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Major shifts in gut microbiota during development and its relationship to growth in ostriches

Videvall, Elin LU ; Song, Se Jin ; Bensch, Hanna M. ; Strandh, Maria LU ; Engelbrecht, Anel ; Serfontein, Naomi ; Hellgren, Olof LU ; Olivier, Adriaan ; Cloete, Schalk and Knight, Rob , et al. (2019) In Molecular Ecology 28(10). p.2653-2667
Abstract

The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immunity and fitness in vertebrates. However, knowledge of how bacteria colonize the juvenile gut, how this is influenced by changes in the diversity of gut bacteria and to what extent this influences host fitness, particularly in nonmodel organisms, is lacking. Here we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the successional development of the faecal microbiome in ostriches (Struthio camelus, n = 66, repeatedly sampled) over the first 3 months of life and its relationship to growth. We found a gradual increase in microbial diversity with age that involved multiple colonization and extinction events and a major taxonomic shift... (More)

The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immunity and fitness in vertebrates. However, knowledge of how bacteria colonize the juvenile gut, how this is influenced by changes in the diversity of gut bacteria and to what extent this influences host fitness, particularly in nonmodel organisms, is lacking. Here we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the successional development of the faecal microbiome in ostriches (Struthio camelus, n = 66, repeatedly sampled) over the first 3 months of life and its relationship to growth. We found a gradual increase in microbial diversity with age that involved multiple colonization and extinction events and a major taxonomic shift in bacteria that coincided with the cessation of yolk absorption. Comparisons with the microbiota of adults (n = 5) revealed that the chicks became more similar in their microbial diversity and composition to adults as they aged. There was a five-fold difference in juvenile growth during development, and growth during the first week of age was strongly positively correlated with the abundance of the genus Bacteroides and negatively correlated with Akkermansia. After the first week, the abundances of six phylogenetically diverse families (Peptococcaceae, S24-7, Verrucomicrobiae, Anaeroplasmataceae, Streptococcaceae, Methanobacteriaceae) were associated with subsequent reductions in chick growth in an age-specific and transient manner. These results have broad implications for our understanding of the development of gut microbiota and its associations with animal growth.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
colonization, microbiome, ontogeny, Struthio camelus, succession
in
Molecular Ecology
volume
28
issue
10
pages
2653 - 2667
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85065712919
  • pmid:30916826
ISSN
0962-1083
DOI
10.1111/mec.15087
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
09367f9d-8e25-46c4-9995-89d132eaea83
date added to LUP
2019-06-17 14:52:53
date last changed
2024-04-02 07:05:36
@article{09367f9d-8e25-46c4-9995-89d132eaea83,
  abstract     = {{<p>The development of gut microbiota during ontogeny is emerging as an important process influencing physiology, immunity and fitness in vertebrates. However, knowledge of how bacteria colonize the juvenile gut, how this is influenced by changes in the diversity of gut bacteria and to what extent this influences host fitness, particularly in nonmodel organisms, is lacking. Here we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to describe the successional development of the faecal microbiome in ostriches (Struthio camelus, n = 66, repeatedly sampled) over the first 3 months of life and its relationship to growth. We found a gradual increase in microbial diversity with age that involved multiple colonization and extinction events and a major taxonomic shift in bacteria that coincided with the cessation of yolk absorption. Comparisons with the microbiota of adults (n = 5) revealed that the chicks became more similar in their microbial diversity and composition to adults as they aged. There was a five-fold difference in juvenile growth during development, and growth during the first week of age was strongly positively correlated with the abundance of the genus Bacteroides and negatively correlated with Akkermansia. After the first week, the abundances of six phylogenetically diverse families (Peptococcaceae, S24-7, Verrucomicrobiae, Anaeroplasmataceae, Streptococcaceae, Methanobacteriaceae) were associated with subsequent reductions in chick growth in an age-specific and transient manner. These results have broad implications for our understanding of the development of gut microbiota and its associations with animal growth.</p>}},
  author       = {{Videvall, Elin and Song, Se Jin and Bensch, Hanna M. and Strandh, Maria and Engelbrecht, Anel and Serfontein, Naomi and Hellgren, Olof and Olivier, Adriaan and Cloete, Schalk and Knight, Rob and Cornwallis, Charlie K.}},
  issn         = {{0962-1083}},
  keywords     = {{colonization; microbiome; ontogeny; Struthio camelus; succession}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{2653--2667}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{Molecular Ecology}},
  title        = {{Major shifts in gut microbiota during development and its relationship to growth in ostriches}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.15087}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/mec.15087}},
  volume       = {{28}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}