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Title: Baleen whales host a unique gut microbiome with similarities to both carnivores and herbivores

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms9285· OSTI ID:1218871
ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [1];  [1]
  1. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)
  2. Univ. of California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
  3. Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Univ. of Vermont, Burlington, VT (United States)
  4. Bigelow Lab. for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME (United States)

Mammals host gut microbiomes of immense physiological consequence, but the determinants of diversity in these communities remain poorly understood. Diet appears to be the dominant factor, but host phylogeny also seems to be an important, if unpredictable, correlate. Here we show that baleen whales, which prey on animals (fish and crustaceans), harbor unique gut microbiomes with surprising parallels in functional capacity and higher level taxonomy to those of terrestrial herbivores. These similarities likely reflect a shared role for fermentative metabolisms despite a shift in primary carbon sources from plant-derived to animal-derived polysaccharides, such as chitin. In contrast, protein catabolism and essential amino acid synthesis pathways in baleen whale microbiomes more closely resemble those of terrestrial carnivores. Our results demonstrate that functional attributes of the microbiome can vary independently even given an animal-derived diet, illustrating how diet and evolutionary history combine to shape microbial diversity in the mammalian gut.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1218871
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 6; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 129 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Marine Animal Microbiomes: Toward Understanding Host–Microbiome Interactions in a Changing Ocean journal July 2017
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Metagenomic Study Suggests That the Gut Microbiota of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) May Not Be Specialized for Fiber Fermentation journal February 2018
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