scholarly journals Wild black bears harbor simple gut microbial communities with little difference between the jejunum and colon

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sierra J. Gillman ◽  
Erin A. McKenney ◽  
Diana J. R. Lafferty
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Number Of Bacteria

AbstractThe gut microbiome (GMB), comprising the commensal microbial communities located in the gastrointestinal tract, has co-evolved in mammals to perform countless micro-ecosystem services to facilitate physiological functions. Because of the complex inter-relationship between mammals and their gut microbes, the number of studies addressing the role of the GMB on mammalian health is almost exclusively limited to human studies and model organisms. Furthermore, much of our knowledge of wildlife–GMB relationships is based on studies of colonic GMB communities derived from the feces of captive specimens, leaving our understanding of the GMB in wildlife limited. To better understand wildlife–GMB relationships, we engaged hunters as citizen scientists to collect biological samples from legally harvested black bears (Ursus americanus) and used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize wild black bear GMB communities in the colon and jejunum, two functionally distinct regions of the gastrointestinal tract. We determined that the jejunum and colon of black bears do not harbor significantly different GMB communities: both gastrointestinal sites were dominated by Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. However, a number of bacteria were differentially enriched in each site, with the colon harboring twice as many enriched taxa, primarily from closely related lineages.

Black Bears and the Iroquoians

Bears ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 138-159
Author(s):  
Christian Gates St-Pierre ◽  
Claire St-Germain ◽  
Louis-Vincent Laperrière-Désorcy
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Northeastern North America ◽  
Projectile Points ◽  
Economic Role ◽  
Faunal Assemblages

The study presented in this chapter uses archaeological and ethnohistorical data to discuss the role of black bears (Ursus americanus) among Pre-Contact Iroquoian societies from Northeastern North America. This role is proving to be complex and multifaceted, and the analysis of the archaeological and ethnohistorical records provide contradictory conclusions. According to the ethnohistorical documents considered in this study, black bear appears to be predominantly mentioned in subsistence and hunting contexts. In contrast, bones from black bear have been identified in a majority of Iroquoian faunal assemblages, but always in small numbers, indicating a ubiquitous, yet minor role for black bear in Pre-Contact Iroquoian foodways. Moreover, ethnonyms, myths, and legends also suggest that the symbolic and identity dimensions of black bear outweighed their economic role. The results of the ZooMS analysis of a set of Iroquoian bone projectile points is especially revealing in this respect.

scholarly journals Shaping of the Present-Day Deep Biosphere at Chicxulub by the Impact Catastrophe That Ended the Cretaceous

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles S. Cockell ◽  
Bettina Schaefer ◽  
Cornelia Wuchter ◽  
Marco J. L. Coolen ◽  
Kliti Grice ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Granitic Rocks ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Deep Biosphere ◽  
Deep Subsurface ◽  
Cell Biomass ◽  
Colonization Potential ◽  
The Impact

We report on the effect of the end-Cretaceous impact event on the present-day deep microbial biosphere at the impact site. IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater, México, allowing us to investigate the microbial communities within this structure. Increased cell biomass was found in the impact suevite, which was deposited within the first few hours of the Cenozoic, demonstrating that the impact produced a new lithological horizon that caused a long-term improvement in deep subsurface colonization potential. In the biologically impoverished granitic rocks, we observed increased cell abundances at impact-induced geological interfaces, that can be attributed to the nutritionally diverse substrates and/or elevated fluid flow. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed taxonomically distinct microbial communities in each crater lithology. These observations show that the impact caused geological deformation that continues to shape the deep subsurface biosphere at Chicxulub in the present day.

scholarly journals Behavior in Free-Living American Black Bear Dens: Parturition, Maternal Care, and Cub Behavior

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1123
Author(s):  
Lynn L. Rogers ◽  
Linda McColley ◽  
Janet Dalton ◽  
Jim Stroner ◽  
Douglas Hajicek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Post Partum ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Geographic Region ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
American Black Bear ◽  
Eye Opening ◽  
American Black

