The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the hunter-gatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected host microbiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations.

Quagliariello, A., Modi, A., Innocenti, G., Zaro, V., Conati Barbaro, C., Ronchitelli, A., et al. (2022). Ancient oral microbiomes support gradual Neolithic dietary shifts towards agriculture. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 13(1) [10.1038/s41467-022-34416-0].

Ancient oral microbiomes support gradual Neolithic dietary shifts towards agriculture

Boschin, Francesco;Ricci, Stefano;
2022-01-01

Abstract

The human microbiome has recently become a valuable source of information about host life and health. To date little is known about how it may have evolved during key phases along our history, such as the Neolithic transition towards agriculture. Here, we shed light on the evolution experienced by the oral microbiome during this transition, comparing Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers with Neolithic and Copper Age farmers that populated a same restricted area in Italy. We integrate the analysis of 76 dental calculus oral microbiomes with the dietary information derived from the identification of embedded plant remains. We detect a stronger deviation from the hunter-gatherer microbiome composition in the last part of the Neolithic, while to a lesser extent in the early phases of the transition. Our findings demonstrate that the introduction of agriculture affected host microbiome, supporting the hypothesis of a gradual transition within the investigated populations.
2022
Quagliariello, A., Modi, A., Innocenti, G., Zaro, V., Conati Barbaro, C., Ronchitelli, A., et al. (2022). Ancient oral microbiomes support gradual Neolithic dietary shifts towards agriculture. NATURE COMMUNICATIONS, 13(1) [10.1038/s41467-022-34416-0].
File in questo prodotto:
File Dimensione Formato  
Quagliariello_et_al_2022_NC_Oral_Microbiome_Palaeolithic_Neolithic.pdf

accesso aperto

Descrizione: Testo principale
Tipologia: PDF editoriale
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 2.86 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
2.86 MB Adobe PDF Visualizza/Apri

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11365/1221140