Dr. Aurelia Strauss
Affiliations
Postdoctoral Associate
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Contact information
Background
Educational Background
PhD Chronobiology, University of Groningen,
MSc Evolution, Ecology and Systematics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,
BSc Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München,
Projects
The ‘gut-brain axis’ comprises bidirectional communication pathways that mediate physiology and behaviour. Laboratory studies have shown the gut microbiome – the microorganismal community inside the gastrointestinal tract – is part of this axis, exchanging metabolites and modifying social behaviour, anxiety and stress. In turn, microbiomes can themselves be altered by host stress and social context. What remains unclear is whether, and to what extent, the gut-brain axis modulates behavioural and physiological variation under natural conditions. We aim to test the hypothesis that the gut microbiome impacts behaviour and stress physiology in free-living horses, and investigate the pathways involved. For this, we will make use of long-term data collected as part of the Sable Island Horse Project in Nova Scotia, Canada. This unique population study provides access to thousands of measurements of individuals’ behaviour with paired genomic and gut (faecal) microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles. Combined with de novo meta-transcriptomic data, this will allow us to investigate the role of microbiome-brain interactions in influencing behaviour and stress in free-living animals, and to assess their importance relative to other intrinsic and extrinsic determinants including host genetics and social environments. We will address three major objectives:
1 – Determine environmental and (host) genetic contributions to behaviour and stress physiology
2 – Determine the magnitude of interactions between the microbiome, behaviour and stress
3 – Refine the identification of microbial genes and pathways involved using meta-transcriptomics
This will extend our knowledge of the microbiome’s function in stress and behaviour regulation, and may aid future
applications in welfare and conservation that help animals cope with challenging – and changing – conditions.
Publications
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