#Chimpanzee diet driver#

Among other mammalian populations, degradation in habitat quality affects the diversity of available flora and fauna for consumption, and in some cases, is associated with declines in microbial gut composition 11, 12, 13, 14. In humans, such questions have catalyzed multiple studies comparing environmental and gut microbiota between “westernized” and “rural” peoples 8, 9, 10. Outside of laboratory conditions, disentangling the effects of living and dietary conditions on gut microbial composition from other influences remains a complex question. Adverse microbial profile shifts, for instance, have been associated with dysbiosis and wide-ranging diseases among human beings, from obesity to pediatric environmental enteropathy, and from autism to asthma 2, 6, 7. Among these influences, diet and living conditions have been evaluated for human and animal populations, entailing significant effects on gut microbiota and consequences for human and animal health. Broad-ranging influences, including host genetics, living conditions, diet, stress, and antibiotic use can affect gut microbial diversity 2, 3, 4, 5. Over the last decade, numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of environmental changes on the mammalian gut microbiome, which is strongly associated with host metabolic, immune, and neurological functions 1. We encourage multidisciplinary approach integrating environmental sampling and anthropological evaluation to characterize better diverse environmental conditions of such investigations. Zoo living conditions and dietary similarities may explain these results.

Surprisingly, zoo gorilla microbiota more closely resembled that of zoo chimpanzees than of Cameroonian gorillas.

#Chimpanzee diet driver#

Phylogeny was a strong driver of species-specific microbial composition. Unexpectedly, bacterial diversity (ASV, Faith PD and Shannon) was higher among zoo gorillas than among those in the Cameroonian forest, but zoo and Cameroonian chimpanzees showed no difference. We conducted participant-observation and semi-structured interviews among people living near these great apes to understand better their feeding habits and habitats. We conducted 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing to characterize intestinal microbiota of free-ranging sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in southeastern Cameroon and sympatric chimpanzees and gorillas in a European zoo. The challenge in drawing general conclusions from such studies lies in the broad terms describing diverse habitats (“wild”, “captive”, “pristine”). Gut bacteriome comparisons across different environments diverge in their results, showing no generalizable patterns linking habitat and dietary degradation with bacterial diversity. Some ants climb up the ant rod and then get slurped off by the chimpanzee.Comparisons of mammalian gut microbiota across different environmental conditions shed light on the diversity and composition of gut bacteriome and suggest consequences for human and animal health. They take a stick, break it off at the right length, and hold this ant rod in the ant nest. To eat ants, chimpanzees use another tool.

The nut is placed upon a firm surface such as the root of a tree, and the nut is broken open with the stone or branch. For example, nuts are opened with stones or branches which are used like a hammer and anvil. Some fruits are chewed to form little balls, called ‘wadges’ that the chimpanzees then dip into water before sucking out the juice.įor other foods tools are used. Some foods must be prepared before they are eaten. Food itemĬalculé par Goodall (1986) Chimpanzees of Gombe, page 233 The list of food items is long: fruits, nuts, leaves, plants, mushrooms, flowers, insects, meat and more. That means they eat all sorts of vegetarian food as well as animals.