scholarly journals Characterization of the gut microbiome in wild rocky mountainsnails (Oreohelix strigosa)

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Chalifour ◽  
Jingchun Li

Abstract Background The Rocky Mountainsnail (Oreohelix strigosa) is a terrestrial gastropod of ecological importance in the Rocky Mountains of western United States and Canada. Across the animal kingdom, including in gastropods, gut microbiomes have profound effects on the health of the host. Current knowledge regarding snail gut microbiomes, particularly throughout various life history stages, is limited. Understanding snail gut microbiome composition and dynamics can provide an initial step toward better conservation and management of this species. Results In this study, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to examine gut bacteria communities in wild-caught O. strigosa populations from the Front Range of Colorado. These included three treatment groups: (1) adult and (2) fetal snails, as well as (3) sub-populations of adult snails that were starved prior to ethanol fixation. Overall, O. strigosa harbors a high diversity of bacteria. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene on an Illumina MiSeq and obtained 2,714,330 total reads. We identified a total of 7056 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 36 phyla. The core gut microbiome of four unique OTUs accounts for roughly half of all sequencing reads returned and may aid the snails’ digestive processes. Significant differences in microbial composition, as well as richness, evenness, and Shannon Indices were found across the three treatment groups. Conclusions Comparisons of gut microbiomes in O. strigosa adult, fetal, and starved samples provide evidence that the host internal environments influence bacterial community compositions, and that bacteria may be transmitted vertically from parent to offspring. This work provides the first comprehensive report on the structure and membership of bacterial populations in the gastropod family Oreohelicidae and reveals similarities and differences across varying life history metrics. Strong differentiation between these life history metrics demonstrates the need for wider sampling for studies of dynamics of the snail gut microbiome.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Chalifour ◽  
Jingchun Li

Abstract BackgroundThe Rocky Mountainsnail (Oreohelix strigosa) is a terrestrial gastropod of ecological importance in the Rocky Mountains of western United States and Canada. Across the animal kingdom, including in gastropods, gut microbiomes have profound effects on the health of the host. Current knowledge regarding snail gut microbiomes, particularly throughout various life history stages, is limited. Understanding snail gut microbiome composition and dynamics can provide an initial step toward better conservation and management of this species. ResultsIn this study, we employed 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to examine gut bacteria communities in wild-caught O. strigosa populations from the Front Range of Colorado. These included three treatment groups: (1) adult and (2) fetal snails, as well as (3) sub-populations of adult snails that were starved prior to ethanol fixation. Overall, O. strigosa harbors a high diversity of bacteria. We sequenced the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene on an Illumina MiSeq, and obtained 2,714,330 total reads. We identified a total of 7,056 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 36 phyla. The core gut microbiome of four unique OTUs accounts for roughly half of all sequencing reads returned and may aid the snails’ digestive processes. Significant differences in microbial composition, as well as richness, evenness, and Shannon Indices were found across the three treatment groups.ConclusionsComparisons of gut microbiomes in O. strigosa adult, fetal, and starved samples provide evidence that the host internal environments influence bacterial community compositions, and that bacteria may be transmitted vertically from parent to offspring. This work provides the first comprehensive report on the structure and membership of bacterial populations in the gastropod family Oreohelicidae and reveals similarities and differences across varying life history metrics. Strong differentiation between these life history metrics demonstrates the need for wider sampling for studies of dynamics of the snail gut microbiome.


Algologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 93-113
Author(s):  
A.R. Nur Fadzliana ◽  
◽  
W.O. Wan Maznah ◽  
S.A.M. Nor ◽  
Choon Pin Foong ◽  
...  

