Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota
Abstract The gut microbiota plays a critical role in host health, yet remains poorly studied in wild species. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), key indicators of Arctic ecosystem health and environmental change, are currently affected by rapid shifts in habitat that may alter gut homeostasis. Declining...
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Oxford University Press (OUP)
2019
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2 https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article-pdf/13/12/2916/55550831/41396_2019_article_480.pdf |
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croxfordunivpr:10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 2024-06-23T07:50:35+00:00 Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota Watson, Sophie E Hauffe, Heidi C Bull, Matthew J Atwood, Todd C McKinney, Melissa A Pindo, Massimo Perkins, Sarah E RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council 2019 http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2 https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article-pdf/13/12/2916/55550831/41396_2019_article_480.pdf en eng Oxford University Press (OUP) https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights http://www.springer.com/tdm http://www.springer.com/tdm The ISME Journal volume 13, issue 12, page 2916-2926 ISSN 1751-7362 1751-7370 journal-article 2019 croxfordunivpr https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 2024-06-11T04:20:57Z Abstract The gut microbiota plays a critical role in host health, yet remains poorly studied in wild species. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), key indicators of Arctic ecosystem health and environmental change, are currently affected by rapid shifts in habitat that may alter gut homeostasis. Declining sea ice has led to a divide in the southern Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulation such that an increasing proportion of individuals now inhabit onshore coastal regions during the open-water period (‘onshore bears’) while others continue to exhibit their typical behaviour of remaining on the ice (‘offshore bears’). We propose that bears that have altered their habitat selection in response to climate change will exhibit a distinct gut microbiota diversity and composition, which may ultimately have important consequences for their health. Here, we perform the first assessment of abundance and diversity in the faecal microbiota of wild polar bears using 16S rRNA Illumina technology. We find that bacterial diversity is significantly higher in onshore bears compared to offshore bears. The most enriched OTU abundance in onshore bears belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria, while the most depleted OTU abundance within onshore bears was seen in the phylum Firmicutes. We conclude that climate-driven changes in polar bear land use are associated with distinct microbial communities. In doing so, we present the first case of global change mediated alterations in the gut microbiota of a free-roaming wild animal. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Beaufort Sea Climate change polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus Oxford University Press Arctic The ISME Journal 13 12 2916 2926 |
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Open Polar |
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Oxford University Press |
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croxfordunivpr |
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English |
description |
Abstract The gut microbiota plays a critical role in host health, yet remains poorly studied in wild species. Polar bears (Ursus maritimus), key indicators of Arctic ecosystem health and environmental change, are currently affected by rapid shifts in habitat that may alter gut homeostasis. Declining sea ice has led to a divide in the southern Beaufort Sea polar bear subpopulation such that an increasing proportion of individuals now inhabit onshore coastal regions during the open-water period (‘onshore bears’) while others continue to exhibit their typical behaviour of remaining on the ice (‘offshore bears’). We propose that bears that have altered their habitat selection in response to climate change will exhibit a distinct gut microbiota diversity and composition, which may ultimately have important consequences for their health. Here, we perform the first assessment of abundance and diversity in the faecal microbiota of wild polar bears using 16S rRNA Illumina technology. We find that bacterial diversity is significantly higher in onshore bears compared to offshore bears. The most enriched OTU abundance in onshore bears belonged to the phylum Proteobacteria, while the most depleted OTU abundance within onshore bears was seen in the phylum Firmicutes. We conclude that climate-driven changes in polar bear land use are associated with distinct microbial communities. In doing so, we present the first case of global change mediated alterations in the gut microbiota of a free-roaming wild animal. |
author2 |
RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council RCUK | Natural Environment Research Council |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Watson, Sophie E Hauffe, Heidi C Bull, Matthew J Atwood, Todd C McKinney, Melissa A Pindo, Massimo Perkins, Sarah E |
spellingShingle |
Watson, Sophie E Hauffe, Heidi C Bull, Matthew J Atwood, Todd C McKinney, Melissa A Pindo, Massimo Perkins, Sarah E Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
author_facet |
Watson, Sophie E Hauffe, Heidi C Bull, Matthew J Atwood, Todd C McKinney, Melissa A Pindo, Massimo Perkins, Sarah E |
author_sort |
Watson, Sophie E |
title |
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
title_short |
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
title_full |
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
title_fullStr |
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
title_full_unstemmed |
Global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
title_sort |
global change-driven use of onshore habitat impacts polar bear faecal microbiota |
publisher |
Oxford University Press (OUP) |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2.pdf http://www.nature.com/articles/s41396-019-0480-2 https://academic.oup.com/ismej/article-pdf/13/12/2916/55550831/41396_2019_article_480.pdf |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Climate change polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Arctic Beaufort Sea Climate change polar bear Sea ice Ursus maritimus |
op_source |
The ISME Journal volume 13, issue 12, page 2916-2926 ISSN 1751-7362 1751-7370 |
op_rights |
https://academic.oup.com/pages/standard-publication-reuse-rights http://www.springer.com/tdm http://www.springer.com/tdm |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-019-0480-2 |
container_title |
The ISME Journal |
container_volume |
13 |
container_issue |
12 |
container_start_page |
2916 |
op_container_end_page |
2926 |
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1802641485635518464 |