grain-diversity
Grain diversity refers to the genetic and phenotypic variation found among cereal and grain crop species, landraces, and wild relatives, encompassing differences in traits like size, nutritional content, and stress tolerance. This diversity serves as a critical genetic reservoir for plant breeders seeking to develop crops with improved yield, disease resistance, and climate resilience. Studying grain diversity also helps researchers understand the evolutionary history of domestication and identify genes responsible for agriculturally important traits.
open_in_new WikipediaPubMed · 2026-07-09
Tribal communities in India that regularly eat dairy and diverse cereals have richer, more varied gut microbiomes than those who don't, with certain bacteria evolving specifically to digest grain and dairy compounds. Some community members show signs that globalization is already shifting their gut communities toward patterns seen in industrialized populations.
Four Trans-Himalayan communities with dairy- and cereal-rich diets had elevated gut bacterial diversity driven by abundant Bifidobacterium, largely absent from other populations
Segatella copri (formerly Prevotella copri) dominated gut microbiomes across all eight communities at 25-47% relative abundance
Bifidobacterium adolescentis strains in dairy-consuming groups were genetically distinct from industrialized strains worldwide, carrying digestive enzymes consistent with long-term selection by grain and dairy consumption