Methanogenic patterns in the gut microbiome are associated with survival in a population of feral horses.
Abstract: Gut microbiomes are widely hypothesised to influence host fitness and have been experimentally shown to affect host health and phenotypes under laboratory conditions. However, the extent to which they do so in free-living animal populations and the proximate mechanisms involved remain open questions. In this study, using long-term, individual-based life history and shallow shotgun metagenomic sequencing data (2394 fecal samples from 794 individuals collected between 2013-2019), we quantify relationships between gut microbiome variation and survival in a feral population of horses under natural food limitation (Sable Island, Canada), and test metagenome-derived predictions using short-chain fatty acid data. We report detailed evidence that variation in the gut microbiome is associated with a host fitness proxy in nature and outline hypotheses of pathogenesis and methanogenesis as key causal mechanisms which may underlie such patterns in feral horses, and perhaps, wild herbivores more generally.
© 2024. The Author(s).
Publication Date: 2024-07-22 PubMed ID: 39039075PubMed Central: PMC11263349DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49963-xGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article discusses the link between variations in the gut microbiome and survival rates in a population of feral horses, suggesting a potential influence of gut microbiota on host health.
Research Background and Methods
- In this study, the researchers aimed to explore and understand the role of gut microbiomes in affecting the host’s fitness. While several lab conditions have shown gut microbiomes influencing host health, the extent of this impact in free-living animal populations remains largely unexplored.
- This study was carried out by analyzing gut microbiome data and individual-based life history from a wild horse population living under natural food limitation on Sable Island, Canada.
- The data utilized in this study included 2394 fecal samples from 794 individual horses collected between 2013 and 2019.
- Through metagenomic sequencing of these fecal samples, the researchers aimed to establish the connection between variations in the gut microbiome and the survival of the horses.
Findings and Interpretation
- The research provided substantial evidence demonstrating that variations in the gut microbiome were indeed associated with the horses’ survival rates, serving as a fitness proxy for the host species in nature.
- These findings validate the hypothesis that gut microbiomes could significantly influence host fitness, even in free-living populations outside the laboratory environment.
- The researchers also suggested that the observed patterns might be underpinned by the processes of pathogenesis and methanogenesis. Methanogenic bacteria in the gut are responsible for the production of methane, an important energy source for herbivorous animals. This of energy-producing bacteria could potentially affect the horses’ survival, particularly under conditions of natural food limitation.
Implications and Future Directions
- These findings could reflect broader dynamics at play in wild herbivores, suggesting possible new avenues of research in understanding species survival and fitness in challenging environments.
- Further investigation is needed to fully confirm the proposed causal mechanisms and extend the findings to other wild herbivore populations.
Cite This Article
APA
Stothart MR, McLoughlin PD, Medill SA, Greuel RJ, Wilson AJ, Poissant J.
(2024).
Methanogenic patterns in the gut microbiome are associated with survival in a population of feral horses.
Nat Commun, 15(1), 6012.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49963-x Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. masonstothart@gmail.com.
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom. masonstothart@gmail.com.
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, United Kingdom.
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada. jocelyn.poissant@ucalgary.ca.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Horses / microbiology
- Gastrointestinal Microbiome / genetics
- Feces / microbiology
- Methane / metabolism
- Animals, Wild / microbiology
- Metagenome
- Fatty Acids, Volatile / metabolism
- Metagenomics / methods
- Male
- Female
- Canada
Grant Funding
- 2016-06459 / Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology)
- 2019-04388 / Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC Canadian Network for Research and Innovation in Machining Technology)
- 25046 / Canada Foundation for Innovation (Fondation canadienne pour l'innovation)
- D20EQ-05 / Morris Animal Foundation (MAF)
- D20EQ-05 / Morris Animal Foundation (MAF)
- D20EQ-05 / Morris Animal Foundation (MAF)
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no competing interests.
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