scholarly journals Ecological and evolutionary adaptations shape the gut microbiome of BaAka African rainforest hunter-gatherers

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andres Gomez ◽  
Klara Petrzelkova ◽  
Carl J Yeoman ◽  
Micahel B Burns ◽  
Katherine R Amato ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Evolutionary Adaptation ◽  
Immune Functions ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Impacts ◽  
Pathogen Load ◽  
Immunity Genes ◽  
Potential Pathogenicity

The gut microbiome provides access to otherwise unavailable metabolic and immune functions, likely affecting mammalian fitness and evolution. To investigate how this microbial ecosystem impacts evolutionary adaptation of humans to particular habitats, we explore the gut microbiome and metabolome of the BaAka rainforest hunter-gatherers from Central Africa. The data demonstrate that the BaAka harbor a colonic ecosystem dominated by Prevotellaceae and other taxa likely related to an increased capacity to metabolize plant structural polysaccharides, phenolics, and lipids. A comparative analysis shows that the BaAka gut microbiome shares similar patterns with that of the Hadza, another hunter-gatherer population from Tanzania. Nevertheless, the BaAka harbor significantly higher bacterial diversity and pathogen load compared to the Hadza, as well as other Western populations. We show that the traits unique to the BaAka microbiome and metabolome likely reflect adaptations to hunter-gatherer lifestyles and particular subsistence patterns. We hypothesize that the observed increase in microbial diversity and potential pathogenicity in the BaAka microbiome has been facilitated by evolutionary adaptations in immunity genes, resulting in a more tolerant immune system.

scholarly journals Oral–Gut Microbiome Axis in Gastrointestinal Disease and Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2124
Author(s):  
Se-Young Park ◽  
Byeong-Oh Hwang ◽  
Mihwa Lim ◽  
Seung-Ho Ok ◽  
Sun-Kyoung Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Oral Microbiota ◽  
Microbial Interaction ◽  
Barrier Dysfunction ◽  
Gut Barrier ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Precise Diagnosis

It is well-known that microbiota dysbiosis is closely associated with numerous diseases in the human body. The oral cavity and gut are the two largest microbial habitats, playing a major role in microbiome-associated diseases. Even though the oral cavity and gut are continuous regions connected through the gastrointestinal tract, the oral and gut microbiome profiles are well-segregated due to the oral–gut barrier. However, the oral microbiota can translocate to the intestinal mucosa in conditions of the oral–gut barrier dysfunction. Inversely, the gut-to-oral microbial transmission occurs as well in inter- and intrapersonal manners. Recently, it has been reported that oral and gut microbiomes interdependently regulate physiological functions and pathological processes. Oral-to-gut and gut-to-oral microbial transmissions can shape and/or reshape the microbial ecosystem in both habitats, eventually modulating pathogenesis of disease. However, the oral–gut microbial interaction in pathogenesis has been underappreciated to date. Here, we will highlight the oral–gut microbiome crosstalk and its implications in the pathogenesis of the gastrointestinal disease and cancer. Better understanding the role of the oral–gut microbiome axis in pathogenesis will be advantageous for precise diagnosis/prognosis and effective treatment.

The Bantu Expansion

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koen Bostoen
Keyword(s):  
Late Holocene ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Stone Tools ◽  
Technological Innovations ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Bantu Languages ◽  
Speech Communities ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa

The Bantu Expansion stands for the concurrent dispersal of Bantu languages and Bantu-speaking people from an ancestral homeland situated in the Grassfields region in the borderland between current-day Nigeria and Cameroon. During their initial migration across most of Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa, which took place between approximately 5,000 and 1,500 years ago, Bantu speech communities not only introduced new languages in the areas where they immigrated but also new lifestyles, in which initially technological innovations such as pottery making and the use of large stone tools played an important role as did subsequently also farming and metallurgy. Wherever early Bantu speakers started to develop a sedentary way of life, they left an archaeologically visible culture. Once settled, Bantu-speaking newcomers strongly interacted with autochthonous hunter-gatherers, as is still visible in the gene pool and/or the languages of certain present-day Bantu speech communities. The driving forces behind what is the principal linguistic, cultural, and demographic process in Late Holocene Africa are still a matter of debate, but it is increasingly accepted that the climate-induced destruction of the rainforest in West Central Africa around 2,500 years ago gave a boost to the Bantu Expansion.

