Effects of Host Species Identity and Diet on the Biodiversity of the Microbiota in Puerto Rican Bats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Presley ◽  
Joerg Graf ◽  
Ahmad F. Hassan ◽  
Anna R. Sjodin ◽  
Michael R. Willig
Keyword(s):  
Puerto Rican ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Species Identity

Coralline turf-associated fauna are affected more by spatial variability than by host species identity

2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (4) ◽  
pp. 689-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. Berthelsen ◽  
J. E. Hewitt ◽  
R. B. Taylor
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Associated Fauna ◽  
Species Identity

Host-Parasitoid Interactions

Ecology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Food Webs ◽  
20Th Century ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Trophic Levels ◽  
Diverse Group ◽  
Ecological Communities ◽  
Major Focus ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Wide Range

Insects are a highly diverse group due to their ability to exploit a wide range of niches. Each plant is attacked by multiple herbivores and these in turn may harbor a bewildering complexity of natural enemies, particularly parasitoids, which are often quite specialized in terms of the host species identity (and stage of attack) of their hosts. Furthermore, these parasitoids have their own parasitoids that attack them, meaning that food webs including these insects may go up to five trophic levels (or even more). Due to their diversity and strong link population dynamics, parasitoids comprise important aspects of ecological communities. Because of this and their potential as biocontrol agents, host-parasitoid dynamics have been a major focus of ecological and evolutionary study since the beginning of the 20th century.

scholarly journals Genes, geology and germs: gut microbiota across a primate hybrid zone are explained by site soil properties, not host species

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1901) ◽  
pp. 20190431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura E. Grieneisen ◽  
Marie J. E. Charpentier ◽  
Susan C. Alberts ◽  
Ran Blekhman ◽  
Gideon Bradburd ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Hybrid Zone ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Geologic History ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Host Genetic ◽  
Soil Effects ◽  
Zone Sampling

Gut microbiota in geographically isolated host populations are often distinct. These differences have been attributed to between-population differences in host behaviours, environments, genetics and geographical distance. However, which factors are most important remains unknown. Here, we fill this gap for baboons by leveraging information on 13 environmental variables from 14 baboon populations spanning a natural hybrid zone. Sampling across a hybrid zone allowed us to additionally test whether phylosymbiosis (codiversification between hosts and their microbiota) is detectable in admixed, closely related primates. We found little evidence of genetic effects: none of host genetic ancestry, host genetic relatedness nor genetic distance between host populations were strong predictors of baboon gut microbiota. Instead, gut microbiota were best explained by the baboons' environments, especially the soil's geologic history and exchangeable sodium. Indeed, soil effects were 15 times stronger than those of host–population F ST, perhaps because soil predicts which foods are present, or because baboons are terrestrial and consume soil microbes incidentally with their food. Our results support an emerging picture in which environmental variation is the dominant predictor of host-associated microbiomes. We are the first to show that such effects overshadow host species identity among members of the same primate genus.

scholarly journals Monogenean parasites of sardines in Lake Tanganyika: diversity, origin and intraspecific variability

2018 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikol Kmentová ◽  
Maarten Van Steenberge ◽  
Joost A.M. Raeymaekers ◽  
Stephan Koblmüller ◽  
Pascal I. Hablützel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Structure ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Lake Tanganyika ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Intraspecific Variability ◽  
Host Population ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Monogenean Species ◽  
Distinct Lineage ◽  
Potential Use

Whereas Lake Tanganyika’s littoral and benthic zones are famous for their diverse fish communities, its pelagic zone is dominated by few species, of which two representatives of Clupeidae (Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae) take a pivotal role. We investigated the monogenean fauna infecting these freshwater clupeids to explore the link between parasite morphology and host species identity, or seasonal and geographical origin, which may reveal host population structure. Furthermore, we conducted phylogenetic analyses to test whether these parasitic flatworms mirror their host species’ marine origin. Based on 406 parasite specimens infecting 385 host specimens, two monogenean species of Kapentagyrus Kmentová, Gelnar and Vanhove, gen. nov. were morphologically identified and placed in the phylogeny of Dactylogyridae using three molecular markers. One of the species, Kapentagyrus limnotrissae comb. nov., is host-specific to L. miodon while its congener, which is new to science and described as Kapentagyrus tanganicanus Kmentová, Gelnar and Vanhove, sp. nov., is infecting both clupeid species. Morphometrics of the parasites’ hard parts showed intra-specific variability, related to host species identity and seasonality in K. tanganicanus. Significant intra-specific differences in haptor morphometrics between the northern and southern end of Lake Tanganyika were found, and support the potential use of monogeneans as tags for host population structure. Based on phylogenetic inference, we suggest a freshwater origin of the currently known monogenean species infecting clupeids in Africa, with the two species from Lake Tanganyika representing a quite distinct lineage.

scholarly journals Effects of host species identity and diet on biodiversity of oral and rectal microbiomes of Puerto Rican bats

