Biodiv Sci ›› 2023, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (11): 23214.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2023214

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Advances in research on the relationship between microbial diversity in the animal digestive tract and coevolution with the host

Guangxu E1, Tiantian Bai2, Zhenyu Zhu1, Xuefeng Guo1,2,3,*()   

  1. 1 College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang 843300
    2 College of Life Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar, Xinjiang 843300
    3 Key Laboratory of Tarim Livestock Science and Technology Corps, Alar, Xinjiang 843300
  • Received:2023-06-25 Accepted:2023-10-18 Online:2023-11-20 Published:2023-12-08
  • Contact: * E-mail: gxfdky@126.com

Abstract:

Background: The digestive tracts of animals host intricate microbial communities that play a crucial role in the physiological and metabolic processes of the animals. Current research suggests that the evolution and diversity of these digestive tract microbiota are influenced by factors such as the animals’ living environment, dietary habits, and lifestyle. Furthermore, the composition and function of the microbial communities in the digestive tract can also impact the animals’ evolution. The interaction between parasitic and host species is acknowledged as a significant driving force for microbial diversity during the evolutionary processes of both.

Progress This paper focuses on the interaction between animals and digestive tract microorganisms, summarizes the evolutionary relationship between animals and digestive tract microorganisms and the composition of digestive tract microflora in different animals, and discusses the relationship between animals and digestive tract microflora in adaptive evolution and the dominant microorganisms in digestive tract of different animals. Despite the diversity of gut microbial composition in animals, it was found that 70% to 90% of gut microbial communities in most animals still come from the phyla Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which may be due to their significant role in the degradation of complex carbohydrates.

Conclusion: Current research should take into account the definition of the evolutionary trend of animals and digestive tract microorganisms, the speed of evolution, and the influence of competition and cooperation between animals and digestive tract microorganisms on the evolutionary relationship between the two, so as to verify its accuracy.

Key words: animals, digestive tract, digestive tract microflora, co-evolution, diversity, dominant phyla