Differences in Gut Microbes Across Age and Sex Linked to Metabolism and Microbial Stability in a Hibernating Mammal.

ABSTRACT: The gut microbiome has a well-documented relationship with host fitness, physiology, and behavior. However, most of what is known comes from captive animals where diets and environments are more homogeneous or controlled. Studies in wild populations that experience dynamic environments and have natural life history variation are less common but are key to understanding the drivers of variation in the gut microbiome. Here we examine a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), an obligate winter hibernator, to quantify multivariate associations between host-associated factors (e.g., age, sex, environmental harshness, and social behavior) and gut microbial composition. Across 5 years and 143 individuals, we found that males had a higher relative abundance of micr

SUBMITTER: Pfau M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11550910 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature