Gut microbiota shaped by diet and phylogeny in seven cercopithecids from Tai Forest, Ivory Coast

Here we seek to understand the factors influencing microbiome composition in a diverse community of wild, sympatric nonhuman primates living in the Tai Forest, Ivory Coast. When species share a common environment, travel and forage in the same areas, they are exposed to a similar pool of bacteria. Additionally, primate species in the Tai Forest often form various polyspecific associations, which allows for the opportunity of interspecies contact and promotes sharing of microorganisms between taxa. Finally, these species are not only share close phylogenetic relationships, but also show a considerable amount of dietary overlap.