Non-hibernating pikas' protein restriction tweaks their gut microbiome to help them survive the winter, when winter-active herbivores often struggle to find dietary protein

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image: 

A plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) foraging during the harsh winter on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

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Credit: Dr. Fuyu Shi (CC-BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Non-hibernating pikas' protein restriction tweaks their gut microbiome to help them survive the winter, when winter-active herbivores often struggle to find dietary protein

In your coverage, please use this URL to provide access to the freely available paper in PLOS Biology: https://plos.io/4nI13TV

Article title: Increased urea nitrogen salvaging by a remodeled gut microbiota helps nonhibernating pikas maintain protein homeostasis during winter

Author countries: China, Israel

Funding: see manuscript

A plateau pika (Ochotona curzoniae) at the burrow entrance in late September.

Credit

Dr. Qingsheng Chi (CC-BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Journal

PLOS Biology

DOI

10.1371/journal.pbio.3003436 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Subject of Research

Animals

COI Statement

Competing interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.