What shapes gut microbiomes of Alaska's brown bears? Location, location, location

Date:
April 8, 2022
Source:
North Carolina State University
Summary:
A recent study of Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos) finds that
there is significant variation in the gut microbiome of bear
populations, depending on where the bears live. The finding advances
our understanding of the relationship between wildlife habitat,
diet and gut microbiome diversity.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A recent study of Alaskan brown bears (Ursus arctos) finds that there is significant variation in the gut microbiome of bear populations, depending
on where the bears live. The finding advances our understanding of the relationship between wildlife habitat, diet and gut microbiome diversity.


==========================================================================
"The gut microbiome is the ecosystem of microbial life that populates
an animal's digestive system -- and this microbiome plays a major role
in an animal's well-being," says Erin McKenney, co-author of a paper on
the work and an assistant professor of applied ecology at North Carolina
State University.

"Everything we learn about these microbiomes helps us make more informed decisions to support the health of wildlife species." "The Alaska
wilderness, important habitat for brown bears, is changing," says Grant Hilderbrand, co-author of the study and associate regional director for resources for the National Park Service in Alaska. "The gut microbiome
serves as a new diagnostic tool for understanding the health of wildlife populations.

It can also help us predict how animal health will change as the
environment changes. The study we've done here lays the foundation
for advancing our understanding of gut microbiomes in Alaska's iconic
brown bears." The researchers launched the project with the goal of characterizing what the gut microbiome of Alaskan brown bears looks like.

"Bears are particularly interesting in this context, because they're omnivores," says Diana Lafferty, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of biology at Northern Michigan University. "Bears function as predators and as scavengers, and they have a relatively simple gut system
- - which means their microbiome may play a particularly important role
in helping them extract nutrients from their diet. With this project, we
wanted to establish a baseline of what 'healthy' microbiomes look like for these animals, which are relatively undisturbed." The researchers also benefited from piggybacking on other research efforts that were already underway. The National Park Service was already engaged in research
projects that involved tracking and observing wild brown bears at three national parks and preserves: Katmai; Lake Clark; and Gates of the Arctic.

"By collaborating with ongoing projects, we were able to collect all of
the data and samples at no additional cost," Hilderbrand says.

For this study, the researchers analyzed 66 fecal samples from 51 brown
bears that were sampled during previous research operations. Because
these samples were collected as part of ongoing research initiatives,
the researchers also had data on each bear's age, sex, size and body
condition.

The researchers extracted microbial DNA from the fecal samples, and
assessed those results to determine what kinds of microbes were in
each sample.

"We found significant differences in the diversity of the bears'
microbiomes at each of the three parks," says Sarah Trujillo,
corresponding author of the paper who worked on the study while a graduate student at NMU. "Katmai had the most diversity, and also had the most
diverse array of food sources available.

Gates of the Arctic, which had the most limited array of food resources,
also had bears with the least diverse gut microbiomes. In other words,
we found what we expected: the more diverse the diet, the more diverse
the gut microbiome.

"However, while we found clear distinctions in microbiome diversity
at each park, those differences could not be fully explained by diet
alone. There appears to be something else at play that we don't fully understand yet. That's an area for future research." The work was
done with support from Northern Michigan University and the National
Park Service.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
North_Carolina_State_University. Original written by Matt Shipman. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Sarah M. Trujillo, Erin A. McKenney, Grant V. Hilderbrand,
Lindsey S.

Mangipane, Matthew C. Rogers, Kyle Joly, David D. Gustine, Joy A.

Erlenbach, Buck A. Mangipane, Diana J. R. Lafferty. Intrinsic and
extrinsic factors influence on an omnivore's gut microbiome. PLOS
ONE, 2022; 17 (4): e0266698 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266698 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220408142947.htm

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