Altitude shapes gut microbiome composition accounting for diet, thyroid hormone levels, and host genetics in a subterranean blind mole rat.

ABSTRACT: The animal gut microbiome acts as a crucial link between the host and its environment, playing a vital role in digestion, metabolism, physiology, and fitness. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we investigated the effect of altitude on the microbiome composition of Anatolian Blind Mole Rats (Nannospalax xanthodon) across six locations and three altitudinal groups. We also factored in the host diet, as well as host microsatellite genotypes and thyroid hormone levels. The altitude had a major effect on microbiome composition, with notable differences in the relative abundance of several bacterial taxa across elevations. Contrary to prior research, we found no significant difference in strictly anaerobic bacteria abundance among altitudinal groups, though facultatively anaerobic bacteria we

SUBMITTER: Solak HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11565052 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature