Interspecific variation in gut microbiome diversity across the Etosha National Park herbivore community.

ABSTRACT: The community of microbes in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals, known as the gut microbiome (GMB), plays a critical role in host ecology and evolution. GMB variation is modulated by both host physiology and environmental conditions experienced by the host. Here we characterized the GMBs of 11 free-ranging large herbivore species inhabiting Etosha National Park, Namibia. We examined how intrinsic (i.e., sex, gut morphology, feeding guild) and extrinsic (i.e., geographic zone, waterhole site) factors influenced GMB diversity and community structure within and across herbivore species. We extracted DNA from herbivore fecal samples (n = 312) and amplified the 16s rRNA gene region to identify bacterial taxa. We defined core bacterial taxa as those present at ≥1% relative abundance in ≥50% o

SUBMITTER: Jensen R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12510545 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature