Trish J. Lavery; Ben Roudnew; Justin Seymour; James G. Mitchell; Thomas Jeffries

“ Australian Sea Lion Microbiome Metabolic Potential
As in other gut microbiomes core metabolic functions including carbohydrate and protein metabolism dominated the Australian sea lion gut microbiome [5] . Carbohydrates serve an important role in energy storage within the gut. Protein metabolism is also a core function of the gut microbiome. While most microorganisms and plants can biosynthesise amino acids, animals must consume proteins as part of their diet in order to gain the amino acids needed for cell functioning. ”

“ When sea lions defecate at sea, the relatively high nutrient metabolism potential of bacteria in their faeces may accelerate the dissolution of nutrients from faecal particles, enhancing their persistence in the euphotic zone where they are available to stimulate marine production. ”

“ Further evidence for nutrient limitation within the Australian sea lion gut, specific to life in an ocean environment, is found in the over-representation of phosphorus metabolism and iron scavenging mechanism genes compared to both Fish A and Human A microbiomes. Iron is the limiting nutrient for many open ocean ecosystems [21] and increased iron uptake ability and phosphorus metabolism potential may allow for marine organisms to survive in ecosystems low in these essential nutrients. ”