Denning behavior has long remained the least observed aspect of bear behavior. During 2010–2013, we used webcams, microphones, the internet, and 14,602 h of archived video to document the denning behaviors of two adult wild black bears (Ursus americanus) as they gave birth and cared for four litters through six winters in northeastern Minnesota. Observations included types of dens, labor, pre-parturient genital swelling, birthing positions, post-partum vocalizations, mothers removing amniotic tissues and warming newborn cubs in sub-freezing temperatures, frequency of nursing, cubs establishing nipple order, yearlings suckling, the ingestion of snow and icicles, the ingestion of foot pads, urination and defecation in latrine areas, toilet-licking, eye opening, reciprocal tongue-licking, play, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and possible dreaming, and reactions to wildlife intruders. The use of this new method for observing natural bear dens allowed the identification of many behaviors undescribed for any species of wild bear in dens. We also discuss the need for future studies and how the depth and duration of black bear hibernation varies with body condition and geographic region.

Water management and phenology influence the root-associated rice field microbiota

2020 ◽  
Vol 96 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matteo Chialva ◽  
Stefano Ghignone ◽  
Paolo Cozzi ◽  
Barbara Lazzari ◽  
Paola Bonfante ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Rice Field ◽  
Water Status ◽  
18S Rrna Gene ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Upland Conditions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Comprehensive Study

ABSTRACT Microbial communities associated with plants are greatly influenced by water availability in soil. In flooded crops, such as rice, the impact of water management on microbial dynamics is not fully understood. Here, we present a comprehensive study of the rice microbiota investigated in an experimental field located in one of the most productive areas of northern Italy. The microbiota associated with paddy soil and root was investigated using 454 pyrosequencing of 16S, ITS and 18S rRNA gene amplicons under two different water managements, upland (non-flooded, aerobic) and lowland (traditional flooding, anaerobic), at three plant development stages. Results highlighted a major role of the soil water status in shaping microbial communities, while phenological stage had low impacts. Compositional shifts in prokaryotic and fungal communities upon water management consisted in significant abundance changes of Firmicutes, Methanobacteria, Chloroflexi, Sordariomycetes, Dothideomycetes and Glomeromycotina. A vicariance in plant beneficial microbes and between saprotrophs and pathotrophs was observed between lowland and upland. Moreover, through network analysis, we demonstrated different co-abundance dynamics between lowland and upland conditions with a major impact on microbial hubs (strongly interconnected microbes) that fully shifted to aerobic microbes in the absence of flooding.

Age, gut location and diet impact the gut microbiome of a tropical herbivorous surgeonfish

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lara Parata ◽  
Shaun Nielsen ◽  
Xing Xing ◽  
Torsten Thomas ◽  
Suhelen Egan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Gastrointestinal Tract ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Bacterial Symbionts ◽  
Adult Fish

Abstract Herbivorous fishes play important ecological roles in coral reefs by consuming algae that can otherwise outcompete corals, but we know little about the gut microbiota that facilitates this process. This study focussed on the gut microbiota of an ecologically important coral reef fish, the convict surgeonfish Acanthurus triostegus. We sought to understand how the microbiome of this species varies along its gastrointestinal tract and how it varies between juvenile and adult fish. Further, we examined if the bacteria associated with the diet consumed by juveniles contributes to the gut microbiota. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing showed that bacterial communities associated with the midgut and hindgut regions were distinct between adults and juveniles, however, no significant differences were seen for gut wall samples. The microbiota associated with the epilithic algal food source was similar to that of the juvenile midgut and gut wall but differed from the microbiome of the hindgut. A core bacterial community including members of taxa Epulopiscium and Brevinemataceae was observed across all gastrointestinal and diet samples, suggesting that these bacterial symbionts can be acquired by juvenile convict surgeonfish horizontally via their diet and then are retained into adulthood.

