Gut microbiome is affected by gut region but robust to host physiological changes in captive active-season ground squirrels
| Autor: | Kirsten Grond, Jasmine J. Hatton, Khrystyne N. Duddleston, Courtney C. Kurtz, Michelle M. Sonsalla |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Hibernation
Obligate Veterinary medicine digestive oral and skin physiology Lumen (anatomy) Zoology Ileum General Medicine Biology biology.organism_classification Microbiology digestive system QR1-502 Firmicutes:Bactoidetes ratio Cecum medicine.anatomical_structure Ictidomys tridecemlineatus Gastrointestinal tract SF600-1100 medicine Alpha diversity Microbiome Ground squirrel Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Animal Microbiome Animal Microbiome, Vol 3, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2524-4671 |
| Popis: | BackgroundThirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) are obligate hibernators and are only active 4–5 months annually. During this period, squirrels rapidly acquire fat for use during hibernation. We investigated how the gut microbiome changed over the active season in the mucosa and lumen of two gut sections: the cecum and ileum. We sequenced the 16S rRNA gene to assess diversity and composition of the squirrel gut microbiome and used differential abundance and network analyses to identify relationships among gut sections.ResultsMicrobial composition significantly differed between the cecum and ileum, and within the ileum between the mucosa and lumen. Cecum mucosa and lumen samples did not differ in alpha diversity and composition, and clustered by individual squirrel. Ileum mucosa and lumen samples differed in community composition, which can likely be attributed to the transient nature of food-associated bacteria in the lumen. We did not detect a shift in microbiome diversity and overall composition over the duration of the active season, indicating that the squirrel microbiome may be relatively robust to changes in physiology.ConclusionsOverall, we found that the 13-lined ground squirrel microbiome is shaped by microenvironment during the active season. Our results provide baseline data for new avenues of research, such as investigating potential differences in microbial function among these physiologically unique gut environments. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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