School of Resource and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, China.
Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Am J Primatol. 2018 Jul;80(7):e22880. doi: 10.1002/ajp.22880. Epub 2018 Jun 12.
Recent studies highlight that the gut mycobiota play essential roles in mammalian metabolic and immune systems, but to date we lack information on the forces that naturally shape the gut mycobiota of wild primates. To investigate the contributions of host and environmental factors in the taxonomic variation of the gut mycobiota, we examined the effects of age, sex, and season on the fecal mycobiota in wild-living Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana). Using next generation sequencing and a longitudinal set of fecal samples collected over 1 year, we identified a set of core fungal taxa present in the Tibetan macaque's fecal samples. The predominant genera Aspergillus and Penicillium, which promote the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose in herbivorous mammals, were detected in this study. Similar to humans, we found age and sex effects on the macaques' fecal mycobiota. We also found that both fecal fungal composition and diversity (alpha and beta diversity) varied significantly by season. In particular, the Penicillium enriched mycobiota in summer samples may aid in the digestion of cellulose and hemicellulose present in mature leaves. The high alpha diversity detected in Tibetan macaques' winter fecal samples may facilitate a diet rich in fiber ingested during this season. We propose that the gut mycobiota play an important role in the macaques' ability to adapt to seasonal fluctuations in food availability and nutrient content.
最近的研究强调了肠道微生物群在哺乳动物代谢和免疫系统中起着至关重要的作用，但迄今为止，我们缺乏关于自然塑造野生灵长类动物肠道微生物群的力量的信息。为了研究宿主和环境因素对肠道微生物群分类变异的贡献，我们研究了年龄、性别和季节对野生西藏猕猴（Macaca thibetana）粪便微生物群的影响。我们使用下一代测序技术和一组跨越 1 年收集的纵向粪便样本，鉴定了一组存在于西藏猕猴粪便样本中的核心真菌类群。在本研究中检测到了促进草食性哺乳动物纤维素和半纤维素消化的优势属曲霉属和青霉属。与人类相似，我们发现年龄和性别对猕猴粪便微生物群有影响。我们还发现粪便真菌组成和多样性（α多样性和β多样性）随季节显著变化。特别是夏季样本中富含青霉属的微生物群可能有助于消化成熟叶片中存在的纤维素和半纤维素。在冬季粪便样本中检测到的高 α 多样性可能有利于摄入富含纤维的饮食。我们提出，肠道微生物群在猕猴适应食物供应和营养成分季节性波动的能力中起着重要作用。
