Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting
Abstract Few field tests have assessed the effects of predator-induced stress on prey fitness, particularly in large carnivore-ungulate systems. Because traditional measures of stress present limitations when applied to free-ranging animals, new strategies and systemic methodologies are needed. Rece...
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2021-03-01
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85600-z |
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doaj-c98b5508fa3a43458de12da8847dad4d2021-03-21T12:37:41ZengNature Publishing GroupScientific Reports2045-23222021-03-0111111310.1038/s41598-021-85600-zDetecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprintingAzzurra Valerio0C. Steven Borrego1Luigi Boitani2Luca Casadei3Alessandro Giuliani4Robert B. Wielgus5Stephanie L. Simek6Mariacristina Valerio7School of the Environment, Washington State UniversitySchool of the Environment, Washington State UniversityDepartment of Biology and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of RomeSchool of the Environment, Washington State UniversityDepartment of Environment and Health, National Institute of HealthSchool of the Environment, Washington State UniversityWashington Department of Fish and WildlifeSchool of the Environment, Washington State UniversityAbstract Few field tests have assessed the effects of predator-induced stress on prey fitness, particularly in large carnivore-ungulate systems. Because traditional measures of stress present limitations when applied to free-ranging animals, new strategies and systemic methodologies are needed. Recent studies have shown that stress and anxiety related behaviors can influence the metabolic activity of the gut microbiome in mammal hosts, and these metabolic alterations may aid in identification of stress. In this study, we used NMR-based fecal metabolomic fingerprinting to compare the fecal metabolome, a functional readout of the gut microbiome, of cattle herds grazing in low vs. high wolf-impacted areas within three wolf pack territories. Additionally, we evaluated if other factors (e.g., cattle nutritional state, climate, landscape) besides wolf presence were related to the variation in cattle metabolism. By collecting longitudinal fecal samples from GPS-collared cattle, we found relevant metabolic differences between cattle herds in areas where the probability of wolf pack interaction was higher. Moreover, cattle distance to GPS-collared wolves was the factor most correlated with this difference in cattle metabolism, potentially reflecting the variation in wolf predation risk. We further validated our results through a regression model that reconstructed cattle distances to GPS-collared wolves based on the metabolic difference between cattle herds. Although further research is needed to explore if similar patterns also hold at a finer scale, our results suggests that fecal metabolomic fingerprinting is a promising tool for assessing the physiological responses of prey to predation risk. This novel approach will help improve our knowledge of the consequences of predators beyond the direct effect of predation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85600-z |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Azzurra Valerio C. Steven Borrego Luigi Boitani Luca Casadei Alessandro Giuliani Robert B. Wielgus Stephanie L. Simek Mariacristina Valerio |
spellingShingle |
Azzurra Valerio C. Steven Borrego Luigi Boitani Luca Casadei Alessandro Giuliani Robert B. Wielgus Stephanie L. Simek Mariacristina Valerio Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting Scientific Reports |
author_facet |
Azzurra Valerio C. Steven Borrego Luigi Boitani Luca Casadei Alessandro Giuliani Robert B. Wielgus Stephanie L. Simek Mariacristina Valerio |
author_sort |
Azzurra Valerio |
title |
Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
title_short |
Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
title_full |
Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
title_fullStr |
Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
title_full_unstemmed |
Detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
title_sort |
detecting the effects of predator-induced stress on the global metabolism of an ungulate prey using fecal metabolomic fingerprinting |
publisher |
Nature Publishing Group |
series |
Scientific Reports |
issn |
2045-2322 |
publishDate |
2021-03-01 |
description |
Abstract Few field tests have assessed the effects of predator-induced stress on prey fitness, particularly in large carnivore-ungulate systems. Because traditional measures of stress present limitations when applied to free-ranging animals, new strategies and systemic methodologies are needed. Recent studies have shown that stress and anxiety related behaviors can influence the metabolic activity of the gut microbiome in mammal hosts, and these metabolic alterations may aid in identification of stress. In this study, we used NMR-based fecal metabolomic fingerprinting to compare the fecal metabolome, a functional readout of the gut microbiome, of cattle herds grazing in low vs. high wolf-impacted areas within three wolf pack territories. Additionally, we evaluated if other factors (e.g., cattle nutritional state, climate, landscape) besides wolf presence were related to the variation in cattle metabolism. By collecting longitudinal fecal samples from GPS-collared cattle, we found relevant metabolic differences between cattle herds in areas where the probability of wolf pack interaction was higher. Moreover, cattle distance to GPS-collared wolves was the factor most correlated with this difference in cattle metabolism, potentially reflecting the variation in wolf predation risk. We further validated our results through a regression model that reconstructed cattle distances to GPS-collared wolves based on the metabolic difference between cattle herds. Although further research is needed to explore if similar patterns also hold at a finer scale, our results suggests that fecal metabolomic fingerprinting is a promising tool for assessing the physiological responses of prey to predation risk. This novel approach will help improve our knowledge of the consequences of predators beyond the direct effect of predation. |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85600-z |
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