Wild wood mouse gut microbiota are influenced by captivity and cross-fostering

Core gut microbiome ASVs in wood mice increase from 9 in Wild:As to 138 in Lab:Mm, with community composition and predicted function tracking cohort history.

• Why it matters: It remains unclear whether captivity reshapes microbiomes mainly by eroding diversity or by reorganizing community structure and function, and how microbial history and host identity contribute.
• What they did: Wood mice were studied across Wild:As, a wild-derived captive colony Wild-like:As maintained for over a decade, and a caesarean rederived cross-fostered Lab-like:As colony in Mus musculus; diversity, composition, and predicted functional potential were compared across these cohorts and Lab:Mm.
• The result: Lab-associated states show stronger shifts in composition consistency and predicted function than in taxonomic diversity alone, enabling controlled tests of how microbiome history and host context affect physiology and environmental responses.

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