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Łopucki R, Sajnaga E, Kalwasińska A, Klich D, Kitowski I, Stępień-Pyśniak D, Christensen H. Green spaces contribute to structural resilience of the gut microbiota in urban mammals. Sci Rep 2024; 14:15508. [PMID: 38969657 PMCID: PMC11226671 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-66209-4] [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: 03/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/07/2024] Open
Abstract
The gut microbiome of wild animals is subject to various environmental influences, including those associated with human-induced alterations to the environment. We investigated how the gut microbiota of a synurbic rodent species, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), change in cities of varying sizes, seeking the urban microbiota signature for this species. Fecal samples for analysis were collected from animals living in non-urbanized areas and green spaces of different-sized cities (Poland). Metagenomic 16S rRNA gene sequencing and further bioinformatics analyses were conducted. Significant differences in the composition of gut microbiomes among the studied populations were found. However, the observed changes were dependent on local habitat conditions, without strong evidence of a correlation with the size of the urbanized area. The results suggest that ecological detachment from a more natural, non-urban environment does not automatically lead to the development of an "urban microbiome" model in the studied rodent. The exposure to the natural environment in green spaces may serve as a catalyst for microbiome transformations, providing a previously underestimated contribution to the maintenance of native gut microbial communities in urban mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafał Łopucki
- Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1J, 20-708, Lublin, Poland.
| | - Ewa Sajnaga
- Department of Biomedicine and Environmental Research, The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Konstantynów 1J, 20-708, Lublin, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Kalwasińska
- Department of Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Lwowska 1, 87-100, Toruń, Poland
| | - Daniel Klich
- Department of Animal Genetics and Conservation, Warsaw University of Life Sciences (SGGW), Ciszewskiego 8, 02-786, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Ignacy Kitowski
- University College of Applied Sciences in Chełm, Pocztowa 54, 22-100, Chełm, Poland
| | - Dagmara Stępień-Pyśniak
- Department of Veterinary Prevention and Avian Diseases, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Głęboka 30, 20-612, Lublin, Poland
| | - Henrik Christensen
- Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigbøjlen 4, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
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Bouilloud M, Galan M, Pradel J, Loiseau A, Ferrero J, Gallet R, Roche B, Charbonnel N. Exploring the potential effects of forest urbanization on the interplay between small mammal communities and their gut microbiota. Anim Microbiome 2024; 6:16. [PMID: 38528597 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-024-00301-y] [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: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Urbanization significantly impacts wild populations, favoring urban dweller species over those that are unable to adapt to rapid changes. These differential adaptative abilities could be mediated by the microbiome, which may modulate the host phenotype rapidly through a high degree of flexibility. Conversely, under anthropic perturbations, the microbiota of some species could be disrupted, resulting in dysbiosis and negative impacts on host fitness. The links between the impact of urbanization on host communities and their gut microbiota (GM) have only been scarcely explored. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the bacterial composition of the GM could play a role in host adaptation to urban environments. We described the GM of several species of small terrestrial mammals sampled in forested areas along a gradient of urbanization, using a 16S metabarcoding approach. We tested whether urbanization led to changes in small mammal communities and in their GM, considering the presence and abundance of bacterial taxa and their putative functions. This enabled to decipher the processes underlying these changes. We found potential impacts of urbanization on small mammal communities and their GM. The urban dweller species had a lower bacterial taxonomic diversity but a higher functional diversity and a different composition compared to urban adapter species. Their GM assembly was mostly governed by stochastic effects, potentially indicating dysbiosis. Selection processes and an overabundance of functions were detected that could be associated with adaptation to urban environments despite dysbiosis. In urban adapter species, the GM functional diversity and composition remained relatively stable along the urbanization gradient. This observation can be explained by functional redundancy, where certain taxa express the same function. This could favor the adaptation of urban adapter species in various environments, including urban settings. We can therefore assume that there are feedbacks between the gut microbiota and host species within communities, enabling rapid adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Bouilloud
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France.
