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Updated: Jul 6, 2026
Testing for Odor Discrimination and Habituation in Mice
Published on: May 5, 2015
The mouse gut microbiota responds to predator odor and predicts host behavior
Madalena V F Real1,2, Maren N Vitousek3, Michael J Sheehan4
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA. mv469@cornell.edu.
Abstract:
Chronic stressors can alter the mammalian gut microbiota in ways that mediate host stress responses, but the impacts of acute stressors on these interactions are less well understood. Here, we show that brief exposure of wild-derived mice to predator odor altered gut-microbiota composition, which in turn predicted host behavior. We investigated the individual and combined effects of 15-minute exposures to synthetic fox fecal odor and 30 days of chronic social isolation, an established chronic stressor. Using ethological assays, visceral adipose tissue transcriptomics, and genome-resolved metagenomics, we found that predator-odor exposure significantly affected mouse behavior, gene expression, and gut microbiota. Predator odor-responsive bacteria were associated with the expression of genes involved in anti-microbial defense, and host behavioral responses were predicted by random forest models trained on gut-microbiota profiles. These findings indicate interactions between the gut microbiota and wild-mouse responses to the threat of predation, an ecologically relevant acute stressor.
Insights
Brief predator odor exposure in mice alters gut microbiota, impacting host behavior and gene expression. This reveals how acute stressors interact with the gut microbiome to influence stress responses in wild animals.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Neuroscience
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Chronic stress impacts mammalian gut microbiota, influencing host stress responses.
- The effects of acute stressors on these host-microbiota interactions are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of acute predator odor exposure and chronic social isolation on wild-derived mice.
- To explore the interplay between gut microbiota, host behavior, and gene expression under stress.
Main Methods:
- Ethological assays were used to assess mouse behavior.
- Visceral adipose tissue transcriptomics analyzed gene expression.
- Genome-resolved metagenomics profiled the gut microbiota composition.
Main Results:
- A 15-minute exposure to predator odor significantly altered mouse behavior, gene expression, and gut microbiota.
- Predator odor-responsive bacteria correlated with genes involved in antimicrobial defense.
- Host behavioral responses were predictable from gut microbiota profiles.
Conclusions:
- Acute predator odor exposure influences gut microbiota composition and host responses.
- The gut microbiota plays a role in mediating wild mouse responses to predation threats.
- These findings highlight the interaction between the gut microbiome and acute stress responses.