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven J. Presley ◽  
Joerg Graf ◽  
Ahmad F. Hassan ◽  
Anna R. Sjodin ◽  
Michael R. Willig
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Geographic Location ◽  
Oral Microbiome ◽  
Host Immune System ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Symbiotic Relationships ◽  
Vital Functions ◽  
Host Sex ◽  
Host Characteristics

AbstractMicrobiomes perform vital functions for their mammalian hosts, making them potential drivers of host evolution. Understanding effects of environmental factors and host characteristics on the composition and biodiversity of microbiomes may provide novel insights into the origin and maintenance of these symbiotic relationships. Our goals were to (1) characterize biodiversity of oral and rectal microbiomes of bats in Puerto Rico; and (2) determine the effects of geographic location and host characteristics on that biodiversity. We collected bats and their microbiomes from 3 sites, and used 4 metrics (species richness, Shannon diversity, Camargo evenness, Berger-Parker dominance) to characterize biodiversity. We evaluated the relative importance of site, host sex, host species identity, and host foraging guild on microbiome biodiversity. Microbiome biodiversity was highly variable among conspecifics. Geographical location exhibited consistent effects, whereas host sex did not do so. Within each host guild, host species exhibited consistent differences in oral and rectal microbiome biodiversity. Oral microbiome biodiversity was indistinguishable between guilds, whereas rectal microbiome biodiversity was significantly greater in carnivores than in herbivores. The high intraspecific and spatial variation in microbiome biodiversity necessitate a large number of samples to isolate the effects of environmental or host characteristics on microbiomes. Species-specific biodiversity of oral microbiomes suggests these communities are structured by direct interactions with the host immune system via epithelial receptors. In contrast, the number of microbial taxa that a host gut supports may be contingent on the number and kinds of functions a host requires of its microbiome.

scholarly journals Tree Leaf Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity Differ along a Gradient of Urban Intensity

mSystems ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe ◽  
Christian Messier ◽  
Steven W. Kembel
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Bacterial Community ◽  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Human Activity ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Urban Environments ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Tree Leaf

ABSTRACT In natural forests, tree leaf surfaces host diverse bacterial communities whose structure and composition are primarily driven by host species identity. Tree leaf bacterial diversity has also been shown to influence tree community productivity, a key function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, most urban microbiome studies have focused on the built environment, improving our understanding of indoor microbial communities but leaving much to be understood, especially in the nonbuilt microbiome. Here, we provide the first multiple-species comparison of tree phyllosphere bacterial structures and diversity along a gradient of urban intensity. We demonstrate that urban trees possess characteristic bacterial communities that differ from those seen with trees in nonurban environments, with microbial community structure on trees influenced by host species identity but also by the gradient of urban intensity and by the degree of isolation from other trees. Our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes. Tree leaf-associated microbiota have been studied in natural ecosystems but less so in urban settings, where anthropogenic pressures on trees could impact microbial communities and modify their interaction with their hosts. Additionally, trees act as vectors spreading bacterial cells in the air in urban environments due to the density of microbial cells on aerial plant surfaces. Characterizing tree leaf bacterial communities along an urban gradient is thus key to understand the impact of anthropogenic pressures on urban tree-bacterium interactions and on the overall urban microbiome. In this study, we aimed (i) to characterize phyllosphere bacterial communities of seven tree species in urban environments and (ii) to describe the changes in tree phyllosphere bacterial community structure and diversity along a gradient of increasing urban intensity and at two degrees of tree isolation. Our results indicate that, as anthropogenic pressures increase, urban leaf bacterial communities show a reduction in the abundance of the dominant class in the natural plant microbiome, the Alphaproteobacteria. Our work in the urban environment here reveals that the structures of leaf bacterial communities differ along the gradient of urban intensity. The diversity of phyllosphere microbial communities increases at higher urban intensity, also displaying a greater number and variety of associated indicator taxa than the low and medium urban gradient sites. In conclusion, we find that urban environments influence tree bacterial community composition, and our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes. IMPORTANCE In natural forests, tree leaf surfaces host diverse bacterial communities whose structure and composition are primarily driven by host species identity. Tree leaf bacterial diversity has also been shown to influence tree community productivity, a key function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, most urban microbiome studies have focused on the built environment, improving our understanding of indoor microbial communities but leaving much to be understood, especially in the nonbuilt microbiome. Here, we provide the first multiple-species comparison of tree phyllosphere bacterial structures and diversity along a gradient of urban intensity. We demonstrate that urban trees possess characteristic bacterial communities that differ from those seen with trees in nonurban environments, with microbial community structure on trees influenced by host species identity but also by the gradient of urban intensity and by the degree of isolation from other trees. Our results suggest that feedback between human activity and plant microbiomes could shape urban microbiomes.

scholarly journals Unveiled feather microcosm: feather microbiota of passerine birds is closely associated with host species identity and bacteriocin-producing bacteria

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2363-2376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Gvoždíková Javůrková ◽  
Jakub Kreisinger ◽  
Petr Procházka ◽  
Milica Požgayová ◽  
Kateřina Ševčíková ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Host Species ◽  
Passerine Birds ◽  
Species Identity
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