Gut microbiota and kin recognition

Anne Lizé (1) , Raegan Mckay (1) , Zenobia Lewis (1)

1 Institute of integrative biology (Liverpool)

The animal gut contains a large reservoir of symbionts. Whilst these microbes have obvious physiological functions in, for example, digestion and immune defence, they can also affect their host’s behavior. Increasing evidence suggests that gut microbiota alters the scent of an individual, thereby affecting mate choice and kin recognition.

Domains: Environmental Sciences; Biodiversity and Ecology

Anne Lizé, Raegan Mckay, Zenobia Lewis. Gut microbiota and kin recognition. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 2013, 28 (6), pp.325-326. ⟨10.1016/j.tree.2012.10.013⟩. ⟨hal-01241461⟩