Influence of dietary feathers on the fecal microbiota in captive Arctic fox: Do dietary hair or feathers play a role in the evolution of carnivorous mammals?

The study investigated the impact of dietary feathers on the fecal microbiota of captive Arctic foxes by adding disinfected poultry down feathers to their diet. The results indicated a significant increase in bacterial species diversity without a change in total abundance, suggesting that feather ingestion stimulated growth among less abundant bacteria or allowed new microbial species to colonize the gut. This led to a more diverse production of bacterial metabolites, potentially enhancing the host's immune response and affecting physiological performance. The findings implied that such dietary influences could drive speciation in wild carnivorous mammals through natural selection based on geographic differences in ingested feathers or fur.