With increasing biodiversity threats such as global climate change and wildlife disease, more animal individuals and species are entering environments under human care. For example, conservation biologists are increasingly turning towards captive-rearing techniques to breed or raise animals to supplement existing populations and prevent devastating biodiversity losses. Zoos, aviaries, and other such animal management organizations play a critical role in these efforts while also teaching the public about biodiversity, animal biology, and conservation.
Environmental complexity, or habitat enrichment, is beneficial for animals under human care through increasing wellness, reintroduction success, and the biological reality of experimental systems. However, researchers and conservation agencies are often working with limited resources, both in finances and the time to explore new husbandry options. Thus, there is an incomplete understanding of how specific husbandry decisions may impact animal wellness, physiology, and interactions with microbes (beneficial and pathogenic). Further, the conditions for research animals may have impacts on experimental outcomes. We have been working to understand the captive environment through experimental modifications to animal husbandry techniques such as inclusion of enrichment, modifications to diet, or environmental microbial exposures. Collectively, this work will provide insights into improvements to animal wellbeing, the success of reintroduction efforts, and human-animal relations.
Representative Publications
Kohl, K.D., Skopec, M.M., Dearing, M.D. (2014) Captivity results in disparate loss of gut microbial diversity in closely related hosts. Conservation Physiology. 2: cou009. [Link] [PDF]
Kohl, K.D., Brun, A., Magallanes, M., Brinkerhoff, J.D., Laspiur, A., Acosta, J.C., Caviedes-Vidal, E., Bordenstein, S.R. (2017) Gut microbial ecology of lizards: insights into diversity in the wild, effects of captivity, variation across gut regions, and transmission. Molecular Ecology. 26: 1175-1189. [Link]
Martínez-Mota, R., Kohl, K.D., Orr, T.J., Dearing, M.D. (2020) Natural diets promote retention of the native gut microbiota in captive rodents. ISME Journal. Online Ahead of Print. [link]
Environmental complexity, or habitat enrichment, is beneficial for animals under human care through increasing wellness, reintroduction success, and the biological reality of experimental systems. However, researchers and conservation agencies are often working with limited resources, both in finances and the time to explore new husbandry options. Thus, there is an incomplete understanding of how specific husbandry decisions may impact animal wellness, physiology, and interactions with microbes (beneficial and pathogenic). Further, the conditions for research animals may have impacts on experimental outcomes. We have been working to understand the captive environment through experimental modifications to animal husbandry techniques such as inclusion of enrichment, modifications to diet, or environmental microbial exposures. Collectively, this work will provide insights into improvements to animal wellbeing, the success of reintroduction efforts, and human-animal relations.
Representative Publications
Kohl, K.D., Skopec, M.M., Dearing, M.D. (2014) Captivity results in disparate loss of gut microbial diversity in closely related hosts. Conservation Physiology. 2: cou009. [Link] [PDF]
Kohl, K.D., Brun, A., Magallanes, M., Brinkerhoff, J.D., Laspiur, A., Acosta, J.C., Caviedes-Vidal, E., Bordenstein, S.R. (2017) Gut microbial ecology of lizards: insights into diversity in the wild, effects of captivity, variation across gut regions, and transmission. Molecular Ecology. 26: 1175-1189. [Link]
Martínez-Mota, R., Kohl, K.D., Orr, T.J., Dearing, M.D. (2020) Natural diets promote retention of the native gut microbiota in captive rodents. ISME Journal. Online Ahead of Print. [link]