A study of predominant aerobic microflora of black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in northwestern Alberta

1987 ◽  
Vol 33 (11) ◽  
pp. 949-954 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Goatcher ◽  
M. W. Barrett ◽  
R. N. Coleman ◽  
A. W. L. Hawley ◽  
A. A. Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Soil Bacteria ◽  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Random Distribution ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Grizzly Bears ◽  
Grizzly Bear ◽  
Streptococcus Species ◽  
Generic Composition

Swab specimens were obtained from nasal, rectal, and preputial or vaginal areas of 37 grizzly and 17 black bears, captured during May to June of 1981 to 1983, to determine the types and frequency of predominant aerobic microflora. Bacterial genera most frequently isolated from bears were Escherichia, Citrobacter, Hafnia, Proteus, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus species, comprising about 65% of the isolates. Erwinia, Xanthomonas, Agrobacterium, Rhizobium, and Gluconobacter/Acetobacter were also isolated but at lower frequencies (< 5%). Comparison of bacterial generic composition using similarity quotient values showed no appreciable differences between grizzly and black bear flora. Also, no outstanding differences in bacterial generic composition were observed among grizzly bear samples; however, differences were noted among black bear samples. Fungal genera most commonly encountered included Cryptococcus, Rhodotorula, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Sporobolomyces, and Candida. In general, the microflora of both bear types were marked by generic diversity and random distribution. The majority of microorganisms isolated from the plant samples in the study area were also found in bear samples. This observation and the presence of certain water and soil bacteria in samples from bears suggest that the predominant microflora of both grizzly and black bears were transient and probably influenced by their foraging habits and surrounding environments.

The field energetics of winter-dormant black bear (Ursus americanus) in northeastern Minnesota

1988 ◽  
Vol 66 (10) ◽  
pp. 2095-2103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert K. Maxwell ◽  
Jeffrey Thorkelson ◽  
Lynn L. Rogers ◽  
Robert B. Brander
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Heat Budget ◽  
Energy Requirement ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Oblate Spheroid ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Protein Catabolism ◽  
Winter Climate ◽  
Internal Sources

Black bears (Ursus americanus) can spend half of their lives in a severe winter climate using only internal sources of energy and exchanging energy only as heat with their external environment. This paper presents the energy requirement to maintain a bear, and the magnitude of the heat transfer pathways to the bear's surroundings. Flux rate densities of the heat budget were measured for two denning black bears. It was found that the surface area of an oblate spheroid simulating the shape of the curled-up bears balanced the budgets. From these data a simulated bear–den system was constructed for a 75-kg animal: a fur-covered spheroid that was electrically heated and maintained at 36 °C. The energy requirement and heat transport were measured through the skin and in the den over winter, as was the oxygen consumption of a live bear in a similar den nearby. Over a 145-day denning period, mass loss due to fat catabolism would have ranged between 24 and 28% for the simulated bear with the entrance sealed or open, respectively. Using the amount of oxygen consumed and holding body water constant, the mass loss of the live bear over the same period would have been 19% if just fat had been catabolized. However, additional protein catabolism near the end of the denning period caused the loss to increase to 31%, primarily through urination. Once net protein catabolism began, dehydration and not starvation became life threatening.

Food habits and nutrition of black bears during a gypsy moth infestation

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (9) ◽  
pp. 1771-1775 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Kasbohm ◽  
James G. Kraus ◽  
Michael R. Vaughan
Keyword(s):  
Gypsy Moth ◽  
Food Habits ◽  
National Park ◽  
Crude Protein ◽  
Ursus Americanus ◽  
Substantial Reduction ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Phytolacca Americana ◽  
Shenandoah National Park

During 1988–1991 we determined food habits and indices of diet quality for a black bear (Ursus americanus) population in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia, experiencing a severe gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) defoliation event, and compared the results with data collected prior to defoliation (1982–1984). Gypsy moth infestation resulted in extensive summer overstory canopy loss and a complete acorn failure in affected areas. As in predefoliation years, analysis of scats collected during defoliation indicated that bears ate primarily herbaceous vegetation in spring, followed by squawroot (Canopholis americana) and fruits of black and sweet cherry (Prunus serotina and P. avium) in summer. However, in early and late fall bears switched from consuming predominantly acorns before defoliation to pokeweed (Phytolacca americana) berries and grapes (Vitis spp.), respectively, during defoliation. Despite acorn loss, no decline in dietary nutritional quality was observed in comparisons of the percentages of crude protein, crude fat, and crude fiber in seasonal diets before and during defoliation. When it is available, bears can successfully exploit soft mast as a fall food source and do not necessarily experience a substantial reduction in food quality if acorn crops fail.

