灰松鼠多样化的肠道细菌可能有助于在英国和爱尔兰击败红松鼠。 Grey squirrels' diverse gut bacteria may aid in outcompeting red squirrels in the UK and Ireland.

最近的一项研究表明，在英国和爱尔兰，红松鼠在竞争中被灰松鼠击败可能是由于它们的肠道细菌。 A recent study suggests that the outcompeting of red squirrels by grey squirrels in the UK and Ireland could be due to their gut bacteria. 灰松鼠是一种从北美引进的入侵物种，携带一种名为松鼠痘的疾病，这种疾病会杀死红松鼠，但对它们没有持久影响。 Grey squirrels, an invasive species introduced from North America, carry a disease called squirrel pox which kills red squirrels but has no known lasting effect on them. 该研究分析了红松鼠和灰松鼠的肠道微生物组，发现灰松鼠的肠道细菌更加多样化。 The research, which analyzed the gut microbiome of both red and grey squirrels, found that grey squirrels have a more diverse gut bacteria. 肠道细菌的这种差异可能解释了它们比红松鼠更好的总体健康状况和更广泛的资源。 This difference in gut bacteria could potentially explain their better general health and access to a wider range of resources compared to red squirrels.