1
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Finnegan PM, Garber PA, McKenney AC, Bicca-Marques JC, De la Fuente MF, Abreu F, Souto A, Schiel N, Amato KR, Mallott EK. Group membership, not diet, structures the composition and functional potential of the gut microbiome in a wild primate. mSphere 2024; 9:e0023324. [PMID: 38940510 PMCID: PMC11288025 DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00233-24] [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: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 06/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome has the potential to buffer temporal variations in resource availability and consumption, which may play a key role in the ability of animals to adapt to a broad range of habitats. We investigated the temporal composition and function of the gut microbiomes of wild common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) exploiting a hot, dry environment-Caatinga-in northeastern Brazil. We collected fecal samples during two time periods (July-August and February-March) for 2 years from marmosets belonging to eight social groups. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, metagenomic sequencing, and butyrate RT-qPCR to assess changes in the composition and potential function of their gut microbiomes. Additionally, we identified the plant, invertebrate, and vertebrate components of the marmosets' diet via DNA metabarcoding. Invertebrate, but not plant or vertebrate, consumption varied across the year. However, gut microbiome composition and potential function did not markedly vary across study periods or as a function of diet composition. Instead, the gut microbiome differed markedly in both composition and potential function across marmosets residing in different social groups. We highlight the likely role of factors, such as behavior, residence, and environmental heterogeneity, in modulating the structure of the gut microbiome. IMPORTANCE In a highly socially cohesive and cooperative primate, group membership more strongly predicts gut microbiome composition and function than diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M. Finnegan
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Paul A. Garber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, China
| | - Anna C. McKenney
- Department of Natural Sciences, Parkland College, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Júlio César Bicca-Marques
- Escola de Ciências da Saúde e da Vida, Pontifícia Universidade Católicado Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
| | | | - Filipa Abreu
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Antonio Souto
- Department of Zoology, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
| | - Nicola Schiel
- Laboratório de Etologia Teórica e Aplicada, Department of Biology, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Katherine R. Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Elizabeth K. Mallott
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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2
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Whitney TL, Mallott EK, Diakiw LO, Christie DM, Ting N, Amato KR, Tecot SR, Baden AL. Ecological and genetic variables co-vary with social group identity to shape the gut microbiome of a pair-living primate. Am J Primatol 2024:e23657. [PMID: 38967215 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23657] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Primates exhibit diverse social systems that are intricately linked to their biology, behavior, and evolution, all of which influence the acquisition and maintenance of their gut microbiomes (GMs). However, most studies of wild primate populations focus on taxa with relatively large group sizes, and few consider pair-living species. To address this gap, we investigate how a primate's social system interacts with key environmental, social, and genetic variables to shape the GM in pair-living, red-bellied lemurs (Eulemur rubriventer). Previous research on this species suggests that social interactions within groups influence interindividual microbiome similarity; however, the impacts of other nonsocial variables and their relative contributions to gut microbial variation remain unclear. We sequenced the 16S ribosomal RNA hypervariable V4-V5 region to characterize the GM from 26 genotyped individuals across 11 social groups residing in Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar. We estimated the degree to which sex, social group identity, genetic relatedness, dietary diversity, and home range proximity were associated with variation in the gut microbial communities residing in red-bellied lemurs. All variables except sex played a significant role in predicting GM composition. Our model had high levels of variance inflation, inhibiting our ability to determine which variables were most predictive of gut microbial composition. This inflation is likely due to red-bellied lemurs' pair-living, pair-bonded social system that leads to covariation among environmental, social, and genetic variables. Our findings highlight some of the factors that predict GM composition in a tightly bonded, pair-living species and identify variables that require further study. We propose that future primate microbiome studies should simultaneously consider environmental, social, and genetic factors to improve our understanding of the relationships among sociality, the microbiome, and primate ecology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tabor L Whitney
