Impacts of Dietary Protein and Niacin Deficiency on Reproduction Performance, Body Growth, and Gut Microbiota of Female Hamsters (Tscherskia triton) and Their Offspring
Jidong Zhao, Wei Lu, Shu‐Li Huang, Yvon Le Maho, Caroline Habold, Zhibin Zhang
Abstract
Gut microbes are known to be essential for hosts to digest food and absorb nutrients. Currently, it is still unclear how maternal nutrient deficiency affects the fitness of animals by its effect on gut microbes. Here, we evaluated the effects of protein- and niacin-deficient diets on mating behavior, reproduction, body growth, and gut microbiota of both mothers and offspring of the greater long-tailed hamster (Tscherskia triton) under laboratory conditions. We found that a low-protein diet significantly reduced maternal reproduction performance and body growth of both mothers and their offspring. Both protein and niacin deficiencies showed significant maternal effects on the microbial community of the offspring. Our results hint that nutritional deficiency may be a potential factor in causing the observed sustained population decline of the greater long-tailed hamsters due to intensified monoculture in the North China Plain, and this needs further field investigation.