Conserve the germs: the gut microbiota and adaptive potential

Abstract

Although the diversity of microbial communities (microbiota) inhabiting body niches are of proven importance to health in both humans and non-human animals, the functional importance of these collective genomes (microbiome) to the adaptive potential of their hosts has only recently been considered within a conservation framework. If loss of gut biodiversity threatens the health (and therefore the fitness of individuals), and this loss can be correlated with the adaptive potential of a species in changing environments, measuring functional composition of the microbiota from non-invasive samples, such as faeces and skin swabs, could provide a useful and practical tool for determining conservation priorities. This article reviews the evidence for adaptive potential of microbiota in wild species, and proposes future directions. While there is ample indication of inter-and intra-specific variation in microbiota diversity, there is little evidence that diversity per se confers fitness. However, there are convincing examples showing that microbiota flexibility, composition and function may well be sources of adaptive potential, although case studies are relatively few, and the analytical approaches needed to demonstrate the mechanisms underlying host-microbiota interactions have only recently been developed.

Raw milk and fecal microbiota of commercial Alpine dairy cows varies with herd, fat content and diet

“…Other authors have noted that decreases in microbiota richness often accompany disease, and lower richness may lead to a more limited ability of the microbiota to respond to different stressors [91,92]. However, lower richness is not always correlated with lower fitness in non-human animals [93,94], and in fact, we did not find an association with the presence of coccidia and Inverse Simpson index here. Therefore, the 'protective' capacity of a highly diverse microbiota could depend on the type of pathogen.…”

“…Whereas the impact of individual variants on fecal and milk microbiota are frequently studied, the influence of management types needs further study. Since the understanding of functional microbiota in non-human animals is in its infancy [93] we can also say very little at this time about the significance of variations in specific microbiota components. For example, although some Staphilococcaceae may be pathogenic, Bdellovibrionaceae could have an importance in the defense against animal pathogens [95], and Desulfovibrionaceae produce cellular energy [96], much work remains to be done to understand the roles of various microbiota compositions and whether they have an effect on livestock production and health.…”

Ear mite infection is associated with altered microbial communities in genetically depauperate Santa Catalina Island foxes (Urocyon littoralis catalinae)

“…Broadly, this study contributes to the ongoing call for the application of microbial sequencing techniques within the fields of molecular and disease ecologies and wildlife conservation (DeCandia, Dobson, & vonHoldt, 2018;Hauffe & Barelli, 2019;Trevelline, Fontaine, Hartup, & Kohl, 2019). By sequencing the microbiome at six body sites of mite-infected and uninfected foxes, we established a baseline of microbiota while also identifying patterns of possible dysbiosis associated with their perturbation.…”

The Gut Microbiota Communities of Wild Arboreal and Ground-Feeding Tropical Primates Are Affected Differently by Habitat Disturbance

“…Given that this microbiota, especially the bacterial component, is known to play a crucial role in animal development, immunity, and nutrition (7)(8)(9), loss of this microbiodiversity could have an effect on an individual's behavior, health, and ultimately on its lifetime fitness (10,11). In vulnerable animal species, a decrease in individual health and reproductive output could accelerate population decline and species extinction (12,13).…”