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Elizabeth K Mallott
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Laura O Diakiw
- Department of Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, USA
| | - Diana M Christie
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Nelson Ting
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, USA
| | - Katherine R Amato
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Stacey R Tecot
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA
| | - Andrea L Baden
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
- Department of Anthropology, The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York City, New York, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York City, New York, USA
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3
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Samartino S, Christie D, Penna A, Sicotte P, Ting N, Wikberg E. Social network dynamics, infant loss, and gut microbiota composition in female Colobus vellerosus during time periods with alpha male challenges. Primates 2024; 65:299-309. [PMID: 38735025 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01132-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024]
Abstract
The gut microbiota of group-living animals is strongly influenced by their social interactions, but it is unclear how it responds to social instability. We investigated whether social instability associated with the arrival of new males and challenges to the alpha male position could explain differences in the gut microbiota in adult female Colobus vellerosus at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. First, we used a data set collected during May-August 2007 and May 2008-2009 that consisted of (i) 50 fecal samples from adult females in eight social groups for V4 16S rRNA sequencing to determine gut microbiota composition, and (ii) demographic and behavioral data ad libitum to determine male immigration, challenges to the alpha male position, and infant births and deaths. Sørensen and Bray-Curtis beta diversity indices (i.e., between-sample microbiota variation) were predicted by year, alpha male stability, group identity, and age. Next, we used a more detailed behavioral data set collected during focal observations of adult females in one group with a prolonged alpha male takeover and three cases of infant loss, to create 12-month versus 3-month 1-m proximity networks that preceded and overlapped the gut microbiome sampling period in that group. The long versus short-term networks were not correlated, suggesting temporal variation in proximity networks. In this group, beta diversity among the five adult females was predicted by similarity in infant loss status and short-term (rather than yearly) 1-m proximity ties. Although the mechanism driving this association needs to be further investigated in future studies, our findings indicate that alpha male takeovers are associated with gut microbiota variation and highlight the importance of taking demographic and social network dynamics into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shelby Samartino
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
| | - Diana Christie
- Department of Anthropology and Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Anna Penna
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Nelson Ting
- Department of Anthropology and Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Eva Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA.
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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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Marsh KJ, Bearhop S, Harrison XA. Linking microbiome temporal dynamics to host ecology in the wild. Trends Microbiol 2024:S0966-842X(24)00132-X. [PMID: 38797653 DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2024.05.001] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Ignoring the dynamic nature of microbial communities risks underestimating the power of microbes to impact the health of their hosts. Microbiomes are thought to be important for host fitness, yet the coarse temporal scale and population-level focus of many studies precludes the ability to investigate the importance of among-individual variation in stability and identify the ecological contexts in which this variation matters. Here we briefly summarise current knowledge of temporal dynamics in wild host-associated microbial communities. We then discuss the implications of among-individual variation in microbiota stability and suggest analytical approaches for understanding these patterns. One major requirement is for future studies to conduct individual-level longitudinal analyses, with some systems already well set up for answering these questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty J Marsh
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, UK.
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, UK
| | - Xavier A Harrison
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, UK.
