Traditional Human Populations and Nonhuman Primates Show Parallel Gut Microbiome Adaptations to Analogous Ecological...

Area of Science:

• Microbiome research
• Primate ecology
• Human evolution

Background:

• Small-scale human communities exhibit gut microbiome similarities with nonhuman primates.
• Dietary triggers are hypothesized drivers, but ecological and functional bases remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ecological and functional basis of gut microbiome similarity between humans and nonhuman primates.
• To compare fecal metagenomes of BaAka hunter-gatherers, Bantu agriculturalists, and western lowland gorillas.

Main Methods:

• Fecal metagenomic sequencing of BaAka hunter-gatherers, Bantu agriculturalists, and western lowland gorillas.
• Analysis of gut microbiome functional traits across two seasons with varying diets.
• Comparison of microbial taxa and metabolic pathways between groups.

Main Results:

• Gorilla gut microbiomes mirrored human groups' functional traits based on seasonal diets (polysaccharides vs. fruit).
• Hunter-gatherer and gorilla microbiomes aligned during dry seasons (high polysaccharide intake).
• Agriculturalist and gorilla microbiomes aligned during wet seasons (high fruit intake).
• Traditional agriculture correlated with microbial transporters, transduction systems, and xenobiotic metabolism, reducing polysaccharide metabolism.
• Differential abundance of taxa like *Prevotella* reflected dietary polysaccharide complexity.

Conclusions:

• Conserved functional gut microbiome adaptations exist in humans and primates consuming analogous diets.
• Plant dietary polysaccharides and environmental exposures drive microbiome convergence.
• Divergence from these patterns is linked to adverse health outcomes in industrialized populations.