scholarly journals Cellulolytic and Xylanolytic Microbial Communities Associated With Lignocellulose-Rich Wheat Straw Degradation in Anaerobic Digestion

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mads Borgbjerg Jensen ◽  
Nadieh de Jonge ◽  
Maja Duus Dolriis ◽  
Caroline Kragelund ◽  
Christian Holst Fischer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Anaerobic Digestion ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Wheat Straw ◽  
Lignocellulosic Biomass ◽  
Correlation Method ◽  
Amplicon Sequencing ◽  
Lignocellulose Degradation ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Key Species

The enzymatic hydrolysis of lignocellulosic polymers is generally considered the rate-limiting step to methane production in anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. The present study aimed to investigate how the hydrolytic microbial communities of three different types of anaerobic digesters adapted to lignocellulose-rich wheat straw in continuous stirred tank reactors operated for 134 days. Cellulase and xylanase activities were monitored weekly using fluorescently-labeled model substrates and the enzymatic profiles were correlated with changes in microbial community compositions based on 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to identify key species involved in lignocellulose degradation. The enzymatic activity profiles and microbial community changes revealed reactor-specific adaption of phylogenetically different hydrolytic communities. The enzymatic activities correlated significantly with changes in specific taxonomic groups, including representatives of Ruminiclostridium, Caldicoprobacter, Ruminofilibacter, Ruminococcaceae, Treponema, and Clostridia order MBA03, all of which have been linked to cellulolytic and xylanolytic activity in the literature. By identifying microorganisms with similar development as the cellulase and xylanase activities, the proposed correlation method constitutes a promising approach for deciphering essential cellulolytic and xylanolytic microbial groups for anaerobic digestion of lignocellulosic biomass.

scholarly journals STRUCTURE OF MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES OF THE ARTIFICIAL SALT CONSTRUCTIONS OF THE PERM REGION

2020 ◽  
pp. 120-127
Author(s):  
M. V. Kuznetsova ◽  
◽  
М. G. Маммаеvа ◽  
L. V. Кirichenko ◽  
M. A. Shishkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Staphylococcus Epidermidis ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Rrna Gene ◽  
Genus Clostridium ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Viable Bacteria ◽  
Perm Region ◽  
The 16S Rrna Gene ◽  
Number Of Bacteria

The diversity of microbial communities the artificial salt constructions (ASC) located in the medicalpreventive and sanatorium institutions of the Perm region was studied. It was found that the surfaces of the abiotic salt of all ASC were contaminated with microorganisms, and a significant difference was found between the constructions of sylvinite (86.5% of positive samples) and halite (47.4%). The number of viable bacteria, as well as staphylococci, were also higher in sylvinite constructions than in halite ones. Based on bacteriological research and analysis of the 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequences, the isolated staphylococcus strains belong to the following species: Staphylococcus epidermidis – 42.3% (n=11), S. aureus and S. saprophyticus – 19.2% (n=5), S. simulans – 7.7% (n=2) and one strain of S. cohnii urealyticum, S. hominis, S. warneri – 3.8%. The species composition of microbiocenoses formed on surfaces determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry included representatives of 18 genera belonging to the three main phylums: Actinobacteria, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria. Actinobacteria (Actinomyces, Corynebacterium, Nocardia, Propionibacterium, Rhodococcus, etc.) were dominant in both groups ASC. Among Firmicutes, representatives of the genus Clostridium predominated in sylvinite ASC – 63.8% of the total number of bacteria, while in halite they were half as many – 32.1%. The content of coccal microbiota, in contrast, in halite constructions was almost 3 times higher than in sylvinite. Identified quantitative and qualitative indicators of the microbiota of the ASC complement the understanding of the constructions of microbial communities under conditions of high salt load and anthropogenic impact.

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