DEAR EDITOR,Dietary generalism is widely associated with ecological flexibility,but the mechanisms of this relationship remain poorly understood.A recently developed body of theory on the relationship between generali...DEAR EDITOR,Dietary generalism is widely associated with ecological flexibility,but the mechanisms of this relationship remain poorly understood.A recently developed body of theory on the relationship between generalism/specialism at the levels of foods selected vs.nutrients ingested,termed multi-level dietary niche theory,offers a powerful opportunity to deepen our understanding of the dietary generalist-specialist spectrum and its ecological significance.展开更多
The Himalaya region of Nepal provides a habitat for the endangered snow leopard(Panthera uncia)and its principal prey species,the blue sheep(Pseudois nayaur).The aim of this study was to describe the habitat,the distr...The Himalaya region of Nepal provides a habitat for the endangered snow leopard(Panthera uncia)and its principal prey species,the blue sheep(Pseudois nayaur).The aim of this study was to describe the habitat,the distribution and the population structure of blue sheep,and to estimate their contribution to the carrying capac-ity of snow leopard in the upper Mustang region of Nepal.Blue sheep were recorded at altitudes from 3209-5498 m on slopes with gradients of 16-60°and aspects of 40°NE to 140°SE.A total of 939 blue sheep were counted in the upper Mustang region,and 98 were counted in the Yak Kharka region of Manang district;how-ever,upper Mustang had the lowest population density of blue sheep recorded within their distribution range in Nepal(0.86 blue sheep/km^(2)).The results of the study show that a higher density of blue sheep is associated with greater plant species diversity.The most important species present in the blue sheep habitat were Kobresia pyg-maea,Artemesia spp.,Lonicera spp.,Lancea tibetica,Poa spp.,Astragalus spp.and Ephedra gerardiana.It is estimated that the existing blue sheep population biomass of approximately 38925 kg in the upper Mustang re-gion could support approximately 19 snow leopards(1.6 snow leopards/100 km^(2)).展开更多
Food supply is one of the major drivers of animal behavior,and the gut microbiome is an important mediator be-tween food supply and its effects on physiology.However,predicting the outcome of diet change on microbiome...Food supply is one of the major drivers of animal behavior,and the gut microbiome is an important mediator be-tween food supply and its effects on physiology.However,predicting the outcome of diet change on microbiome and consequences for the animal has proven extremely challenging.We propose this reflects processes occurring at different scales.Inadequate accounting for the multi-level complexity of nutrition(nutrients,foods,diets)obscures the diet influence on microbiome and subsequently animal.Here,we present a detailed year-round,multi-level analysis of diet and microbiome changes in a wild population of a temperate primate,the rhesus macaque(Macaca mulatta).Total daily food and nutrient intake of 6 male and 6 female macaques was monitored in each of the 4 sea-sons(total 120 days observations).For each individual,we found significant variation in the microbiome between all 4 seasons.This response was more strongly correlated with changes in macronutrient intake than with food items and much of the response could be explained at the level of 6 ecological guilds—sets of taxa sharing similar responses to nutrient intake.We conclude that study of diet,microbiome,and animal performance in ecology will more effectively identify patterns if diet is recorded at the level of nutrient intake.Although microbiome response to diet does show variation in species-level taxa in response to food items,there is greater commonality in response at the level of guilds.A goal for microbiome researchers should be to identify genes encoding microbial attributes that can define such guilds.展开更多
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(32070446)China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2019M662520)+1 种基金Top-notch Talents of Zhengzhou University(32211502,32212341,32340114)China Scholarship Council(201707040024)。
文摘DEAR EDITOR,Dietary generalism is widely associated with ecological flexibility,but the mechanisms of this relationship remain poorly understood.A recently developed body of theory on the relationship between generalism/specialism at the levels of foods selected vs.nutrients ingested,termed multi-level dietary niche theory,offers a powerful opportunity to deepen our understanding of the dietary generalist-specialist spectrum and its ecological significance.
文摘The Himalaya region of Nepal provides a habitat for the endangered snow leopard(Panthera uncia)and its principal prey species,the blue sheep(Pseudois nayaur).The aim of this study was to describe the habitat,the distribution and the population structure of blue sheep,and to estimate their contribution to the carrying capac-ity of snow leopard in the upper Mustang region of Nepal.Blue sheep were recorded at altitudes from 3209-5498 m on slopes with gradients of 16-60°and aspects of 40°NE to 140°SE.A total of 939 blue sheep were counted in the upper Mustang region,and 98 were counted in the Yak Kharka region of Manang district;how-ever,upper Mustang had the lowest population density of blue sheep recorded within their distribution range in Nepal(0.86 blue sheep/km^(2)).The results of the study show that a higher density of blue sheep is associated with greater plant species diversity.The most important species present in the blue sheep habitat were Kobresia pyg-maea,Artemesia spp.,Lonicera spp.,Lancea tibetica,Poa spp.,Astragalus spp.and Ephedra gerardiana.It is estimated that the existing blue sheep population biomass of approximately 38925 kg in the upper Mustang re-gion could support approximately 19 snow leopards(1.6 snow leopards/100 km^(2)).
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30970378,31170503)China Postdoctoral Sciences Foundation(No.2019M662520)the State Scholarship Fund from China Scholarship Council(No.201707040024).
文摘Food supply is one of the major drivers of animal behavior,and the gut microbiome is an important mediator be-tween food supply and its effects on physiology.However,predicting the outcome of diet change on microbiome and consequences for the animal has proven extremely challenging.We propose this reflects processes occurring at different scales.Inadequate accounting for the multi-level complexity of nutrition(nutrients,foods,diets)obscures the diet influence on microbiome and subsequently animal.Here,we present a detailed year-round,multi-level analysis of diet and microbiome changes in a wild population of a temperate primate,the rhesus macaque(Macaca mulatta).Total daily food and nutrient intake of 6 male and 6 female macaques was monitored in each of the 4 sea-sons(total 120 days observations).For each individual,we found significant variation in the microbiome between all 4 seasons.This response was more strongly correlated with changes in macronutrient intake than with food items and much of the response could be explained at the level of 6 ecological guilds—sets of taxa sharing similar responses to nutrient intake.We conclude that study of diet,microbiome,and animal performance in ecology will more effectively identify patterns if diet is recorded at the level of nutrient intake.Although microbiome response to diet does show variation in species-level taxa in response to food items,there is greater commonality in response at the level of guilds.A goal for microbiome researchers should be to identify genes encoding microbial attributes that can define such guilds.
