Association of maternal genetics with the gut microbiome and eucalypt diet selection in captive koalas.

Background: Koalas, an Australian arboreal marsupial, depend on eucalypt tree leaves for their diet. They selectively consume only a few of the hundreds of available eucalypt species. Since the koala gut microbiome is essential for the digestion and detoxification of eucalypts, their individual differences in the gut microbiome may lead to variations in their eucalypt selection and eucalypt metabolic capacity.

Earthquake and disaster response in the Japanese community: a strengths and community perspective.

This article indicates that capability building in the local community and accumulation of collaborative practice experiences gained at the local community level prove effective in actual disaster response and recovery. A case study of the Japanese community is introduced to illustrate this point. The article concludes with a discussion of the role and function of social workers in the context of such a community.