Read these articles and answer the questions that follow each to complete this Case Assignment:

Abstract only Bioessays Cavicchioli et al. 2003.

Answer this question:

What does this abstract report about archaea?

Hoffman, C et al. Archaea and Fungi of the Human Gut Microbiome: Correlations with Diet and Bacterial Residents. PLOS. 2013:8:e66019.

Answer the following questions:

In the abstract of this peer-reviewed scientific study,

1. What do the authors say about the influence of diet on health? What groups of microbes does this study focus on? How were these groups characterized?

2. Which type of archaea were most abundant? Which fungal phyla were most abundant?

3. What components of diet were associated with the abundance of these microbes? Describe the relationship (negative/positive) by reviewing page 6 for more detail.

In the first paragraph of the Introduction of this study, there are four things listed that could affect the abundance of microbes at different body sites. What are they?