Does diet or macronutrients intake drive the structure and function of gut microbiota?

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Microbiology
• Animal Behavior

Background:

• Animal ingestive behavior shifts are crucial for environmental adaptation.
• Dietary habit changes influence gut microbiota structure, but the impact of nutrient intake variations remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how animal feeding strategies affect nutrient intake.
• To determine if altered nutrient intake modifies gut microbiota composition and digestive function.

Main Methods:

• Quantified diet and macronutrient intake of wild primates across four seasons.
• Analyzed fecal samples using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing and metagenomics.

Main Results:

• Seasonal variations in gut microbiota are primarily driven by macronutrient changes from differing diets.
• Gut microbes possess metabolic functions that can compensate for host macronutrient deficiencies.

Conclusions:

• Macronutrient variation, influenced by seasonal diets, is the primary driver of seasonal gut microbiota shifts in wild primates.
• Gut microbiota plays a vital role in host adaptation to seasonal dietary fluctuations.