User:Cclay10/Elk

Insert at the end of the "Diet" paragraph:

Research examining the impact of supplemental feeding on the gut microbiomes of elk in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem found that such feeding led to significant alterations in their microbiome composition (Couch et al, 2021). The gut microbiome plays critical roles in “multiple host functions including nutrient extraction, immunity, and hormone regulation” (Couch et al, 2021). Specifically, transitioning from natural foraging to concentrated alfalfa pellets caused a notable shift in the elk's gut microbiome that resembled changes seen in ruminal acidosis, a digestive disorder, in domestic livestock (Couch et al, 2021). This shift raises concerns about potential health effects, such as the alteration of the native gut microbiome, of supplemental feeding on elk populations.