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6
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Sarkar A, McInroy CJA, Harty S, Raulo A, Ibata NGO, Valles-Colomer M, Johnson KVA, Brito IL, Henrich J, Archie EA, Barreiro LB, Gazzaniga FS, Finlay BB, Koonin EV, Carmody RN, Moeller AH. Microbial transmission in the social microbiome and host health and disease. Cell 2024; 187:17-43. [PMID: 38181740 PMCID: PMC10958648 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2024]
Abstract
Although social interactions are known to drive pathogen transmission, the contributions of socially transmissible host-associated mutualists and commensals to host health and disease remain poorly explored. We use the concept of the social microbiome-the microbial metacommunity of a social network of hosts-to analyze the implications of social microbial transmission for host health and disease. We investigate the contributions of socially transmissible microbes to both eco-evolutionary microbiome community processes (colonization resistance, the evolution of virulence, and reactions to ecological disturbance) and microbial transmission-based processes (transmission of microbes with metabolic and immune effects, inter-specific transmission, transmission of antibiotic-resistant microbes, and transmission of viruses). We consider the implications of social microbial transmission for communicable and non-communicable diseases and evaluate the importance of a socially transmissible component underlying canonically non-communicable diseases. The social transmission of mutualists and commensals may play a significant, under-appreciated role in the social determinants of health and may act as a hidden force in social evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amar Sarkar
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Cameron J A McInroy
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Siobhán Harty
- Independent, Tandy Court, Spitalfields, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Aura Raulo
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - Neil G O Ibata
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Mireia Valles-Colomer
- Department of Medicine and Life Sciences, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology, University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Katerina V-A Johnson
- Institute of Psychology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands; Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ilana L Brito
- Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Luis B Barreiro
- Committee on Immunology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA; Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Francesca S Gazzaniga
- Molecular Pathology Unit, Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital Research Institute, Charlestown, MA, USA; Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - B Brett Finlay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Michael Smith Laboratories, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada; Department of Biochemistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Eugene V Koonin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Rachel N Carmody
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Andrew H Moeller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
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7
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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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8
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Clough J, Schwab S, Mikac K. Gut Microbiome Profiling of the Endangered Southern Greater Glider ( Petauroides volans) after the 2019-2020 Australian Megafire. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:3583. [PMID: 38003202 PMCID: PMC10668662 DOI: 10.3390/ani13223583] [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: 10/27/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Studying the gut microbiome can provide valuable insights into animal health and inform the conservation management of threatened wildlife. Gut microbiota play important roles in regulating mammalian host physiology, including digestion, energy metabolism and immunity. Dysbiosis can impair such physiological processes and compromise host health, so it is essential that the gut microbiome be considered in conservation planning. The southern greater glider (Petauroides volans) is an endangered arboreal marsupial that faced widespread habitat fragmentation and population declines following the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season. This study details baseline data on the gut microbiome of this species. The V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene was amplified from scats collected from individuals inhabiting burnt and unburnt sites across southeastern Australia and sequenced to determine bacterial community composition. Southern greater glider gut microbiomes were characterised by high relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota, which is consistent with that reported for other marsupial herbivores. Significant differences in gut microbial diversity and community structure were detected among individuals from different geographic locations. Certain microbiota and functional orthologues were also found to be significantly differentially abundant between locations. The role of wildfire in shaping southern greater glider gut microbiomes was shown, with some significant differences in the diversity and abundance of microbiota detected between burnt and unburnt sites. Overall, this study details the first data on greater glider (Petauroides) gut microbiomes, laying the foundation for future studies to further explore relationships between microbial community structure, environmental stressors and host health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordyn Clough
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia;
| | - Sibylle Schwab
- School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
| | - Katarina Mikac
- School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia;
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9
