Humanization of wildlife gut microbiota in urban environments
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Urbanization is rapidly altering Earth’s environments, demanding investigations of the impacts on resident wildlife. Here, we show that urban populations of coyotes ( Canis latrans ) and crested anole lizards ( Anolis cristatellus ) acquire gut microbiota constituents found in humans, including the gut bacterial lineages most significantly associated with urbanization in humans (e.g., Bacteroides ). Comparisons of urban and rural wildlife and human populations revealed significant convergence of the gut microbiota among urban host populations. Remarkably, all microbial lineages found in humans that were overrepresented in urban wildlife relative to rural wildlife were also overrepresented in urban humans relative to rural humans. These results indicate parallel effects of urbanization on human and wildlife gut microbiota and suggest spillover of bacteria from humans into wildlife in cities.
Source: eLife
DOI: 10.7554/elife.76381
Institutions: Cornell University, Princeton University, Tulane University
Language: English
Topic: Gut microbiota and health
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,500
OpenAlex ID: W4281807682