An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health
Abstract Generalist species able to exploit anthropogenic food sources are becoming increasingly common in urban environments. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are one such urban generalist that now resides in cities across North America, where diseased or unhealthy coyotes are frequently reported in cases o...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78891-1 |
| _version_ | 1818752341769191424 |
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| author | Scott Sugden Dana Sanderson Kyra Ford Lisa Y. Stein Colleen Cassady St. Clair |
| author_facet | Scott Sugden Dana Sanderson Kyra Ford Lisa Y. Stein Colleen Cassady St. Clair |
| author_sort | Scott Sugden |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Generalist species able to exploit anthropogenic food sources are becoming increasingly common in urban environments. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are one such urban generalist that now resides in cities across North America, where diseased or unhealthy coyotes are frequently reported in cases of human-wildlife conflict. Coyote health and fitness may be related to habitat use and diet via the gut microbiome, which has far-reaching effects on animal nutrition and physiology. In this study, we used stomach contents, stable isotope analysis, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and measures of body condition to identify relationships among habitat use, diet, fecal microbiome composition, and health in urban and rural coyotes. Three distinct relationships emerged: (1) Urban coyotes consumed more anthropogenic food, which was associated with increased microbiome diversity, higher abundances of Streptococcus and Enterococcus, and poorer average body condition. (2) Conversely, rural coyotes harbored microbiomes rich in Fusobacteria, Sutterella, and Anaerobiospirillum, which were associated with protein-rich diets and improved body condition. (3) Diets rich in anthropogenic food were associated with increased abundances of Erysipelotrichiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Coriobacteriaceae, which correlated with larger spleens in urban coyotes. Urban coyotes also had an increased prevalence of the zoonotic parasite Echinococcus multilocularis, but there were no detectable connections between parasite infection and microbiome composition. Our results demonstrate how the consumption of carbohydrate-rich anthropogenic food by urban coyotes alters the microbiome to negatively affect body condition, with potential relationships to parasite susceptibility and conflict-prone behavior. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:49:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-477cd03e426442d7bd438e9dbd7e483c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-18T04:49:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-477cd03e426442d7bd438e9dbd7e483c2022-12-21T21:20:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222020-12-0110111410.1038/s41598-020-78891-1An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor healthScott Sugden0Dana Sanderson1Kyra Ford2Lisa Y. Stein3Colleen Cassady St. Clair4Department of Biological Sciences, University of AlbertaDepartment of Biological Sciences, MacEwan UniversityDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of AlbertaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of AlbertaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of AlbertaAbstract Generalist species able to exploit anthropogenic food sources are becoming increasingly common in urban environments. Coyotes (Canis latrans) are one such urban generalist that now resides in cities across North America, where diseased or unhealthy coyotes are frequently reported in cases of human-wildlife conflict. Coyote health and fitness may be related to habitat use and diet via the gut microbiome, which has far-reaching effects on animal nutrition and physiology. In this study, we used stomach contents, stable isotope analysis, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, and measures of body condition to identify relationships among habitat use, diet, fecal microbiome composition, and health in urban and rural coyotes. Three distinct relationships emerged: (1) Urban coyotes consumed more anthropogenic food, which was associated with increased microbiome diversity, higher abundances of Streptococcus and Enterococcus, and poorer average body condition. (2) Conversely, rural coyotes harbored microbiomes rich in Fusobacteria, Sutterella, and Anaerobiospirillum, which were associated with protein-rich diets and improved body condition. (3) Diets rich in anthropogenic food were associated with increased abundances of Erysipelotrichiaceae, Lachnospiraceae, and Coriobacteriaceae, which correlated with larger spleens in urban coyotes. Urban coyotes also had an increased prevalence of the zoonotic parasite Echinococcus multilocularis, but there were no detectable connections between parasite infection and microbiome composition. Our results demonstrate how the consumption of carbohydrate-rich anthropogenic food by urban coyotes alters the microbiome to negatively affect body condition, with potential relationships to parasite susceptibility and conflict-prone behavior.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78891-1 |
| spellingShingle | Scott Sugden Dana Sanderson Kyra Ford Lisa Y. Stein Colleen Cassady St. Clair An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health Scientific Reports |
| title | An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| title_full | An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| title_fullStr | An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| title_full_unstemmed | An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| title_short | An altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| title_sort | altered microbiome in urban coyotes mediates relationships between anthropogenic diet and poor health |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78891-1 |
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