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Murillo T, Schneider D, Heistermann M, Daniel R, Fichtel C. Assessing the drivers of gut microbiome composition in wild redfronted lemurs via longitudinal metacommunity analysis. Sci Rep 2022; 12:21462. [PMID: 36509795 PMCID: PMC9744850 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-25733-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome influences host's immunity, development, and metabolism and participates in the gut-brain axis, thus impacting the health of the host. It is a dynamic community varying between individuals and within individuals at different time points. Hence, determining the factors causing this variability may elucidate their impact on host's health. However, understanding the drivers of variation has proven difficult particularly as multiple interactions occur simultaneously in the gut microbiome. We investigated the factors shaping the gut microbiome by applying the metacommunity concept where the gut microbiome is considered as a microbial community shaped by the interactions within the community, with the host and microbial communities outside the host, this through a longitudinal study in a wild primate. Focal behavioral data were collected for 1 year in four groups of redfronted lemurs to determine individual social and feeding behaviors. In addition, regular fecal samples were collected to assess bacteria, protozoa, and helminths through marker gene analysis and to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations to investigate the impact of physiological stress on the gut microbiome. Higher consumption of leaves and elevated fGCM concentrations correlated with higher alpha diversity, which also differed among groups. The major drivers of variation in beta diversity were group membership, precipitation and fGCM concentrations. We found positive and negative associations between bacterial genera and almost all studied factors. Correlations between bacterial indicator networks and social networks indicate transmission of bacteria between interacting individuals. We detected that processes occurring inside the gut environment are shaping the gut microbiome. Host associated factors such as, HPA axis, dietary changes, and fluctuations in water availability had a greater impact than interactions within the microbial community. The interplay with microbial communities outside the host also shape the gut microbiome through the exchange of bacteria through social relationships between individuals and the acquisition of microorganisms from environmental water sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatiana Murillo
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.7450.60000 0001 2364 4210Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany ,grid.412889.e0000 0004 1937 0706Research Center for Tropical Diseases (CIET) and Faculty of Microbiology, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica
| | - Dominik Schneider
- grid.7450.60000 0001 2364 4210Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Heistermann
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- grid.7450.60000 0001 2364 4210Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- grid.418215.b0000 0000 8502 7018Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
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10
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Lajoie G, Parfrey LW. Beyond specialization: re-examining routes of host influence on symbiont evolution. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:590-598. [PMID: 35466020 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Our understanding of host influence on microbial evolution has focused on symbiont specialization and the genomic streamlining that often accompanies it. However, a vast diversity of symbiotic lineages facultatively interact with hosts or associate with multiple hosts. Yet, there are no clear expectations for how host association influences the niche of these symbionts or their evolution. Here, we discuss how weak or variable selection on microbial symbiotic associations, horizontal transmission, and low costs of adaptation to novel host habitats are predicted to promote the expansion or maintenance of microbial niches. This broad perspective will aid in developing better and more general predictions for evolution in microbial symbioses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geneviève Lajoie
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4.
| | - Laura Wegener Parfrey
- Botany Department, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
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11
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Asangba AE, Mugisha L, Rukundo J, Lewis RJ, Halajian A, Cortés-Ortiz L, Junge RE, Irwin MT, Karlson J, Perkin A, Watsa M, Erkenswick G, Bales KL, Patton DL, Jasinska AJ, Fernandez-Duque E, Leigh SR, Stumpf RM. Large Comparative Analyses of Primate Body Site Microbiomes Indicate that the Oral Microbiome Is Unique among All Body Sites and Conserved among Nonhuman Primates. Microbiol Spectr 2022; 10:e0164321. [PMID: 35587638 PMCID: PMC9241786 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01643-21] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The study of the mammalian microbiome serves as a critical tool for understanding host-microbial diversity and coevolution and the impact of bacterial communities on host health. While studies of specific microbial systems (e.g., in the human gut) have rapidly increased, large knowledge gaps remain, hindering our understanding of the determinants and levels of variation in microbiomes across multiple body sites and host species. Here, we compare microbiome community compositions from eight distinct body sites among 17 phylogenetically diverse species of nonhuman primates (NHPs), representing the largest comparative study of microbial diversity across primate host species and body sites. Analysis of 898 samples predominantly acquired in the wild demonstrated that oral microbiomes were unique in their clustering, with distinctive divergence from all other body site microbiomes. In contrast, all other body site microbiomes clustered principally by host species and differentiated by body site within host species. These results highlight two key findings: (i) the oral microbiome is unique compared to all other body site microbiomes and conserved among diverse nonhuman primates, despite their considerable dietary and phylogenetic