The gut microbiomes of 180 species

Animal microbiomes are a treasure trove of previously unknown bacteria and genes Microbial life is ubiquitous in most environments on Earth, including in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. The composition of these collections of microbes, called the microbiota, can differ dramatically between in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2021-04, Vol.372 (6539), p.238-239
Main Authors: Lind, Abigail L, Pollard, Katherine S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Composition
Digestive system
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Gastrointestinal system
Gastrointestinal tract
Graphite
Intestinal microflora
Invertebrates
Metagenome
Microbiomes
Microbiota
Microorganisms
Reptiles
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
Species
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Summary:Animal microbiomes are a treasure trove of previously unknown bacteria and genes Microbial life is ubiquitous in most environments on Earth, including in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. The composition of these collections of microbes, called the microbiota, can differ dramatically between individuals and species. Across the animal tree of life, these microbiotas contain a broad array of microbial diversity. Animal gut microbiota composition is more similar when hosts share diet or genetic ancestry, especially in mammals; the correlation of microbiota composition with genetic ancestry is weaker in fish, reptiles, birds, and invertebrates ( 1 – 4 ). In many cases, gut microbes contribute to key host processes, including metabolizing specialized dietary compounds ( 5 ). On page 264 of this issue, Levin et al. ( 6 ) interrogate the microbes that inhabit the animal gut by sequencing fecal samples from ∼180 wild and captive species across the animal tree of life. Most of the bacterial species and genes they found have not been described before.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abg9095