- Centre de Biologie pour la Gestion des Populations, 750 Avenue Agropolis, 34988, Montferrier sur Lez, France.
| | - Maxime Galan
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Pradel
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Anne Loiseau
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Julien Ferrero
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Romain Gallet
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Benjamin Roche
- MIVEGEC, IRD, CNRS, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Nathalie Charbonnel
- CBGP, IRD, CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Univ Montpellier, Montpellier, France
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Scholier T, Lavrinienko A, Kallio ER, Watts PC, Mappes T. Effects of past and present habitat on the gut microbiota of a wild rodent. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232531. [PMID: 38320610 PMCID: PMC10846943 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
The response of the gut microbiota to changes in the host environment can be influenced by both the host's past and present habitats. To quantify their contributions for two different life stages, we studied the gut microbiota of wild bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus) by performing a reciprocal transfer experiment with adults and their newborn offspring between urban and rural forests in a boreal ecosystem. Here, we show that the post-transfer gut microbiota in adults did not shift to resemble the post-transfer gut microbiota of animals 'native' to the present habitat. Instead, their gut microbiota appear to be structured by both their past and present habitat, with some features of the adult gut microbiota still determined by the past living environment (e.g. alpha diversity, compositional turnover). By contrast, we did not find evidence of the maternal past habitat (maternal effects) affecting the post-transfer gut microbiota of the juvenile offspring, and only a weak effect of the present habitat. Our results show that both the contemporary living environment and the past environment of the host organism can structure the gut microbiota communities, especially in adult individuals. These data are relevant for decision-making in the field of conservation and wildlife translocations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany Scholier
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Anton Lavrinienko
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
- Laboratory of Food Systems Biotechnology, Institute of Food, Nutrition and Health, ETH Zürich, Zürich 8092, Switzerland
| | - Eva R. Kallio
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Phillip C. Watts
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Tapio Mappes
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
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Neha SA, Salazar-Bravo J. Fine-scale spatial variation shape fecal microbiome diversity and composition in black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). BMC Microbiol 2023; 23:51. [PMID: 36858951 PMCID: PMC9979494 DOI: 10.1186/s12866-023-02778-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Host associated gut microbiota are important in understanding the coevolution of host-microbe, and how they may help wildlife populations to adapt to rapid environmental changes. Mammalian gut microbiota composition and diversity may be affected by a variety of factors including geographic variation, seasonal variation in diet, habitat disturbance, environmental conditions, age, and sex. However, there have been few studies that examined how ecological and environmental factors influence gut microbiota composition in animals' natural environments. In this study, we explore how host habitat, geographical location and environmental factors affect the fecal microbiota of Cynomys ludovicianus at a small spatial scale. We collected fecal samples from five geographically distinct locations in the Texas Panhandle classified as urban and rural areas and analyzed them using high throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. RESULTS The results showed that microbiota of these fecal samples was largely dominated by the phylum Bacteroidetes. Fecal microbiome diversity and composition differed significantly across sampling sites and habitats. Prairie dogs inhabiting urban areas showed reduced fecal diversity due to more homogenous environment and, likely, anthropogenic disturbance. Urban prairie dog colonies displayed greater phylogenetic variation among replicates than those in rural habitats. Differentially abundant analysis revealed that bacterial species pathogenic to humans and animals were highly abundant in urban areas which indicates that host health and fitness might be negatively affected. Random forest models identified Alistipes shahii as the important species driving the changes in fecal microbiome composition. Despite the effects of habitat and geographic location of host, we found a strong correlation with environmental factors and that- average maximum temperature was the best predictor of prairie dog fecal microbial diversity. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that reduction in alpha diversity in conjunction with greater dispersion in beta diversity could be indicative of declining host health in urban areas; this information may, in turn, help determine future conservation efforts. Moreover, several bacterial species pathogenic to humans and other animals were enriched in prairie dog colonies near urban areas, which may in turn adversely affect host phenotype and fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sufia Akter Neha
- International Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 79409, USA.
| | - Jorge Salazar-Bravo
- International Center for Arid and Semi-Arid Land Studies, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX, 79409, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 79409, USA
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Parallel evolution of urban-rural clines in melanism in a widespread mammal. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1752. [PMID: 35110609 PMCID: PMC8810909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05746-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Urbanization is the dominant trend of global land use change. The replicated nature of environmental change associated with urbanization should drive parallel evolution, yet insight into the repeatability of evolutionary processes in urban areas has been limited by a lack of multi-city studies. Here we leverage community science data on coat color in > 60,000 eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) across 43 North American cities to test for parallel clines in melanism, a genetically based trait associated with thermoregulation and crypsis. We show the prevalence of melanism was positively associated with urbanization as measured by impervious cover. Urban–rural clines in melanism were strongest in the largest cities with extensive forest cover and weakest or absent in cities with warmer winter temperatures, where thermal selection likely limits the prevalence of melanism. Our results suggest that novel traits can evolve in a highly repeatable manner among urban areas, modified by factors intrinsic to individual cities, including their size, land cover, and climate.
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