Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Role of the Gut Microbiome in Digestion and Energy Production in Wild Primates Across a Shifting Nutritional Landscape

博士论文研究：肠道微生物组在不断变化的营养格局中野生灵长类动物消化和能量生产中的作用

• 批准号: 2041608
• 负责人: Erin Vogel
• 金额: $ 2.52万
• 依托单位: Rutgers University New Brunswick
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-04-15 至 2024-03-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2041608&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Role; Gut

Studies of the microbiome have shown that gut microbe communities can affect a host’s ability to harvest energy and store fat. However, the significance of gut microbiome plasticity and its relevance to host survival when faced with environmental fluctuations in nutrient availability remains unclear. This doctoral dissertation research uses evolutionary and ecological approaches to examine gut microbiota changes in wild primates that cope with extreme variability in forest fruit production, resulting in substantial fluctuations in caloric intake and major shifts in the types of foods available for consumption. This study advances knowledge about primate microbiome adaptations, which may also provide comparative data for examining adaptations in the hominin lineage and microbiome function in modern humans. The project facilitates doctoral degree completion for a woman and first-generation student and provide field, laboratory, and bioinformatics training for students from groups underrepresented in STEM research. The project also enhance research capacity at the research location through training workshops and collaboration. Orangutans cope with environmentally-induced variations in diet, such as reductions in caloric intake by up to 48%, and fall short of their energetic requirements for several months out of the year. Because gut microbiota have the potential to be powerful drivers of orangutan energetics during periods of fruit scarcity, this study investigates whether gut microbial community compositions change across marked fluctuations in nutritional intake, and also whether those changes result in increased energy harvest and microbial energy production. More specifically, this project (1) monitors environmental changes in fruit availability; (2) uses observations to estimate food intake and match intake with known nutritional values; (3) identifies gut microbial compositions from fecal samples using Next-Generation DNA sequencing; and (4) approximates microbial energy production by measuring short-chain fatty acid concentrations in fecal samples.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

对微生物组的研究如何使Tomunition施加到'St'st'st'st'st'st'st'st'st'store fat。应对果实生产的极端变化的灵长类动物，热量摄入量的大量波动和大关的知识。一名妇女和第一代的妇女提供了培训研讨会和协作的研究地点的群体。除了一年中，他们的严重性数月的精力都在调查了肠道微生物群落的构图中，在明显的波动摄入量中会发生变化，以及这些角度是否会导致能量收获和微生物能量产生增加。营养值；（4）通过测量短链脂肪酸浓度来近似于微生物的能量。