Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42008544›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Gut site and sex-specific enrichment of bacterial taxa and predicted metabolic pathways in wild American black bear (Ursus americanus).

Erin A McKenney, Erik De Jesus, Taylor Hatfield, Dorian Hayes, Kaleb Holder, Christian Ivarsson, Natalie Morais, Hunter Payne, Kalle Simpson, Adrianna M Staal and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Erin A McKenneyDepartment of Applied Ecology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9874-1146
Erik De JesusDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Taylor HatfieldDepartment of Horticulture, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Dorian HayesDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Kaleb HolderDepartment of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0007-4202-4958
Christian IvarssonDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Natalie MoraisDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Hunter PayneDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Kalle SimpsonDepartment of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Adrianna M StaalDepartment of Microbiology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Holly ThompsonDepartment of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Rachael HildrethDepartment of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, United States of America.
Colleen OlfenbuttelNorth Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Wildlife Management Division, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America.
Diana J R LaffertyDepartment of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan, United States of America.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

American black bears' (Ursus americanus) omnivorous feeding strategy, simple gut morphology, and rapid transit time prevent regulation of the gut microbiome (GMB). We analyzed stable isotopes and 16S rRNA sequences from 48 wild bears to assess the impacts of diet, age, gut site, and sex on GMB composition and PICRUSt2-predicted functional pathways. While alpha and beta diversity did not differ, we identified bacterial taxa and predicted pathways enriched based on gut site and sex. Enterococcus, Incertae, Papillibacter, and Shuttleworthia were enriched in jejunum samples (linear discriminant analysis effect size ≥ 3.5, p = 0.0374); and 6 genera drove colonic Bray-Curtis distances (SIMPER): Weisella (p = 0.0099), Anaeroplasma (p = 0.0495), Megamonas (p = 0.0099), Cellulosilyticum (p = 0.0495), Escherichia-Shigella (p = 0.0396) and Ochrobactrum (p = 0.0297). EdgeR identified isoflavonoid biosynthesis (p-adj = 0.001) and isoterpenoid biosynthesis (p-adj = 0.006) enriched in the colon, and SNARE interaction in vesicular transport (p-adj = 0.000) and secondary bile acid synthesis (p-adj = 0.005) enriched in females. Our findings provide nuanced insights to specific taxa and putative metabolic pathways that reflect sex and gut site differences in black bears, with important implications for understanding bear physiology and informing wildlife management.

Indexed as

BacteriaGastrointestinal MicrobiomeMetabolic Networks and PathwaysUrsidaeAnimalsFemaleMaleRNA, Ribosomal, 16SRNA, Ribosomal, 16S

Identifiers

PMID42008544
PMCPMC13095127

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.