Cyanobacteria are the most widespread group of photosynthetic prokaryotes. They are primary producers in a wide variety of habitats and are able to thrive in harsh environments, including polluted waters; therefore, this study was conducted to explore the cyanobacterial populations inhabiting river tributaries with different levels of pollution. Sediment samples (epipelon) were collected from selected tributaries of the Pinang River basin. Air Terjun (T1) and Air Itam rivers (T2) represent the upper streams of Pinang River basin, while Dondang (T3) and Jelutong rivers (T4) are located at in the middle of the river basin. The Pinang River (T5) is located near the estuary and is subjected to saline water intrusion during high tides. Cyanobacterial community was determined by identifying the taxa via 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence data. 16S rRNA gene amplicons generated from collected samples were sequenced using illumina Miseq, with the targeted V3 and V4 regions yielding approximately 1 mln reads per sample. Synechococcus, Phormidium, Arthronema and Leptolyngbya were found in all samples. Shannon-Weiner diversity index was highest (H’ = 1.867) at the clean upstream station (T1), while the moderately polluted stream (T3) recorded the lowest diversity (H’ = 0.399), and relatively polluted stations (T4 and T5) recorded fairly high values of H’. This study provides insights into the cyanobacterial community structure in Pinang River basin via cultivation-independent techniques using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence. Occurrence of some morphospecies at specific locations showed that the cyanobacterial communities are quite distinct and have specific ecological demands. Some species which were ubiquitous might be able to tolerate varied environmental conditions.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine M. Burke ◽  
Aaron E. Darling

BackgroundThe bacterial 16S rRNA gene has historically been used in defining bacterial taxonomy and phylogeny. However, there are currently no high-throughput methods to sequence full-length 16S rRNA genes present in a sample with precision.ResultsWe describe a method for sequencing near full-length 16S rRNA gene amplicons using the high throughput Illumina MiSeq platform and test it using DNA from human skin swab samples. Proof of principle of the approach is demonstrated, with the generation of 1,604 sequences greater than 1,300 nt from a single Nano MiSeq run, with accuracy estimated to be 100-fold higher than standard Illumina reads. The reads were chimera filtered using information from a single molecule dual tagging scheme that boosts the signal available for chimera detection.ConclusionsThis method could be scaled up to generate many thousands of sequences per MiSeq run and could be applied to other sequencing platforms. This has great potential for populating databases with high quality, near full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences from under-represented taxa and environments and facilitates analyses of microbial communities at higher resolution.


2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kampfer ◽  
Stefanie P Glaeser

The initial step in prokaryote species and genera descriptions is now largely based on the 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach followed often by a very restricted additional phenotypic characterisation of the representatives of the potential novel taxa. Despite the advantages of the sequence-based approaches, there appears to be a tendency to classify new species on the basis of comparative sequence analyses of 16S rRNA gene sequences and other gene sequence data (multilocus sequence analyses, MLSA), contrary to the indications of other data. However, the biological meaning behind these sequence data is not always clear, and one should be careful with comprehensive taxonomic rearrangements until there is better insight of these data.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 495-504
Author(s):  
Yan Zheng ◽  
Xiaolong Hu ◽  
Zhongjun Jia ◽  
Paul L.E. Bodelier ◽  
Zhiying Guo ◽  
...  

It is widely believed that the quality and characteristics of Chinese strong-flavor liquor (CSFL) are closely related to the age of the pit mud; CSFL produced from older pit mud tastes better. This study aimed to investigate the alteration and interaction of prokaryotic communities across an age gradient in pit mud. Prokaryotic microbes in different-aged pit mud (1, 6, and 10 years old) were analyzed by Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Analysis of the 16S rRNA gene indicated that the prokaryotic community was significantly altered with pit mud age. There was a significant increase in the genera Methanosarcina, Methanobacterium, and Aminobacterium with increased age of pit mud, while the genus Lactobacillus showed a significant decreasing trend. Network analysis demonstrated that both synergetic co-occurrence and niche competition were dominated by 68 prokaryotic genera. These genera formed 10 hubs of co-occurrence patterns, mainly under the phyla Firmicutes, Euryarchaeota, and Bacteroidetes, playing important roles on ecosystem stability of the pit mud. Environmental variables (pH, NH4+, available P, available K, and Ca2+) correlated significantly with prokaryotic community assembly. The interaction of prokaryotic communities in the pit mud ecosystem and the relationship among prokaryotic communities and environmental factors contribute to the higher quality of the pit mud in older fermentation pits.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. e0212474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel E. Almonacid ◽  
Laurens Kraal ◽  
Francisco J. Ossandon ◽  
Yelena V. Budovskaya ◽  
Juan Pablo Cardenas ◽  
...  

