Host Phylogeny and Diet Shape Gut Microbial Communities Within Bamboo-Feeding Insects

The gut microbiome plays an important role in a host’s development and adaption to its dietary niche. In this study, a group of bamboo-feeding insects are used to explore the potential role of the gut microbiota in the convergent adaptation to extreme diet specialization. Specifically, using a 16S rRNA marker and an Illumina sequencing platform, we profiled the microbial communities of 76 gut samples collected from nine bamboo-feeding insects, including both hemimetabolous (Orthoptera and Hemiptera) and holometabolous (Coleoptera and Lepidoptera) species, which are specialized in three distinct dietary niches: bamboo leaf, shoot, and sap. The gut microbiota of these insects were dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes and were clustered into solid (leaf and shoot) and liquid (sap) dietary niches. The gut bacterial communities of insects feeding on solid diet overlapped significantly, even though these insects belong to phylogenetically distant lineages representing different orders. In addition, the presence of cellulolytic bacterial communities within the gut microbiota allows bamboo-feeding insects to adapt to a highly specialized, fiber-rich diet. Although both phylogeny and diet can impact the structure and composition of gut microbiomes, phylogeny is the primary driving force underlying the convergent adaptation to a highly specialized diet, especially when the related insect species harbor similar gut microbiomes and share the same dietary niche over evolutionary timescales. These combined findings lay the foundation for future research on how convergent feeding strategies impact the interplays between hosts and their gut microbiomes and how the gut microbiota may facilitate convergent evolution in phylogenetically distant species in adaptation to the shared diet.

Rampant tooth loss across 200 million years of frog evolution

Teeth are present in most clades of vertebrates but have been lost completely several times in actinopterygian fishes and amniotes. Using phenotypic data collected from over 500 genera via micro-computed tomography, we provide the first rigorous assessment of the evolutionary history of dentition across all major lineages of amphibians. We demonstrate that dentition is invariably present in caecilians and salamanders, but teeth have been lost completely more than 20 times in frogs, a much higher occurrence of edentulism than in any other vertebrate group. The repeated loss of teeth in anurans is associated with a specialized diet of small invertebrate prey as well as shortening of the lower jaw, but it is not correlated with a reduction in body size. Frogs provide an unparalleled opportunity for investigating the molecular and developmental mechanisms of convergent tooth loss on a large phylogenetic scale.

Rampant tooth loss across 200 million years of frog evolution

Teeth have been broadly maintained across most clades of vertebrates but have been lost completely at least once in actinopterygian fishes and several times in amniotes. Using phenotypic data collected from over 500 genera via micro-computed tomography, we provide the first rigorous assessment of the evolutionary history of dentition across all major lineages of amphibians. We demonstrate that dentition is invariably present in caecilians and salamanders, but teeth have been lost completely more than 20 times in frogs, a much higher occurrence of edentulism than in any other vertebrate group. The repeated loss of teeth in anurans is associated with a specialized diet of small invertebrate prey as well as shortening of the lower jaw, but it is not correlated with a reduction in body size. Frogs provide an unparalleled opportunity for investigating the molecular and developmental mechanisms of convergent tooth loss on a large phylogenetic scale.

Maple syrup urine disease presenting as severe neonatal metabolic encephalopathy: a case report

We report a 17 day old boy, who developed progressive encephalopathy, after an apparent period of normalcy. Magnetic resonance imaging showed diffusion restriction in myelinated areas like, a pattern suggestive of maple syrup urine disease. Dried blood spots for tandem mass spectrometry and urine for gas chromatography mass spectrometry confirmed elevation and excretion of branched chain amino acids respectively. After peritoneal dialysis, baby improved but continued to have residual neurological deficit, in spite of MSUD-specialized diet. Molecular studies confirmed the diagnosis. This report highlights the need for early identification of these infants to optimize neurological outcomes.

Market Segmentation of Diet Nutrition Supply for the New Entrepreneurs: Case Study in Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Despite the growing trend of healthy lifestyle and awareness about the importance of fitness among the urban population in the Kurdistan region, there is no specialized diet restaurant with high service quality in Sulaymaniyah, the second largest city of Kurdistan. This study investigates if establishing a diet food restaurant in Sulaymaniyah is a viable idea. This study also aims to identify the main segments of the market, factors affecting consumers’ opinion regarding the diet food, and their willingness to pay for diet meals. The data were collected through questionnaires from 1200 respondents. The collected data were tested for reliability and validity through Cronbach’s Alpha, exploratory factor analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Segment analysis was performed to test whether the need and demand for diet restaurant and willingness to pay differ across various segments based on gender, age, location, education levels, weight, body mass index, diabetics, profession, gym visitors, income level, and marital status. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) method and independent samples T test were used for this purpose. This study concludes that an untapped and potentially profitable market exists for diet food restaurants in Sulaymaniyah city; however, apart from affluent segment of the market, most consumers are price sensitive.

Evolution of hyperossification expands skull diversity in frogs

Frogs (Anura) are one of the most diverse vertebrate orders, comprising more than 7,000 species with a worldwide distribution and extensive ecological diversity. In contrast to other tetrapods, frogs have a highly derived body plan and simplified skull. In many lineages of anurans, increased mineralization has led to hyperossified skulls, but the function of this trait and its relationship with other aspects of head morphology are largely unexplored. Using three-dimensional morphological data from 158 species representing all frog families, we assessed wide-scale patterns of shape variation across all major lineages, reconstructed the evolutionary history of cranial hyperossification across the anuran phylogeny, and tested for relationships between ecology, skull shape, and hyperossification. Although many frogs share a conserved skull shape, several extreme forms have repeatedly evolved that commonly are associated with hyperossification, which has evolved independently more than 25 times. Variation in cranial shape is not explained by phylogenetic relatedness but is correlated with shifts in body size and ecology. The species with highly divergent, hyperossified skulls often have a specialized diet or a unique predator defense mechanism. Thus, the evolution of hyperossification has repeatedly facilitated the expansion of the head into multiple new shapes and functions.

The two oxpecker species reveal the role of movement rates and foraging intensity in species coexistence

The two Buphagus oxpecker species are specialized passerines that forage for ticks and other food particles on the body of ungulates in the African savannahs. One of their intriguing features is their ability to coexist despite sharing the same, specialized diet. Using co-occurrence data (photographs of giraffes with oxpeckers on them) and approximate Bayesian computing, we demonstrate that yellow-billed oxpeckers changed host faster than red-billed oxpeckers and appeared to displace red-billed oxpeckers from preferred giraffe body parts. Conversely, red-billed oxpeckers exhibited a fuller use of each host and displaced yellow-billed oxpeckers from distal giraffe body parts. These findings highlight that the partition of giraffe hosts in two separate niches was only part of the coexistence story in this species pair. More precisely, the oxpeckers shared the resource by exploiting it at different rates. They engaged in different trade-offs between giving-up density, patch discovery rate and competitor displacement ability. They illustrate the importance of the time frame of interactions.