Green spaces contribute to structural resilience of the gut microbiota in urban mammals

Abstrakt

The gut microbiome of wild animals is subject to various environmental influences, including those associated with human-induced alterations to the environment. We investigated how the gut microbiota of a synurbic rodent species, the striped field mouse (Apodemus agrarius), change in cities of varying sizes, seeking the urban microbiota signature for this species. Fecal samples for analysis were collected from animals living in non-urbanized areas and green spaces of different-sized cities (Poland). Metagenomic 16S rRNA gene sequencing and further bioinformatics analyses were conducted. Significant differences in the composition of gut microbiomes among the studied populations were found. However, the observed changes were dependent on local habitat conditions, without strong evidence of a correlation with the size of the urbanized area. The results suggest that ecological detachment from a more natural, non-urban environment does not automatically lead to the development of an “urban microbiome” model in the studied rodent. The exposure to the natural environment in green spaces may serve as a catalyst for microbiome transformations, providing a previously underestimated contribution to the maintenance of native gut microbial communities in urban mammals.

Autorzy

Łopucki Rafał
Łopucki Rafał
Sajnaga Ewa
Sajnaga Ewa
Kalwasińska Agnieszka
Kalwasińska Agnieszka
Klich Daniel
Klich Daniel
Christensen Henryk
Christensen Henryk
artykuł
Scientific Reports
Angielski
2024
14
15508
otwarte czasopismo
CC BY 4.0 Uznanie autorstwa 4.0
ostateczna wersja opublikowana
w momencie opublikowania
2024-07-05
140
3,8
0
0