Researchers collected fresh feces from 11 herbivore species living in Etosha National Park, a relatively dry ecosystem in Namibia. The sampled animals included African elephants, Angolan giraffes, wildebeests, two zebra species and several antelopes. DNA extraction and sequencing identified the kinds and amounts of bacteria in each sample.
The team tested whether gut microbiomes follow phylosymbiosis, a pattern in which related host species have similarly related microbial communities. Results showed a clear contrast: six species showed little or no evidence of phylosymbiosis, while five species did show the pattern.
The five species with phylosymbiosis were red hartebeest, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, impala and springbok. All five are bovids, a group of cow-like ruminants. The authors suggest the dry local environment may make host-related patterns easier to detect, while wetter areas with more vegetation may mask them. The paper appears in BMC Ecology and Evolution; additional coauthors are from Etosha Ecological Institute and the University of Georgia.
Difficult words
- herbivore — an animal that eats mainly plants
- ecosystem — a community of living things and environment
- microbiome — all the microscopic organisms living in an animalmicrobiomes
- phylosymbiosis — pattern where related species have similar microbial communities
- bovid — a member of the cow-like group of mammalsbovids
- ruminant — an animal that chews cud and digests plantsruminants
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why might related animal species have similar gut microbiomes? Give one or two reasons.
- How could a dry environment make it easier to see host-related patterns?
- If you could study another place to compare results, what kind of place would you choose and why?
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