Apex Predator Exposure to Pesticides Associated with Gut Microbiota Alterations

Abstract

The gut microbiota, which ensures essential physiological functions for its host, can be disrupted by environmental perturbations. We show an assessment of gut microbiota disruption with exposure to several pesticides in a wild apex predator. We find alterations in key gut bacterial taxa abundances with possible impacts on host fitness, assuming a potential dysbiosis. This study sheds light on a significant perspective in our understanding of the potential harmful effects of pesticides on organisms, including humans, mediated by the gut microbiota.

Keywords: bacterial communities, cloaca, dysbiosis, farmland bird, microbiome, pollutants