differences, and (ii) assessments of the determinants of host-microbial diversity are relative to the level of the comparison (i.e., intra-/inter-body site, -host species, and -individual), emphasizing the need for broader comparative microbial analyses across diverse hosts to further elucidate host-microbial dynamics, evolutionary and biological patterns of variation, and implications for human-microbial coevolution. IMPORTANCE The microbiome is critical to host health and disease, but much remains unknown about the determinants, levels, and evolution of host-microbial diversity. The relationship between hosts and their associated microbes is complex. Most studies to date have focused on the gut microbiome; however, large gaps remain in our understanding of host-microbial diversity, coevolution, and levels of variation in microbiomes across multiple body sites and host species. To better understand the patterns of variation and evolutionary context of host-microbial communities, we conducted one of the largest comparative studies to date, which indicated that the oral microbiome was distinct from the microbiomes of all other body sites and convergent across host species, suggesting conserved niche specialization within the Primates order. We also show the importance of host species differences in shaping the microbiome within specific body sites. This large, comparative study contributes valuable information on key patterns of variation among hosts and body sites, with implications for understanding host-microbial dynamics and human-microbial coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail E. Asangba
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
| | - Lawrence Mugisha
- Ecohealth Research Group, Conservation & Ecosystem Health Alliance (CEHA), Kampala, Uganda
- Department of Wildlife & Aquatic Animal Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources & Biosecurity (COVAB), Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Joshua Rukundo
- Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation (Chimpanzee Trust), Ngamba Island, Uganda
| | - Rebecca J. Lewis
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Ali Halajian
- Research Administration and Development, University of Limpopo, Sovenga, South Africa
| | - Liliana Cortés-Ortiz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | | | - Mitchell T. Irwin
- Department of Anthropology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
| | - Johan Karlson
- Tanzania Forest Conservation Group and Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Andrew Perkin
- Tanzania Forest Conservation Group and Nocturnal Primate Research Group, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
| | - Mrinalini Watsa
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, San Diego, California, USA
- Field Projects International, Escondido, California, USA
| | - Gideon Erkenswick
- Field Projects International, Escondido, California, USA
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Karen L. Bales
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, California, USA
| | - Dorothy L. Patton
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Anna J. Jasinska
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | | | - Steven R. Leigh
- Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado—Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USA
| | - Rebecca M. Stumpf
- Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Kanyanchu River Chimpanzee Project and Research Collaborative, Bigodi, Uganda
- Program in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA
- Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
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12
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Malik H, Ratovonamana YR, Rakotondranary SJ, Ganzhorn JU, Sommer S. Anthropogenic Disturbance Impacts Gut Microbiome Homeostasis in a Malagasy Primate. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:911275. [PMID: 35801106 PMCID: PMC9253676 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.911275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Increasing anthropogenic disturbances in Madagascar are exerting constrains on endemic Malagasy lemurs and their habitats, with possible effects on their health and survival. An important component of health is the gut microbiome, which might be disrupted by various stressors associated with environmental change. We have studied the gut microbiome of gray-brown mouse lemurs (Microcebus griseorufus), one of the smallest Malagasy primates and an important model of the convergent evolution of diseases. We sampled two sites: one situated in a national park and the other consisting of a more disturbed site around human settlement. We found that more intense anthropogenic disturbances indeed disrupted the gut microbiome of this lemur species marked by a reduction in bacterial diversity and a shift in microbial community composition. Interestingly, we noted a decrease in beneficial bacteria (i.e., members of the Bacteroidaceae family) together with a slight increase in disease-associated bacteria (i.e., members of the Veillonellaceae family), and alterations in microbial metabolic functions. Because of the crucial services provided by the microbiome to pathogen resistance and host health, such negative alterations in the gut microbiome of mouse lemurs inhabiting anthropogenically disturbed habitats might render them susceptible to diseases and ultimately affecting their survival in the shrinking biodiversity seen in Madagascar. Gut microbiome analyses might thus serve as an early warning signal for pending threats to lemur populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hina Malik
- Centre for One Health, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, India
| | - Yedidya R Ratovonamana
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Département Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d' Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Solofomalala Jacques Rakotondranary
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
- Département Biologie Animale, Faculté des Sciences, Université d' Antananarivo, Antananarivo, Madagascar
| | - Jörg U Ganzhorn
- Institute of Zoology, Animal Ecology and Conservation, Universität Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute of Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
