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The putatively high‐altitude adaptation of macaque monkeys: Evidence from the fecal metabolome and gut microbiome

Summary

This study examined how macaque monkeys living on the high Tibetan Plateau adapt to harsh conditions. Researchers found that high-altitude macaques have darker feces containing more stercobilin, a pigment from red blood cell breakdown. Their gut bacteria are specially adapted to process this increased bilirubin from the extra red blood cells produced at high altitude. Interestingly, high-altitude macaques also eat medicinal mushrooms like Ganoderma lucidum, which may help them cope with the stress and low oxygen levels.

Background

Animals living in high-altitude environments like the Tibetan Plateau face harsh conditions including hypoxia, cold, and intense UV radiation. These environmental stresses trigger physiological adaptations such as increased red blood cell production and turnover. These adaptations may be associated with changes in gut microbial communities that process bilirubin from red blood cell turnover.

Objective

To investigate whether macaques living at high altitudes show higher fecal stercobilin concentrations and enriched gut microbes involved in urobilinogen reduction compared to low-altitude populations. The study also examined how environmental stress and dietary differences influence gut microbiome composition and function across different altitudes.

Results

High-altitude macaque feces showed significantly higher stercobilin concentrations and enriched gut microbes involved in urobilinogen reduction, including genes encoding beta-glucuronidase. Spatial-temporal changes in gut microbial function were more pronounced in low-altitude macaques, likely due to greater seasonal dietary variation. High-altitude macaques showed enriched porphyrin metabolism, apoptosis pathways, and evidence of consuming Ganoderma species with antioxidant properties.

Conclusion

High-altitude environmental stress influences both macaque physiology and their symbiotic gut microbiota composition and function. The gut microbiome appears to respond to hypoxia-induced physiological changes through enrichment of bacteria involved in bilirubin metabolism, while dietary differences between altitudes further shape microbial communities.
  • Published in:Evolutionary Applications,
  • Study Type:Observational comparative study,
  • Source: 10.1111/eva.13595, PMID: 38020871
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