Stability and flexibility of the gut microbiota of wild Tibetan macaques
Yangkai Ru, Wenbo Li, Paul A Garber, Yang Teng, Ming Li, Xiaochen Wang, Huijuan Pan
TL;DR
Wild Tibetan macaques' gut microbiota remains stable despite seasonal diet changes, showing resilience and adaptability to environmental shifts.
Contribution
The study reveals the gut microbiota's resilience and metabolic plasticity in wild Tibetan macaques under seasonal dietary fluctuations.
Findings
Tibetan macaques showed only two enterotypes despite seasonal dietary shifts.
Microbial diversity decreased in autumn with low dietary diversity.
Seasonal indicator bacteria correlated with temperature and food nutrients.
Abstract
The gut microbiota of wild animals is characterized by both stability and adaptive shifts in composition and prevalence in response to variation in food availability, nutrient intake, host physiology, temperature, and rainfall. Here, over a 12-month period, we investigated seasonal interactions between diet, weather, and gut microbiota in a wild group of Tibetan macaques in Huangshan by recording feeding behavior, monitoring weather, and analyzing 209 fecal samples using plant DNA metabarcoding (trnL region) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Based on the field observations and plant DNA metabarcoding, results revealed marked seasonal shifts in plant types and species consumed by Tibetan macaques. Despite dietary variability, only two enterotypes were presented throughout the year and gut microbiota composition exhibited lower dissimilarity within and across seasons compared to diet, except…
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Taxonomy
TopicsGut microbiota and health · Pharmaceutical and Antibiotic Environmental Impacts · Fecal contamination and water quality