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13
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Sadoughi B, Schneider D, Daniel R, Schülke O, Ostner J. Aging gut microbiota of wild macaques are equally diverse, less stable, but progressively personalized. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:95. [PMID: 35718778 PMCID: PMC9206754 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-022-01283-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pronounced heterogeneity of age trajectories has been identified as a hallmark of the gut microbiota in humans and has been explained by marked changes in lifestyle and health condition. Comparatively, age-related personalization of microbiota is understudied in natural systems limiting our comprehension of patterns observed in humans from ecological and evolutionary perspectives. RESULTS Here, we tested age-related changes in the diversity, stability, and composition of the gut bacterial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing with dense repeated sampling over three seasons in a cross-sectional age sample of adult female Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) living in their natural forest habitat. Gut bacterial composition exhibited a personal signature which became less stable as individuals aged. This lack of stability was not explained by differences in microbiota diversity but rather linked to an increase in the relative abundance of rare bacterial taxa. The lack of age-related changes in core taxa or convergence with age to a common state of the community hampered predicting gut bacterial composition of aged individuals. On the contrary, we found increasing personalization of the gut bacterial composition with age, indicating that composition in older individuals was increasingly divergent from the rest of the population. Reduced direct transmission of bacteria resulting from decreasing social activity may contribute to, but not be sufficient to explain, increasing personalization with age. CONCLUSIONS Together, our results challenge the assumption of a constant microbiota through adult life in a wild primate. Within the limits of this study, the fact that increasing personalization of the aging microbiota is not restricted to humans suggests the underlying process to be evolved instead of provoked only by modern lifestyle of and health care for the elderly. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Sadoughi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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14
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Videvall E. Personalized microbiomes in social baboons. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:849-850. [PMID: 35654894 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01769-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elin Videvall
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. .,Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. .,Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
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15
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Marsh KJ, Raulo AM, Brouard M, Troitsky T, English HM, Allen B, Raval R, Venkatesan S, Pedersen AB, Webster JP, Knowles SCL. Synchronous Seasonality in the Gut Microbiota of Wild Mouse Populations. Front Microbiol 2022; 13:809735. [PMID: 35547129 PMCID: PMC9083407 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2022.809735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome performs many important functions in mammalian hosts, with community composition shaping its functional role. However, the factors that drive individual microbiota variation in wild animals and to what extent these are predictable or idiosyncratic across populations remains poorly understood. Here, we use a multi-population dataset from a common rodent species (the wood mouse, Apodemus sylvaticus), to test whether a consistent “core” gut microbiota is identifiable in this species, and to what extent the predictors of microbiota variation are consistent across populations. Between 2014 and 2018 we used capture-mark-recapture and 16S rRNA profiling to intensively monitor two wild wood mouse populations and their gut microbiota, as well as characterising the microbiota from a laboratory-housed colony of the same species. Although the microbiota was broadly similar at high taxonomic levels, the two wild populations did not share a single bacterial amplicon sequence variant (ASV), despite being only 50km apart. Meanwhile, the laboratory-housed colony shared many ASVs with one of the wild populations from which it is thought to have been founded decades ago. Despite not sharing any ASVs, the two wild populations shared a phylogenetically more similar microbiota than either did with the colony, and the factors predicting compositional variation in each wild population were remarkably similar. We identified a strong and consistent pattern of seasonal microbiota restructuring that occurred at both sites, in all years, and within individual mice. While the microbiota was highly individualised, some seasonal convergence occurred in late winter/early spring. These findings reveal highly repeatable seasonal gut microbiota dynamics in multiple populations of this species, despite different taxa being involved. This provides a platform for future work to understand the drivers and functional implications of such predictable seasonal microbiome restructuring, including whether it might provide the host with adaptive seasonal phenotypic plasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsty J Marsh
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom.,College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Aura M Raulo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Brouard
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Tanya Troitsky
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Holly M English
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Bryony Allen
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, United Kingdom
| | - Rohan Raval
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park, Ascot, United Kingdom
| | - Saudamini Venkatesan
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Amy B Pedersen
