathways involved in propionate and butyrate metabolism in the gut of R. bieti suggested that it may have a superior dietary fiber utilization capacity. In contrast, Bacteroidetes, Ruminoccaceae, and Trichospiraceae were more abundant in R. brelichi and R. roxellana, and were associated with saccharide and glycan metabolic pathways. Moreover, R. brelichi and R. roxellana also had higher similarity in microbiota composition and predicted function. Discussion In conclusion, the results demonstrate that host species are associated with the composition and function of the gut microbiota in snub-nosed monkeys. Thus, host species should be considered when formulating nutritional strategies and disease surveillance in captive snub-nosed monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Xi
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Development and Application of Green Feed Additives, College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
| | - Jincheng Han
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Development and Application of Green Feed Additives, College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
| | - Xiaohui Wen
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Longfei Zhao
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
| | - Xinxi Qin
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China
| | - Shengjun Luo
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Dianhong Lv
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shuai Song
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
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Xi L, Wen X, Jia T, Han J, Qin X, Zhang Y, Wang Z. Comparative study of the gut microbiota in three captive Rhinopithecus species. BMC Genomics 2023; 24:398. [PMID: 37452294 PMCID: PMC10349479 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-023-09440-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Snub-nosed monkeys are highly endangered primates and their population continues to decline with the habitat fragmentation. Artificial feeding and breeding is an important auxiliary conservation strategy. Studies have shown that changes and imbalances in the gut microbiota often cause gastrointestinal problems in captive snub-nosed monkeys. Here, we compare the gut microbiota composition, diversity, and predicted metabolic function of three endangered species of snub-nosed monkeys (Rhinopithecus bieti, R. brelichi, and R. roxellana) under the same captive conditions to further our understanding of the microbiota of these endangered primates and inform captive conservation strategies. 16 S rRNA gene sequencing was performed on fecal samples from 15 individuals (R. bieti N = 5, R. brelichi N = 5, R. roxellana N = 5). RESULTS The results showed that the three Rhinopithecus species shared 24.70% of their amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), indicating that the composition of the gut microbiota varied among the three Rhinopithecus species. The phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes represented 69.74% and 18.45% of the core microbiota. In particular, analysis of microbiota diversity and predicted metabolic function revealed a profound impact of host species on the gut microbiota. At the genus level, significant enrichment of cellulolytic genera including Rikenellaceae RC9 gut group, Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae R7 group, UCG 004 from Erysipelatoclostridiaceae, and UCG 002 and UCG 005 from Oscillospiraceae, and carbohydrate metabolism including propionate and butyrate metabolic pathways in the gut of R. bieti indicated that R. bieti potentially has a stronger ability to use plant fibers as energy substances. Bacteroides, unclassified Muribaculaceae, Treponema, and unclassified Eubacterium coprostanoligenes group were significantly enriched in R. brelichi. Prevotella 9, unclassified Lachnospiraceae, and unclassified UCG 010 from Oscillospirales UCG 010 were significantly enriched in R. roxellana. Among the predicted secondary metabolic pathways, the glycan biosynthesis and metabolism had significantly higher relative abundance in the gut of R. brelichi and R. roxellana than in the gut of R. bieti. The above results suggest that different Rhinopithecus species may have different strategies for carbohydrate metabolism. The Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Unweighted pair-group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) clustering tree revealed fewer differences between the gut microbiota of R. brelichi and R. roxellana. Correspondingly, no differences were detected in the relative abundances of functional genes between the two Rhinopithecus species. CONCLUSION Taken together, the study highlights that host species have an effect on the composition and function of the gut microbiota of snub-nosed monkeys. Therefore, the host species should be considered when developing nutritional strategies and investigating the effects of niche on the gut microbiota of snub-nosed monkeys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Xi
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Development and Application of Green Feed Additives, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China
| | - Xiaohui Wen
- Institute of Animal Health, Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ting Jia
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies, Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China.
| | - Jincheng Han
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China.
- Henan Engineering Research Center of Development and Application of Green Feed Additives, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China.
| | - Xinxi Qin
- College of Biology and Food, Shangqiu Normal University, Shangqiu, China.
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, China.
