About this Research Topic
The increase in altitude is associated with significant variations in numerous environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, and light intensity. High-altitude environments present inhospitable conditions, including low oxygen levels, high UV radiation, and low temperatures, along with dramatic diurnal fluctuations in UV radiation and temperature. These factors exert considerable selection pressures on the animals inhabiting such environments, often rendering high-altitude regions natural laboratories for studying evolution and adaptation. While significant progress has been made in recent years in elucidating the mechanisms of high-altitude adaptation, we still have a long way to go in fully understanding this issue.
Throughout the evolutionary timeline, animals have formed long-lasting mutualistic relationships with their gut microbiota, resulting in a state of co-evolution marked by constant adjustment and cooperation. The gut microbiota is crucial for hosts’ essential life activities, such as digestion, nutrition, metabolism, immunity, and behaviour. From an ecological perspective, the gut microbiota is involved in the environmental adaptation, ecological differentiation, and even speciation of the hosts. The “holobiont” concept even suggests that the host and their gut microbiota can act as a unit and undergo evolutionary selection. In this regard, the gut microbiota should be considered as an important aspect that either reflects or even facilitates the adaptation of animals to high altitudes.
This research topic aims to explore the diversity, function, and evolution of the gut microbiota in high-altitude regions, with an emphasis on role of gut microbiota in the high-altitude adaptation of the hosts. This knowledge may also provide valuable insights into the health of populations living in high-altitude regions.
In this Research Topic, we are seeking original research, review articles, and mini-reviews that can help us better understand the gut microbiome and its dynamic interaction with different themes. Your work can fall into one of several categories, such as perspective, hypothesis & theory, methods, opinion, or systematic review, on themes including, but not limited to:
1. Characterization of the Gut Microbiota Associated with High Altitudes – uncovering common characteristics of high altitude-associated gut microbiota, tracking the seasonal or diurnal fluctuations in the gut microbiota of plateau- or mountain-dwelling animals, or reviewing the current knowledge on the composition, function, and ecological behaviour of the gut microbiome at high altitudes. Papers that solely focus on identifying microbiomes in individual species or populations will not be considered.
2. Altitude-dependent Variations in the Gut Microbiota and the Implications in High-altitude Adaptation - exploring the patterns of variation in the composition and function of gut microbiota along altitudinal gradients within individual species or a few closely related species, analysing the differences in diversity and function of gut microbiota between high-altitude and low-altitude animal populations.
3. Interaction Between Diet, Gut Microbiome, and High-Altitude Adaptation - exploring the correlation between host, gut microbiota, and diet variations with altitude, or investigating how dietary factors might interplay with gut microbiota and the adaptation process, particularly the effects of high-fiber food on gut microbiology and energy metabolism.
4. Mechanistic Studies on the Role of Gut Microbiota in the Host’s Physiological Adaptation – exploring the causal relationship between gut microbiota and host physiological performance either in the field or laboratory-simulated conditions. This section emphasizes the specific mechanisms through which the gut microbiome aids the host to adapt to low-oxygen, low-pressure environments.
5. Application of the High-Altitude Gut Microbiota - Assessing the use of gut microbiota to enhance the adaptation of non-high-altitude adapted species to high-altitude environments, or concepts exploring potential strategies for intentionally manipulating the gut microbiome to aid in high-altitude adaptation.
Throughout the evolutionary timeline, animals have formed long-lasting mutualistic relationships with their gut microbiota, resulting in a state of co-evolution marked by constant adjustment and cooperation. The gut microbiota is crucial for hosts’ essential life activities, such as digestion, nutrition, metabolism, immunity, and behaviour. From an ecological perspective, the gut microbiota is involved in the environmental adaptation, ecological differentiation, and even speciation of the hosts. The “holobiont” concept even suggests that the host and their gut microbiota can act as a unit and undergo evolutionary selection. In this regard, the gut microbiota should be considered as an important aspect that either reflects or even facilitates the adaptation of animals to high altitudes.
This research topic aims to explore the diversity, function, and evolution of the gut microbiota in high-altitude regions, with an emphasis on role of gut microbiota in the high-altitude adaptation of the hosts. This knowledge may also provide valuable insights into the health of populations living in high-altitude regions.
In this Research Topic, we are seeking original research, review articles, and mini-reviews that can help us better understand the gut microbiome and its dynamic interaction with different themes. Your work can fall into one of several categories, such as perspective, hypothesis & theory, methods, opinion, or systematic review, on themes including, but not limited to:
1. Characterization of the Gut Microbiota Associated with High Altitudes – uncovering common characteristics of high altitude-associated gut microbiota, tracking the seasonal or diurnal fluctuations in the gut microbiota of plateau- or mountain-dwelling animals, or reviewing the current knowledge on the composition, function, and ecological behaviour of the gut microbiome at high altitudes. Papers that solely focus on identifying microbiomes in individual species or populations will not be considered.
2. Altitude-dependent Variations in the Gut Microbiota and the Implications in High-altitude Adaptation - exploring the patterns of variation in the composition and function of gut microbiota along altitudinal gradients within individual species or a few closely related species, analysing the differences in diversity and function of gut microbiota between high-altitude and low-altitude animal populations.
3. Interaction Between Diet, Gut Microbiome, and High-Altitude Adaptation - exploring the correlation between host, gut microbiota, and diet variations with altitude, or investigating how dietary factors might interplay with gut microbiota and the adaptation process, particularly the effects of high-fiber food on gut microbiology and energy metabolism.
4. Mechanistic Studies on the Role of Gut Microbiota in the Host’s Physiological Adaptation – exploring the causal relationship between gut microbiota and host physiological performance either in the field or laboratory-simulated conditions. This section emphasizes the specific mechanisms through which the gut microbiome aids the host to adapt to low-oxygen, low-pressure environments.
5. Application of the High-Altitude Gut Microbiota - Assessing the use of gut microbiota to enhance the adaptation of non-high-altitude adapted species to high-altitude environments, or concepts exploring potential strategies for intentionally manipulating the gut microbiome to aid in high-altitude adaptation.
Keywords: High altitude environments, Gut Microbiota, Convergent adaptation, Functional Evolution, Biological adaptation, Microbial ecology
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
