Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa
Abstract Background Termites are an important food resource for many human populations around the world, and are a good supply of nutrients. The fungus-farming ‘higher’ termite members of Macrotermitinae are also consumed by modern great apes and are implicated as critical dietary resources for earl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2019-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Microbiology |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12866-019-1540-5 |
| _version_ | 1811341459121504256 |
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| author | Stephanie L. Schnorr Courtney A. Hofman Shandukani R. Netshifhefhe Frances D. Duncan Tanvi P. Honap Julie Lesnik Cecil M. Lewis |
| author_facet | Stephanie L. Schnorr Courtney A. Hofman Shandukani R. Netshifhefhe Frances D. Duncan Tanvi P. Honap Julie Lesnik Cecil M. Lewis |
| author_sort | Stephanie L. Schnorr |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Termites are an important food resource for many human populations around the world, and are a good supply of nutrients. The fungus-farming ‘higher’ termite members of Macrotermitinae are also consumed by modern great apes and are implicated as critical dietary resources for early hominins. While the chemical nutritional composition of edible termites is well known, their microbiomes are unexplored in the context of human health. Here we sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of gut microbiota extracted from the whole intestinal tract of two Macrotermes sp. soldiers collected from the Limpopo region of South Africa. Results Major and minor soldier subcastes of M. falciger exhibit consistent differences in taxonomic representation, and are variable in microbial presence and abundance patterns when compared to another edible but less preferred species, M. natalensis. Subcaste differences include alternate patterns in sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic Euryarchaeota abundance, and differences in abundance between Alistipes and Ruminococcaceae. M. falciger minor soldiers and M. natalensis soldiers have similar microbial profiles, likely from close proximity to the termite worker castes, particularly during foraging and fungus garden cultivation. Compared with previously published termite and cockroach gut microbiome data, the taxonomic representation was generally split between termites that directly digest lignocellulose and humic substrates and those that consume a more distilled form of nutrition as with the omnivorous cockroaches and fungus-farming termites. Lastly, to determine if edible termites may point to a shared reservoir for rare bacterial taxa found in the gut microbiome of humans, we focused on the genus Treponema. The majority of Treponema sequences from edible termite gut microbiota most closely relate to species recovered from other termites or from environmental samples, except for one novel OTU strain, which clustered separately with Treponema found in hunter-gatherer human groups. Conclusions Macrotermes consumed by humans display special gut microbial arrangements that are atypical for a lignocellulose digesting invertebrate, but are instead suited to the simplified nutrition in the fungus-farmer diet. Our work brings to light the particular termite microbiome features that should be explored further as avenues in human health, agricultural sustainability, and evolutionary research. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:56:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b5411321467145478d19247ef62830ea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2180 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T18:56:39Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Microbiology |
| spelling | doaj.art-b5411321467145478d19247ef62830ea2022-12-22T02:34:14ZengBMCBMC Microbiology1471-21802019-07-0119112210.1186/s12866-019-1540-5Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South AfricaStephanie L. Schnorr0Courtney A. Hofman1Shandukani R. Netshifhefhe2Frances D. Duncan3Tanvi P. Honap4Julie Lesnik5Cecil M. Lewis6Konrad Lorenz Institute for Evolution and Cognition ResearchDepartment of Anthropology, University of OklahomaSchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the WitwatersrandSchool of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the WitwatersrandDepartment of Anthropology, University of OklahomaDepartment of Anthropology, Wayne State UniversityDepartment of Anthropology, University of OklahomaAbstract Background Termites are an important food resource for many human populations around the world, and are a good supply of nutrients. The fungus-farming ‘higher’ termite members of Macrotermitinae are also consumed by modern great apes and are implicated as critical dietary resources for early hominins. While the chemical nutritional composition of edible termites is well known, their microbiomes are unexplored in the context of human health. Here we sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene of gut microbiota extracted from the whole intestinal tract of two Macrotermes sp. soldiers collected from the Limpopo region of South Africa. Results Major and minor soldier subcastes of M. falciger exhibit consistent differences in taxonomic representation, and are variable in microbial presence and abundance patterns when compared to another edible but less preferred species, M. natalensis. Subcaste differences include alternate patterns in sulfate-reducing bacteria and methanogenic Euryarchaeota abundance, and differences in abundance between Alistipes and Ruminococcaceae. M. falciger minor soldiers and M. natalensis soldiers have similar microbial profiles, likely from close proximity to the termite worker castes, particularly during foraging and fungus garden cultivation. Compared with previously published termite and cockroach gut microbiome data, the taxonomic representation was generally split between termites that directly digest lignocellulose and humic substrates and those that consume a more distilled form of nutrition as with the omnivorous cockroaches and fungus-farming termites. Lastly, to determine if edible termites may point to a shared reservoir for rare bacterial taxa found in the gut microbiome of humans, we focused on the genus Treponema. The majority of Treponema sequences from edible termite gut microbiota most closely relate to species recovered from other termites or from environmental samples, except for one novel OTU strain, which clustered separately with Treponema found in hunter-gatherer human groups. Conclusions Macrotermes consumed by humans display special gut microbial arrangements that are atypical for a lignocellulose digesting invertebrate, but are instead suited to the simplified nutrition in the fungus-farmer diet. Our work brings to light the particular termite microbiome features that should be explored further as avenues in human health, agricultural sustainability, and evolutionary research.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12866-019-1540-5EntomophagyTermiteGut microbiomeHuman dietOther faunivoryHuman evolution |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie L. Schnorr Courtney A. Hofman Shandukani R. Netshifhefhe Frances D. Duncan Tanvi P. Honap Julie Lesnik Cecil M. Lewis Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa BMC Microbiology Entomophagy Termite Gut microbiome Human diet Other faunivory Human evolution |
| title | Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_full | Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_short | Taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus-farming termites (Macrotermes falciger; M. natalensis) harvested in the Vhembe district of Limpopo, South Africa |
| title_sort | taxonomic features and comparisons of the gut microbiome from two edible fungus farming termites macrotermes falciger m natalensis harvested in the vhembe district of limpopo south africa |
| topic | Entomophagy Termite Gut microbiome Human diet Other faunivory Human evolution |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12866-019-1540-5 |
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