| | - Yanzhen Zhang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies, Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China
| | - Zihan Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Captive Wildlife Technologies, Beijing Zoo, Beijing, China
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Li Y, Yan Y, Fu H, Jin S, He S, Wang Z, Dong G, Li B, Guo S. Does diet or macronutrients intake drive the structure and function of gut microbiota? Front Microbiol 2023; 14:1126189. [PMID: 36860485 PMCID: PMC9970161 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1126189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Shift of ingestive behavior is an important strategy for animals to adapt to change of the environment. We knew that shifts in animal dietary habits lead to changes in the structure of the gut microbiota, but we are not sure about if changes in the composition and function of the gut microbiota respond to changes in the nutrient intake or food items. To investigate how animal feeding strategies affect nutrient intakes and thus alter the composition and digestion function of gut microbiota, we selected a group of wild primate group for the study. We quantified their diet and macronutrients intake in four seasons of a year, and instant fecal samples were analyzed by high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA and metagenomics. These results demonstrated that the main reason that causes seasonal shifts of gut microbiota is the macronutrient variation induced by seasonal dietary differences. Gut microbes can help to compensate for insufficient macronutrients intake of the host through microbial metabolic functions. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of the causes of seasonal variation in host-microbial variation in wild primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhang Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Yujie Yan
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Hengguang Fu
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shiyu Jin
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Shujun He
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Zi Wang
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China
| | - Guixin Dong
- Guangdong Chimelong Group Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China,Guangdong South China Rare Wild Animal Species Conservation Center, Zhuhai, China
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China,Shaanxi Institute of Zoology, Xi’an, China
| | - Songtao Guo
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi’an, Shaanxi, China,Northwest Institute of Plateau Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xining, Qinghai, China,*Correspondence: Songtao Guo,
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Raubenheimer D, Senior AM, Mirth C, Cui Z, Hou R, Le Couteur DG, Solon-Biet SM, Léopold P, Simpson SJ. An integrative approach to dietary balance across the life course. iScience 2022; 25:104315. [PMID: 35602946 PMCID: PMC9117877 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals require specific blends of nutrients that vary across the life course and with circumstances, e.g., health and activity levels. Underpinning and complicating these requirements is that individual traits may be optimized on different dietary compositions leading to nutrition-mediated trade-offs among outcomes. Additionally, the food environment may constrain which nutrient mixtures are achievable. Natural selection has equipped animals for solving such multi-dimensional, dynamic challenges of nutrition, but little is understood about the details and their theoretical and practical implications. We present an integrative framework, nutritional geometry, which models complex nutritional interactions in the context of multiple nutrients and across levels of biological organization (e.g., cellular, individual, and population) and levels of analysis (e.g., mechanistic, developmental, ecological, and evolutionary). The framework is generalizable across different situations and taxa. We illustrate this using examples spanning insects to primates and settings (laboratory, and the wild), and demonstrate its relevance for human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Raubenheimer
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
- Zhengzhou University, Centre for Nutritional Ecology and Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Alistair M. Senior
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
- The University of Sydney, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Sydney, Australia
| | - Christen Mirth
- Monash University, School of Biological Science, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Zhenwei Cui
- Zhengzhou University, Centre for Nutritional Ecology and Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Rong Hou
- Northwest University, Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Xi’an, China
| | - David G. Le Couteur
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and Faculty of Medicine and Health, Concord Clinical School, ANZAC Research Institute, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Sydney, Australia
| | - Samantha M. Solon-Biet
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Medical Sciences, Sydney, Australia
| | - Pierre Léopold
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, CNRS UMR3215, INSERM U934, UPMC Paris-Sorbonne, Paris, France
| | - Stephen J. Simpson
- The University of Sydney, Charles Perkins Centre and School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Sydney, Australia
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Cui Z, Holmes AJ, Zhang W, Hu D, Shao Q, Wang Z, Lu J, Raubenheimer D. Seasonal diet and microbiome shifts in wild rhesus macaques are better correlated at the level of nutrient components than food items. Integr Zool 2021; 17:1147-1161. [PMID: 34767280 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12601] [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: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
Food supply is one of the major drivers of animal behavior, and the gut microbiome is an important mediator between food supply and its effects on physiology. However, predicting the outcome of diet change on microbiome and consequences for the animal has proven extremely challenging. We propose this reflects processes occurring at different scales. Inadequate accounting for the multi-level complexity of nutrition (nutrients, foods, diets) obscures the diet influence on microbiome and subsequently animal. Here, we present a detailed year-round, multi-level analysis of diet and microbiome changes in a wild population of a temperate primate, the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). Total daily food and nutrient intake of 6 male and 6 female macaques was monitored in each of the 4 seasons (total 120 days observations). For each individual, we found significant variation in the microbiome between all 4 seasons. This response was more strongly correlated with changes in macronutrient intake than with food items and much of the response could be explained at the level of 6 ecological guilds-sets of taxa sharing similar responses to nutrient intake. We conclude that study of diet, microbiome, and animal performance in ecology will more effectively identify patterns if diet is recorded at the level of nutrient intake. Although microbiome response to diet does show variation in species-level taxa in response to food items, there is greater commonality in response at the level of guilds. A goal for microbiome researchers should be to identify genes encoding microbial attributes that can define such guilds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenwei Cui
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,School of Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Andrew J Holmes
- Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Wenjuan Zhang
- School of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Dalong Hu
- Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Qi Shao
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Zhenlong Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jiqi Lu
- School of Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecology, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - David Raubenheimer
- Centre for Nutritional Ecology, Centre for Sport Nutrition and Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Charles Perkins Centre, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Zaguri M, Kandel S, Lavie N, Hawlena D. Methodological limitations and conceptual implications of nutritional estimations. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Moshe Zaguri
- Risk‐Management Ecology Lab, Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram Jerusalem Israel
| | - Shani Kandel
- Risk‐Management Ecology Lab, Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram Jerusalem Israel
| | - Noa Lavie
- Risk‐Management Ecology Lab, Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram Jerusalem Israel
| | - Dror Hawlena
- Risk‐Management Ecology Lab, Dept of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Alexander Silberman Inst. of Life Sciences, The Hebrew Univ. of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus at Givat Ram Jerusalem Israel
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