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Unexpected discovery in study of giraffe gut flora shows species impacts microbiome

The gut bacteria of giraffes are not primarily determined by what they eat, but by the species they belong to. This is shown in a new study from Uppsala University and Brown University in which researchers have analyzed the link between diet and gut flora in three giraffe species in Kenya. The study also provides new knowledge that can help secure the food supply of endangered giraffe species.

In a new study in Global Ecology and Conservation, researchers have analyzed the relationship between the diet and microbiome, or gut flora, of giraffes in Kenya. By sequencing plant and bacterial DNA from fecal samples, they were able to investigate both the bacterial composition of the gut and which plants wild giraffes had eaten.

The researchers collected samples from three different species, the reticulated giraffe, the Masai giraffe and the northern giraffe, which live around the equator in Kenya. They found that the microbiome was primarily determined by the species they belonged to, not by what they ate.

"We expected that giraffes with similar diets would also have similar microbiomes, but we found no such connection. Instead, we saw that giraffes seem to maintain species-specific microbiomes, even when individuals within the same species may eat completely different sets of plants. This suggests that the microbiome may have an evolutionary component that we do not yet fully understand," says Elin Videvall, researcher at Uppsala University and lead author of the study.

Important for the conservation of endangered giraffes

Geography also played a major role in what they ate. Giraffes of the same species consumed different types of food depending on where they lived. As all three species are endangered, any knowledge of what they eat can be important information, especially when planning which areas are important to preserve to ensure access to nourishment.

"We began this study as an international collaboration between academics and conservation professionals. We hope our research can provide better insight into giraffe diets and help support the conservation of giraffes," says Tyler Kartzinel, Associate Professor at Brown University and senior author of the study.