The gastrointestinal microbiome as a biological process encompasses the dynamic interactions, succession, and functional activities of microbial communities residing along the digestive tract and their continuous crosstalk with the host. It involves microbial colonization, competition, and cooperation; fermentation of dietary substrates; synthesis and biotransformation of metabolites such as short-chain fatty acids and bile acid derivatives; modulation of epithelial barrier integrity; and regulation of local and systemic immune responses. This process is characterized by context-dependent compositional shifts (e.g., in response to diet, xenobiotics, and inflammation) that influence host metabolism, signaling pathways, and susceptibility to gastrointestinal and extraintestinal diseases.
Gut bacteria evolve rapidly in response to different diets, UCLA evolutionary biologists report in a new study. The researchers found that gene variants that help microbes digest starches found in ultra-processed foods have ...
Evolution
Dec 17, 2025
1
161
A new study by researchers at Shinshu University highlights the essential role of gut microbiota in livestock health and productivity. The researchers show how probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics can safely enhance growth ...
Veterinary medicine
Dec 1, 2025
0
20
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles pervasive in agricultural environments, interact with and disrupt the microbial ecosystem in the rumen—the first stomach chamber of cattle, reveals an international study.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 26, 2025
0
33
A team of researchers has found a way to turn the bacteria living in the digestive tracts of animals into factories that can produce compounds that promote longevity in their hosts—showing a potential new drug development ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 12, 2025
0
186
Gut microbes are essential partners that help digest food, produce vitamins and train the immune system. They can also pass on behavioral traits to their host's offspring, at least in mice. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute ...
New research has found that social interactions among meerkats may be crucial to their health and survival—thanks to the sharing of beneficial gut bacteria.
Ecology
Oct 30, 2025
0
62
Hundreds of new viruses living inside bacteria within our gut have been discovered in an international study led by Professor Jeremy J. Barr from Monash University's School of Biological Sciences and Associate Professor Sam ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 15, 2025
0
44
A study of elephants, giraffes and other wildlife in Namibia's Etosha National Park underscores the ways in which the environment, biological sex, and anatomical distinctions can drive variation in the gut microbiomes across ...
Ecology
Oct 15, 2025
0
22
Whether we're talking about animals or humans, gut microbes are essential for health, metabolism and protecting against infection. While captivity is known to alter the gut microbiota of wildlife, the relative influence of ...
Everywhere you go, you carry a population of microbes in your gastrointestinal tract that outnumber the human cells making up your body.
Evolution
Oct 9, 2025
0
221