mBio ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e00319-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Sherrill-Mix ◽  
Kevin McCormick ◽  
Abigail Lauder ◽  
Aubrey Bailey ◽  
Laurie Zimmerman ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Classical ecology provides principles for construction and function of biological communities, but to what extent these apply to the animal-associated microbiota is just beginning to be assessed. Here, we investigated the influence of several well-known ecological principles on animal-associated microbiota by characterizing gut microbial specimens from bilaterally symmetrical animals (Bilateria) ranging from flies to whales. A rigorously vetted sample set containing 265 specimens from 64 species was assembled. Bacterial lineages were characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Previously published samples were also compared, allowing analysis of over 1,098 samples in total. A restricted number of bacterial phyla was found to account for the great majority of gut colonists. Gut microbial composition was associated with host phylogeny and diet. We identified numerous gut bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequences that diverged deeply from previously studied taxa, identifying opportunities to discover new bacterial types. The number of bacterial lineages per gut sample was positively associated with animal mass, paralleling known species-area relationships from island biogeography and implicating body size as a determinant of community stability and niche complexity. Samples from larger animals harbored greater numbers of anaerobic communities, specifying a mechanism for generating more-complex microbial environments. Predictions for species/abundance relationships from models of neutral colonization did not match the data set, pointing to alternative mechanisms such as selection of specific colonists by environmental niche. Taken together, the data suggest that niche complexity increases with gut size and that niche selection forces dominate gut community construction. IMPORTANCE The intestinal microbiome of animals is essential for health, contributing to digestion of foods, proper immune development, inhibition of pathogen colonization, and catabolism of xenobiotic compounds. How these communities assemble and persist is just beginning to be investigated. Here we interrogated a set of gut samples from a wide range of animals to investigate the roles of selection and random processes in microbial community construction. We show that the numbers of bacterial species increased with the weight of host organisms, paralleling findings from studies of island biogeography. Communities in larger organisms tended to be more anaerobic, suggesting one mechanism for niche diversification. Nonselective processes enable specific predictions for community structure, but our samples did not match the predictions of the neutral model. Thus, these findings highlight the importance of niche selection in community construction and suggest mechanisms of niche diversification.


2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 757-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amber M. Koskey ◽  
Jenny C. Fisher ◽  
Mary F. Traudt ◽  
Ryan J. Newton ◽  
Sandra L. McLellan

ABSTRACTGulls are prevalent in beach environments and can be a major source of fecal contamination. Gulls have been shown to harbor a high abundance of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such asEscherichia coliand enterococci, which can be readily detected as part of routine beach monitoring. Despite the ubiquitous presence of gull fecal material in beach environments, the associated microbial community is relatively poorly characterized. We generated comprehensive microbial community profiles of gull fecal samples using Roche 454 and Illumina MiSeq platforms to investigate the composition and variability of the gull fecal microbial community and to measure the proportion of FIB.EnterococcaceaeandEnterobacteriaceaewere the two most abundant families in our gull samples. Sequence comparisons between short-read data and nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene clones generated from the same samples revealedCatellicoccus marimammaliumas the most numerous taxon among all samples. The identification of bacteria from gull fecal pellets cultured on membrane-Enterococcusindoxyl-β-d-glucoside (mEI) plates showed that the dominant sequences recovered in our sequence libraries did not represent organisms culturable on mEI. Based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of gull fecal isolates cultured on mEI plates, 98.8% were identified asEnterococcusspp., 1.2% were identified asStreptococcusspp., and none were identified asC. marimammalium. Illumina deep sequencing indicated that gull fecal samples harbor significantly higher proportions ofC. marimammalium16S rRNA gene sequences (>50-fold) relative to typical mEI culturableEnterococcusspp.C. marimammaliumtherefore can be confidently utilized as a genetic marker to identify gull fecal pollution in the beach environment.


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