title: Phylogenetic and ecological factors impact the gut microbiota of two Neotropical primate species.
abstract: Recent studies suggest that variation in diet across time and space results in changes in the mammalian gut microbiota. This variation may ultimately impact host ecology by altering nutritional status and health. Wild animal populations provide an excellent opportunity for understanding these interactions. However, compared to clinical studies, microbial research targeting wild animals is currently limited, and many published studies focus only on a single population of a single host species. In this study we utilize fecal samples from two species of howler monkey (Alouatta pigra and A. palliata) collected at four sites to investigate factors influencing the gut microbiota at three scales: taxonomic (host species), ecosystemic (forest type), and local (habitat disturbance/season). The results demonstrate that the effect of host species on the gut microbiota is stronger than the effect of host forest type, which is stronger than the effect of habitat disturbance or seasonality. Nevertheless, within host species, gut microbiota composition differs in response to forest type, habitat disturbance, and season. Variations in the effect size of these factors are associated both with host species and environment. This information may be beneficial for understanding ecological and evolutionary questions associated with Mesoamerican howler monkeys, as well as determining conservation challenges facing each species. These mechanisms may also provide insight into the ecology of other species of howler monkeys, non-human primates, and mammals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, USA. katherine.amato@northwestern.edu.|BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA. katherine.amato@northwestern.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine R
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2722-9414
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martinez-Mota
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.|Red de Manejo Biorracional de Plagas y Vectores, Instituto de Ecología, A.C., Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico.
authors.forename: Nicoletta
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Righini
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.|Department of Anthropology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Raguet-Schofield
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Sezione di Neuroscienze e Antropologia, Università di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Fabiana Paola
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Corcione
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell'Ambiente, Sezione di Neuroscienze e Antropologia, Università di Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Humphrey
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Grant
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gogul
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gaffney
authors.affiliation: BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Elijah
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lovelace
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: LaShanda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Luong
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Maria Gloria
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Dominguez-Bello
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.|Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Stumpf
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.|Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: J. Craig Venter Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Karen E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
authors.forename: Steven R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Leigh
mesh_terms: D000508:Alouatta / Q000382:microbiology*; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet; D017753:Ecosystem; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D065928:Forests; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome; D010802:Phylogeny; D012621:Seasons
keywords: Alouatta; Disturbance; Habitat; Microbiome; Season