The Prehistoric Sequence at Nakapapula Rockshelter, Zambia

1970 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 172-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. W. Phillipson
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Early Iron Age ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Late Stone Age ◽  
Age Sequence ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

Considerable attention has recently been paid to the start of the Iron Age in East and Central Africa. One of the most interesting problems concerning this period is that of the relationship of the Early Iron Age farming people to the hunter-gatherers of the Late Stone Age whom they eventually displaced. Very few archaeological sites are known, and none have yet been published, which illustrate the Late Stone Age/Iron Age transition in Central Africa, and discussions of this and related problems have so far been largely based on conjecture. Evidence concerning this important transition was recently unearthed at Nakapapula rockshelter in the Serenje District of central Zambia. Here a long and relatively homogeneous Late Stone Age sequence of Nachikufan type was seen to continue into the 2nd millennium A.D., that is, well after the first appearance of Early Iron Age pottery at this site and elsewhere in Zambia. Nakapapula has also yielded the first archaeological evidence for the date of schematic rock art in Central Africa and confirmed its contemporaneity with the Early Iron Age.

scholarly journals Depression for Surviving Ancestral Hardships

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Sheill
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Diagnosis ◽  
Sexual Interest ◽  
Evolutionary Adaptation ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Long Term Survival ◽  
Loved One ◽  
Human Behaviors ◽  
Peripartum Period

Although researchers have attempted to explain depression as an evolutionary adaptation, those prior attempts have been incomplete at explaining the phenomena and ineffective at providing treatment tools. The discussion provided in this paper attempts to improve the theory and point to effective tools. Depression dims hope and leads to a reduction in most non-essential human behaviors: sexual interest fades, and pleasurable activities can lose their appeal. A clinical diagnosis of depression can persist for weeks, months, and sometimes even years. This paper theorizes that depression, similar to fear, evolved due to recurring ancestral hardship situations that involved elevated risks of subsequent starvation and other dangers. Depression can be considered a key partner to the hunger adaptation for long-term survival since nutritional calories were precious and not to be misspent unproductively. Evidence to support this theory of depression is provided based on situations that trigger depression and a general understanding of how our ancestral hunter-gatherers managed risks individually and cooperatively. This theory may also explain some other puzzling observations associated with depression: the connections among hoarding, depression, infertility, and immunosuppression, why depression occurs in the peripartum period and following the death of a loved one, the anxiety that depressed people often feel, why depression persists for extended periods, and the remarkable physiological similarities between depression in humans and animal hibernation. Recommendations for treating people with depression are to make them healthy, well-fed, productive, and valued by others.

scholarly journals Interplay between the human gut microbiome and host metabolism

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessia Visconti ◽  
Caroline I. Le Roy ◽  
Fabio Rosa ◽  
Niccolo Rossi ◽  
Tiphaine C. Martin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Taxonomic Composition ◽  
Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Human Gut ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Microbiome Composition ◽  
Shotgun Metagenomic Sequencing ◽  
Key Species

AbstractThe human gut is inhabited by a complex and metabolically active microbial ecosystem regulating host health. While many studies have focused on the effect of individual microbial taxa, the metabolic potential of the entire gut microbial ecosystem has been largely under-explored. We characterised the gut microbiome of 1,004 twins via whole shotgun metagenomic sequencing (average 39M reads per sample). We observed greater similarity, across unrelated individuals, for functional metabolic pathways (82%) than for taxonomic composition (43%). We conducted a microbiota-wide association study linking both taxonomic information and microbial metabolic pathways with 673 blood and 713 faecal metabolites (Metabolon, Inc.). Metabolic pathways associated with 34% of blood and 95% of faecal metabolites, with over 18,000 significant associations, while species-level results identified less than 3,000 associations, suggesting that coordinated action of multiple taxa is required to affect the metabolome. Finally, we estimated that the microbiome mediated a crosstalk between 71% of faecal and 15% of blood metabolites, highlighting six key species (unclassified Subdoligranulum spp., Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Roseburia inulinivorans, Methanobrevibacter smithii, Eubacterium rectale, and Akkermansia muciniphila). Because of the large inter-person variability in microbiome composition, our results underline the importance of studying gut microbial metabolic pathways rather than focusing purely on taxonomy to find therapeutic and diagnostic targets.

