Seasonal dynamics of diet-gut microbiota interaction in adaptation of yaks to life at high altitude.

ABSTRACT: Dietary selection and intake affect the survival and health of mammals under extreme environmental conditions. It has been suggested that dietary composition is a key driver of gut microbiota variation; however, how gut microbiota respond to seasonal dietary changes under extreme natural conditions remains poorly understood. Sequencing plant trnL (UAA) region and 16S rRNA gene analysis were employed to determine dietary composition and gut microbiota in freely grazing yaks on the Tibetan plateau. Dietary composition was more diverse in winter than in summer, while Gramineae and Rosaceae were consumed frequently all year. Turnover of seasonal diet and gut microbiota composition occurred consistently. Yaks shifted enterotypes in response to dietary change between warm and cold seasons to bes

SUBMITTER: Guo N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8058075 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature