RESUMEN
Urbanization significantly impacts wild populations, favoring urban dweller species over those that are unable to adapt to rapid changes. These differential adaptative abilities could be mediated by the microbiome, which may modulate the host phenotype rapidly through a high degree of flexibility. Conversely, under anthropic perturbations, the microbiota of some species could be disrupted, resulting in dysbiosis and negative impacts on host fitness. The links between the impact of urbanization on host communities and their gut microbiota (GM) have only been scarcely explored. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the bacterial composition of the GM could play a role in host adaptation to urban environments. We described the GM of several species of small terrestrial mammals sampled in forested areas along a gradient of urbanization, using a 16S metabarcoding approach. We tested whether urbanization led to changes in small mammal communities and in their GM, considering the presence and abundance of bacterial taxa and their putative functions. This enabled to decipher the processes underlying these changes. We found potential impacts of urbanization on small mammal communities and their GM. The urban dweller species had a lower bacterial taxonomic diversity but a higher functional diversity and a different composition compared to urban adapter species. Their GM assembly was mostly governed by stochastic effects, potentially indicating dysbiosis. Selection processes and an overabundance of functions were detected that could be associated with adaptation to urban environments despite dysbiosis. In urban adapter species, the GM functional diversity and composition remained relatively stable along the urbanization gradient. This observation can be explained by functional redundancy, where certain taxa express the same function. This could favor the adaptation of urban adapter species in various environments, including urban settings. We can therefore assume that there are feedbacks between the gut microbiota and host species within communities, enabling rapid adaptation.
RESUMEN
Background: Understanding the relationships between wildlife biodiversity and zoonotic infectious diseases in a changing climate is a challenging issue that scientists must address to support further policy actions. We aim at tackling this challenge by focusing on small mammal-borne diseases in temperate forests and large urban green spaces. Small mammals are important reservoirs of zoonotic agents, with a high transmission potential for humans and domestic animals. Forests and large urban green spaces are ecosystems where efforts are undertaken to preserve biodiversity. They are put forward for their contribution to human well-being in addition to other ecosystem services (e.g. provisioning and regulating services). Moreover, forests and large urban green spaces are environments where small mammals are abundant and human/domestic-wildlife interactions are plausible to occur. These environments are, therefore, focal points for conservation management and public health issues. New information: The European Biodiversa BioRodDis project (https://www6.inrae.fr/biodiversa-bioroddis) aims at better understanding the relationships between small terrestrial mammal biodiversity and health in the context of global change and, in particular, of forest anthropisation and urbanisation. Here, we present the data gathered in France. The dataset will enable us to describe the diversity of small terrestrial mammal communities in forested areas corresponding to different levels of anthropisation and to evaluate the variability of this diversity over time, between seasons and years.The dataset contains occurrences of small terrestrial mammals (Rodentia and Soricomorpha) trapped in forested areas in eastern France (administrative Departments: Rhône, Ain, Jura). The sampling sites correspond to different degrees of anthropisation. Forests included in biological reserves are the least anthropised sites. Then, public forests and urban parks experience increasing levels of anthropisation. Data were collected during spring and autumn 2020 (three to four sampling sites), 2021 (six sampling sites) and 2022 (four sampling sites). These variations in the number of sites between years were due to lockdown restrictions in 2020 or to the legal authorisation to trap around biological reserves granted in 2021 only. The capture of animals was carried out in various types of forests (pine, deciduous, mixed) and in different habitats within urban parks (wooded areas, buildings, hay storage yards, riverside vegetation, restaurants, playground for kids, botanical garden, landfills). Animals were captured using live traps that were set on the ground for one to 11 nights. During this study period, 1593 small mammals were trapped and identified. They belong to 15 species, amongst which were nine species of rodents (Muridae, Cricetidae, Gliridae) and six species of shrews (Soricidae). They were weighted (gram) and measured (cm): head-body length, tail length and hind-foot length. Sexual characteristics were also recorded.
RESUMEN
Aminoaldehydes are products of polyamine degradation and are known to be reactive metabolites that are toxic to living cells at high concentrations. These compounds are catabolized by aminoaldehyde dehydrogenases, which are enzymes that contain a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide coenzyme. Aminoaldehyde dehydrogenase from Pisum sativum was overexpressed in Escherichia coli, purified and crystallized using the hanging-drop method. A complete data set was collected to 2.8 A resolution at 100 K. Crystals belong to the monoclinic space group P2(1), with unit-cell parameters a = 86.4, b = 216.6, c = 205.4 A, beta = 98.1 degrees. Molecular replacement was performed and led to the identification of six dimers per asymmetric unit.