A recent study of the gut microbiome of Alaskan brown bears shows that they are able to achieve comparable size and fat stores while eating a wide variety of diet. The work shows how the gut microbiome supports health in omnivores.
The co-author of the study says that it is easy to think that bears have simple gut microbiomes. The study shows that the variation in the gut flora of individual bears can be very important to the health of these animals.
Grant Hilderbrand is an associate regional director for resources for the National Park Service in Alaska and co-author of the study. Female bears will reproduce if they reach a certain amount of fat in the autumn. Knowing that they can change their diet to get to those fat levels is a valuable insight.
Researchers collected fecal samples from 51 brown bears in three national parks.
Research has shown that the diet of bears varies in each park. Bears eat a lot of fish and mammals. Bears have less access to fish than other animals at Gates of the Arctic. There is a wide range of marine species and a variety of vegetation on the coast.
Sarah Trujillo is a former graduate student at Northern Michigan University and theCorresponding Author of the study.
"We found that bears benefit from having different niches to eat in, and that the gut microbiome plays a role in getting nutrition from their diet," he said. The bears in the parks were able to achieve the same body conditions despite eating different things.
Diana Lafferty, co-author of the study and an assistant professor of biology at NMU, says that the study can serve as a baseline for future research. Researchers will be able to compare the gut microbiomes of bears in more disturbed systems, such as areas where bears have more access to garbage and human foods.
The study gives a snapshot of bears and their diet in the parks. Understanding what is happening now will help us identify and understand any changes that will take place in the future.
We can spot emerging challenges for these animals by knowing what bears are eating and how diverse their diet can be. It can help us understand how many bears the ecosystems can support.
"In short, this study has given us significant insights into both the park environments that these bears live in and the flora and fauna that helps them thrive."
The study will be published in the journal Scientific Reports in September. The paper was written by Kyle Joly and Buck Mangipane of the National Park Service and others.
More information: Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influence on an omnivore's gut microbiome, Scientific Reports (2022). Journal information: Scientific Reports
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