The Effect of High Oxalate Exposure on the Gut Microbiota of Neotoma albigula

The mammalian gut microbiota is a complex ecosystem with hundreds to thousands of interacting species and numerous ecological niches, in a nearly closed off system primarily shaped by host physiology and diet. Given the complexity of this system, it is difficult to elucidate specific interactions that shape the gut microbiota and its response to a dietary challenge. Oxalate, a simple organic acid widely distributed among plants, is a carbon and energy source for some gut bacteria that cannot be metabolized by mammalian enzymes. Therefore, this compound can be used to identify fundamental ecological interactions between diet and the gut microbiota without confounding factors associated with other dietary components or host physiology. We examined interactions between oxalate and the gut microbiota of the mammalian herbivore Neotoma albigula, which consumes a high oxalate diet in the wild. By comparing the relative abundance of genes and metabolic pathways in the gut microbiota after exposure to 0.2% oxalate or 6% oxalate, we will elucidate those pathways that are enriched or inhibited by high oxalate exposure.