Evolution of mammals and their gut microbes.
Mammals are metagenomic in that they are composed of not only their own gene complements but also those of all of their associated microbes. To understand the coevolution of the mammals and their indigenous microbial communities, we conducted a network-based analysis of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences from the fecal microbiota of humans and 59 other mammalian species living in two zoos and in the wild. The results indicate that host diet and phylogeny both influence bacterial diversity, which increases from carnivory to omnivory to herbivory; that bacterial communities codiversified with their hosts; and that the gut microbiota of humans living a modern life-style is typical of omnivorous primates.
Ley
Ruth E
RE
Center for Genome Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63108, USA.
Hamady
Micah
M
Lozupone
Catherine
C
Turnbaugh
Peter J
PJ
Ramey
Rob Roy
RR
Bircher
J Stephen
JS
Schlegel
Michael L
ML
Tucker
Tammy A
TA
Schrenzel
Mark D
MD
Knight
Rob
R
Gordon
Jeffrey I
JI
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D000836:Animals, Zoo / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002335:Carnivora / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D004032:Diet; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D006801:Humans; D008322:Mammals / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011323:Primates / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S