High-resolution diet-microbiome associations in the Scandinavian wolverine

Host-associated microbiomes are crucial components of the well-being of animals.

Potential disruptions to animals’ gut microbiota, caused by e.g. dietary changes or disease, can have negative consequences on their health and reproduction. Yet, they are severely understudied in wild animals.

To advance our understanding of the role of gut microbiota in wildlife, I have planned a project to study diet-microbiome interactions in a key predator and scavenger, the Scandinavian wolverine.

I plan to use DNA metabarcoding approaches to analyze hundreds of samples across the wolverine´s Swedish distribution.

The project includes four main objectives:Characterize the wolverine diet with high precision and evaluate differences across regions and among males and females,Describe the currently unknown wolverine gut microbiota and determine the factors shaping it,Identify key associations between diet and gut microbiota in the wolverine,Determine the impact of captivity on the gut microbiota of zoo wolverines and its associations with health.The results of this multidisciplinary project will provide novel information on how diet composition and diversity can shape gut microbiota in a wild carnivore, and yield insights into the impacts of captivity on animal microbiomes.

Improving our understanding of what intrinsic and extrinsic factors structure the microbiota of wild animals is necessary for species conservation efforts and ultimately maintaining wildlife and ecosystem health.