The gut microbiota in pigs: ecology and biotherapeutics

2022 ◽  
pp. 129-164
Author(s):  
Thomas C. A. Hitch ◽  
◽  
David Wylensek ◽  
Jürgen Harlizius ◽  
Thomas Clavel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Bacterial Consortia

The community of microorganisms inhabiting the intestine of mammals are referred to as the gut microbiome and are known to influence the health of their host. Despite extensive work in the last decades, we still know remarkably little about their diversity and the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions with the host. After reviewing the main methods used to analyse gut microbiomes, we summarize data on the structural and functional diversity of the microbial ecosystem in pigs and also highlight the potential of cultivation and applications based on the use of minimal bacterial consortia.

Oral–Gut Microbiome Axis in Gastrointestinal Disease and Cancer

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1748
Author(s):  
Se-Young Park ◽  
Byeong-Oh Hwang ◽  
Mihwa Lim ◽  
Seung Ho Ok ◽  
Sun Kyoung Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Cavity ◽  
Gut Microbiome ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Oral Microbiota ◽  
Microbial Interaction ◽  
Barrier Dysfunction ◽  
Gut Barrier ◽  
Microbial Ecosystem ◽  
Precise Diagnosis

It is well-known that microbiota dysbiosis is closely associated with numerous diseases in the human body. The oral cavity and gut are the two largest microbial habitats, playing a major role in microbiome-associated diseases. Even though the oral cavity and gut are continuous regions connected through the gastrointestinal tract, the oral and gut microbiome profiles are well-segregated due to the oral–gut barrier. However, the oral microbiota can translocate to the intestinal mucosa in conditions of the oral–gut barrier dysfunction. Inversely, the gut-to-oral microbial transmission occurs as well in inter- and intrapersonal manners. Recently, it has been reported that oral and gut microbiomes interdependently regulate physiological functions and pathological processes. Oral-to-gut and gut-to-oral microbial transmissions can shape and/or reshape the microbial ecosystem in both habitats, eventually modulating pathogenesis of disease. However, the oral–gut microbial interaction in pathogenesis has been underappreciated to date. Here, we will highlight the oral–gut microbiome crosstalk and its implications in the pathogenesis of the gastrointestinal disease and cancer. Better understanding the role of the oral–gut microbiome axis in pathogenesis will be advantageous for precise diagnosis/prognosis and effective treatment.

scholarly journals Origins and Genetic Diversity of Pygmy Hunter-Gatherers from Western Central Africa

2009 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Verdu ◽  
Frederic Austerlitz ◽  
Arnaud Estoup ◽  
Renaud Vitalis ◽  
Myriam Georges ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Hunter Gatherers

scholarly journals Social learning among Congo Basin hunter–gatherers

2011 ◽  
Vol 366 (1567) ◽  
pp. 1168-1178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barry S. Hewlett ◽  
Hillary N. Fouts ◽  
Adam H. Boyette ◽  
Bonnie L. Hewlett
Keyword(s):  
Social Learning ◽  
Cultural Transmission ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Congo Basin ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Hunter Gatherers

This paper explores childhood social learning among Aka and Bofi hunter–gatherers in Central Africa. Existing literature suggests that hunter–gatherer social learning is primarily vertical (parent-to-child) and that teaching is rare. We use behavioural observations, open-ended and semi-structured interviews, and informal and anecdotal observations to examine the modes (e.g. vertical versus horizontal/oblique) and processes (e.g. teaching versus observation and imitation) of cultural transmission. Cultural and demographic contexts of social learning associated with the modes and processes of cultural transmission are described. Hunter–gatherer social learning occurred early, was relatively rapid, primarily vertical under age 5 and oblique and horizontal between the ages of 6 and 12. Pedagogy and other forms of teaching existed as early as 12 months of age, but were relatively infrequent by comparison to other processes of social learning such as observation and imitation.

scholarly journals Limited dispersal in mobile hunter–gatherer Baka Pygmies

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 858-861 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Verdu ◽  
Raphaël Leblois ◽  
Alain Froment ◽  
Sylvain Théry ◽  
Serge Bahuchet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Genetics ◽  
Genetic Markers ◽  
Strong Correlation ◽  
Isolation By Distance ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Dispersal Behaviour ◽  
Hunter Gatherers ◽  
Limited Dispersal ◽  
Geographical Distances

Hunter–gatherer Pygmies from Central Africa are described as being extremely mobile. Using neutral genetic markers and population genetics theory, we explored the dispersal behaviour of the Baka Pygmies from Cameroon, one of the largest Pygmy populations in Central Africa. We found a strong correlation between genetic and geographical distances: a pattern of isolation by distance arising from limited parent–offspring dispersal. Our study suggests that mobile hunter–gatherers do not necessarily disperse over wide geographical areas.

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