Fig 1. Comparison of stomach pH (mean ± se) across trophic groups with gastro-in

Question

Fig 1. Comparison of stomach pH (mean ± se) across trophic groups with gastro-intestinal tracts of representative birds and mammals. The graph on the right is taken from the article, "The Evolution of Stomach Acidity and Its Relevance to the Human Microbiome.* The authors wanted to determine if the following is true: "...that a key role of the vertebrate stomach is to maintain the gut microbial community by filtering out novel microbial taxa before they pass into the intestines." Use this graph to answer the following 3 questions. 5. (1 pt.) TRUE/FALSE (circle one) Based on the graph, it can be inferred that as feeding strategies change from herbivory to carnivory, the pH of the stomach drops, Le. the stomach becomes more acidic. 6. (1 pt) Why might it be more important for carnivores, particularly the scavengers, to maintain a lower pH in their stomachs? 7. (1 pt.) If you did not know that a Colobus monkey (farthest right on the graph) was an herbivore, what is one feature from its digestive tract diagram (in the graph) that could give you a clue about its feeding strategy? Bonus Point (1 pt.): The paper notes that humans are unique among the other primates examined, because we have pH's closer to that of carrion feeders rather than most carnivores and omnivores. From an evolutionary standpoint, how might you explain this observation?

Explanation / Answer

Answer:

1) Based on the graph it can be inferred that as feeding strategies change from herbivory to carnivory, the pH of the stomach drops, i.e. the stomach becomes more acidic.

Yes, based on the graph the stomach becomes more acidic when the feeding strategies changes from herbivorous to carnivorous.

2) Why might it be more important for carnivores, particularly the scavengers, to maintain a lower pH in their stomach.

3) Colobus monkey - feature from its digestive tract that gives a clue about its feeding strategy?

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