About this Research Topic
The gut microbiome of wildlife refers to the diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, archaea, viruses, and fungi, that inhabit the gastrointestinal tracts of wild animals. This microbial community plays a crucial role in the health and well-being of these animals, influencing digestion, immune function, and overall physiology. In the realm of vertebrate biology, the gut microbiome represents a complex assembly of microorganisms that are foundational to host health, nutrition, and resilience, influencing survival and adaptability. The intricate relationships between these microbial communities and their animal hosts are critical for both understanding fundamental biological and ecological processes and implementing successful conservation strategies. Recent studies have illuminated aspects of these interactions, highlighting significant variances in microbiome composition and functionality across species and environments, yet gaps remain in our comprehension of their full ecological impacts and conservation potential.
The Research Topic is dedicated to advancing research on the dynamic interactions within wildlife gut microbiomes, focusing on understanding how these microbiotas influence and respond to their environment and conservation contexts. The goal is to expand our scientific understanding by integrating microbiome research with wildlife conservation efforts to devise and refine strategies that enhance survival and ecosystem health.
The research scope for this topic is defined within the constraints of current scientific methodologies and real-world conservation needs. Contributions can include original research articles, reviews, method papers, and short communications that not only enhance our understanding of the wildlife gut microbiome but also translate these findings into actionable insights for ecological management and conservation policy.
To further our understanding in this field, we invite contributions that touch on, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Diversity and Functionality: Investigations into the composition of the gut microbiome across different wildlife species, and how these microbial communities contribute to host nutrition, health, and disease resistance.
- Environmental Interactions: Research that explores how changes in the natural habitat, including availability of food resources and environmental stressors, affect the composition and function of the gut microbiome.
- Conservation Implications: Studies that address how knowledge of the gut microbiome can inform conservation strategies, enhance rehabilitation efforts, and support the reintroduction of species into the wild.
- Microbiome and Host Evolution: Insights into how the gut microbiome co-evolves with its vertebrate host and what this means for the adaptability and resilience of wildlife populations.
- Methodological Innovations: Advances in microbiome research methodologies, from sampling techniques to microbiome analysis and interpretation, tailored to the challenges of working with wildlife.
- Disease and Microbiomes: Studies on wildlife gut microbiomes and their role in health and disease, their response to environmental changes, and their interactions with the host's gut health.
This initiative aims to bridge the gap between microbiome science and conservation practice and it hopes to foster a deeper appreciation of the intricate microbial networks that reside within wildlife, reinforcing the essential role of microbial communities and underscoring their importance in maintaining and sustaining vertebrate health and biodiversity in natural ecosystems.
The Research Topic is dedicated to advancing research on the dynamic interactions within wildlife gut microbiomes, focusing on understanding how these microbiotas influence and respond to their environment and conservation contexts. The goal is to expand our scientific understanding by integrating microbiome research with wildlife conservation efforts to devise and refine strategies that enhance survival and ecosystem health.
The research scope for this topic is defined within the constraints of current scientific methodologies and real-world conservation needs. Contributions can include original research articles, reviews, method papers, and short communications that not only enhance our understanding of the wildlife gut microbiome but also translate these findings into actionable insights for ecological management and conservation policy.
To further our understanding in this field, we invite contributions that touch on, but are not limited to, the following themes:
- Diversity and Functionality: Investigations into the composition of the gut microbiome across different wildlife species, and how these microbial communities contribute to host nutrition, health, and disease resistance.
- Environmental Interactions: Research that explores how changes in the natural habitat, including availability of food resources and environmental stressors, affect the composition and function of the gut microbiome.
- Conservation Implications: Studies that address how knowledge of the gut microbiome can inform conservation strategies, enhance rehabilitation efforts, and support the reintroduction of species into the wild.
- Microbiome and Host Evolution: Insights into how the gut microbiome co-evolves with its vertebrate host and what this means for the adaptability and resilience of wildlife populations.
- Methodological Innovations: Advances in microbiome research methodologies, from sampling techniques to microbiome analysis and interpretation, tailored to the challenges of working with wildlife.
- Disease and Microbiomes: Studies on wildlife gut microbiomes and their role in health and disease, their response to environmental changes, and their interactions with the host's gut health.
This initiative aims to bridge the gap between microbiome science and conservation practice and it hopes to foster a deeper appreciation of the intricate microbial networks that reside within wildlife, reinforcing the essential role of microbial communities and underscoring their importance in maintaining and sustaining vertebrate health and biodiversity in natural ecosystems.
Keywords: Wildlife Gut Microbiome, Wildlife Disease and Microbiomes, Faecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) in Conservation, Gut Microbiota and Biodiversity, Gut health
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.
