New challenges in the study of the evolution of wild animals and their gut microbiome

Abstract

In this viewpoint, by reviewing the recent findings on wild animals and their gut microbiomes, we found some potential new insights and challenges in the study of the evolution of wild animals and their gut microbiome. We suggested that wild animal gut microbiomes may come from microbiomes in the animals' living habitats along with animals' special behavior, and that the study of long-term changes in gut microbiomes should consider both habitat and special behaviors. Also, host behavior would facilitate the gut microbiome transmission between individuals. We suggested that research should integrate the evolutionary history and physiological systems of wild animals to understand the evolution of animals and their gut microbiomes. Finally, we proposed the Noncultured-Cultured-Fermentation-Model Animal pipeline to determine the function (diet digestion, physiology, and behavior) of these target strains in the wild animal gut.