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Joanne P Webster
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Sarah C L Knowles
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hatfield, United Kingdom.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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16
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Lewis RJ, Bueno GL, Di Fiore A. Variation in Female Leverage: The Influence of Kinship and Market Effects on the Extent of Female Power Over Males in Verreaux’s Sifaka. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.851880] [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
Female mammals employ reproductive strategies (e.g., internal gestation) that result in power asymmetries specific to intersexual dyads. Because the number of eggs available for fertilization at any given time for most mammals is quite limited, having a fertilizable egg is potentially an important source of economic power for females. Control over mating opportunities is a source of intersexual leverage for female Verreaux’s sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi). We examined economic factors thought to influence the value of mating opportunities, and, thus, the extent of female leverage: kinship and market effects. Using a longitudinal dataset of agonistic interactions collected during focal animal sampling of all adult individuals in 10 social groups from 2008 to 2019, we tested the effects of relatedness, female parity, reproductive season, and adult sex ratio (population and group) on (1) the direction of submissive signaling and (2) which sex won a contested resource. While 96% of the acts of submission were directed from males toward females, females only won a third of their conflicts with males. Thus, our study has implications for evolutionary explanations of female-biased power. If female power evolved due to their greater need for food and other resources, then intersexual conflicts would be expected to result in males more consistently relinquishing control of resources. As expected, males were more likely to chatter submissively toward successful mothers, during the mating season, and when the sex ratio was male-biased. Although females generally had less power to win a conflict when their fertilizable egg was less valuable (when they were nulliparous or unsuccessful mothers or when interacting with male kin) and with an increasing female-bias in the sex ratio, this ability to win additionally was influenced by which sex initiated the conflict. Our study demonstrates that female leverage can be influenced by the supply and demand for mating opportunities, but evoking submission does not translate into winning a resource. Indeed, intersexual power is dynamic, contextual, and dependent on the individuals in the dyad.
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17
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Rudolph K, Schneider D, Fichtel C, Daniel R, Heistermann M, Kappeler PM. Drivers of gut microbiome variation within and between groups of a wild Malagasy primate. MICROBIOME 2022; 10:28. [PMID: 35139921 PMCID: PMC8827170 DOI: 10.1186/s40168-021-01223-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Various aspects of sociality can benefit individuals' health. The host social environment and its relative contributions to the host-microbiome relationship have emerged as key topics in microbial research. Yet, understanding the mechanisms that lead to structural variation in the social microbiome, the collective microbial metacommunity of an animal's social network, remains difficult since multiple processes operate simultaneously within and among animal social networks. Here, we examined the potential drivers of the convergence of the gut microbiome on multiple scales among and within seven neighbouring groups of wild Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) - a folivorous primate of Madagascar. RESULTS Over four field seasons, we collected 519 faecal samples of 41 animals and determined gut communities via 16S and 18S rRNA gene amplicon analyses. First, we examined whether group members share more similar gut microbiota and if diet, home range overlap, or habitat similarity drive between-group variation in gut communities, accounting for seasonality. Next, we examined within-group variation in gut microbiota by examining the potential effects of social contact rates, male rank, and maternal relatedness. To explore the host intrinsic effects on the gut community structure, we investigated age, sex, faecal glucocorticoid metabolites, and female reproductive state. We found that group members share more similar gut microbiota and differ in alpha diversity, while none of the environmental predictors explained the patterns of between-group variation. Maternal relatedness played an important role in within-group microbial homogeneity and may also explain why adult group members shared the least similar gut microbiota. Also, dominant males differed in their bacterial composition from their group mates, which might be driven by rank-related differences in physiology and scent-marking behaviours. Links to sex, female reproductive state, or faecal glucocorticoid metabolites were not detected. CONCLUSIONS Environmental factors define the general set-up of population-specific gut microbiota, but intrinsic and social factors have a stronger impact on gut microbiome variation in this primate species. Video abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katja Rudolph
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Leibniz Science Campus "Primate Cognition", Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Dominik Schneider
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August University Göttingen, Grisebachstraße 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz Science Campus "Primate Cognition", Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rolf Daniel
- Genomic and Applied Microbiology and Göttingen Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Microbiology and Genetics, Georg-August University Göttingen, Grisebachstraße 8, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, Georg-August University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz Science Campus "Primate Cognition", Göttingen, Germany
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