Indirect Environmental Effects on the Gut-Brain Axis in a Wild Mammal.

ABSTRACT: Inconspicuous interactions between host physiological systems and resident microbial communities may underlie how animals respond to environmental change. For example, immunity and metabolism are regulated in part by the gut microbiota, which can be shaped indirectly by host neuroendocrine function via a 'gut-brain axis'. Yet the sensitivity of this axis in wild vertebrates remains ambiguous. Here, we investigate covariation among environmental quality, glucocorticoids and gut microbiota in a vulnerable population of Siberian flying squirrels (Pteromys volans) inhabiting a region impacted by variable rates of human disturbance. We test competing hypotheses related to direct versus indirect environmental effects (via the gut-brain axis) on adult and juvenile gut microbial communities. Adult

SUBMITTER: Petrullo L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12617030 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature