Abstract
Red-shanked doucs (Pygathrix nemaeus) are endangered, foregut-fermenting colobine primates which are difficult to maintain in captivity. There are critical gaps in our understanding of their natural lifestyle, including dietary habits such as consumption of leaves, unripe fruit, flowers, seeds, and other plant parts. There is also a lack of understanding of enteric adaptations, including their unique microflora. To address these knowledge gaps, we used the douc as a model to study relationships between gastrointestinal microbial community structure and lifestyle. We analyzed published fecal samples as well as detailed dietary history from doucs with four distinct lifestyles (wild, semi-wild, semi-captive, and captive) and determined gastrointestinal bacterial microbiome composition using 16S rRNA sequencing. A clear gradient of microbiome composition was revealed along an axis of natural lifestyle disruption, including significant associations with diet, biodiversity, and microbial function. We also identified potential microbial biomarkers of douc dysbiosis, including Bacteroides and Prevotella, which may be related to health. Our results suggest a gradient-like shift in captivity causes an attendant shift to severe gut dysbiosis, thereby resulting in gastrointestinal issues.
Highlights
Communities and lifestyle, including diet and health, is important in the context of primate ecology, but may have profound implications for use of NHPs as model systems for lifestyle disruption and associated microbial changes
In order to better understand the link between lifestyle, gut microbial communities, and health, we examined the fecal microbiomes of four douc populations living four distinct lifestyles
We focus on a subset of a rich dataset we collected over a two-year period across three countries, including a comprehensive sampling of the majority of doucs in captivity. These samples have been used in work published previously[31] in a broader meta-analysis framework, where a putative convergence was observed across various primate species with increasing levels of generalized lifestyle disruption
Summary
Communities and lifestyle, including diet and health, is important in the context of primate ecology, but may have profound implications for use of NHPs as model systems for lifestyle disruption and associated microbial changes. The douc is listed as endangered by the IUCN26, and recovery efforts to restore the douc population currently utilize conservation sanctuaries, anti-poaching laws, and captive breeding programs While their digestive specializations have allowed them to thrive in their native habitat, the same specializations appear to challenge their survival in captivity. Maintenance of doucs and other colobines as captive populations has been largely unsuccessful due in large part to an inadequate understanding of their nutritional requirements They are highly susceptible to gastrointestinal (GI) disorders when maintained on commercially prepared diets in captivity. We focus on a subset of a rich dataset we collected over a two-year period across three countries, including a comprehensive sampling of the majority of doucs in captivity These samples have been used in work published previously[31] in a broader meta-analysis framework, where a putative convergence was observed across various primate species (including humans) with increasing levels of generalized lifestyle disruption. By focusing in depth on the dietary and microbial facets associated with a single species across increasingly unnatural lifestyle conditions, we are powered to make specific conclusions relating these covariates in a common context
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