Habitat Quality Determines Dispersal Decisions and Fitness in a Beetle – Fungus Mutualism

Delayed dispersal of sexually mature offspring is a fundamental component of cooperative breeding. In ambrosia beetles, female offspring temporarily remain in their natal nest and refrain from reproduction, instead investing in alloparental care. Previous work has demonstrated a link between helping behaviour and the increased need for pathogen defence, arising from their close association with fungal cultivars. In the ambrosia beetle Xyleborinus saxesenii, mature female offspring can effectively fight pathogen infections and manage the microbial composition within the nest by adjusting the frequency of different hygienic and nest maintenance behaviours. This suggests a potential to respond flexibly to the ecology of their nest, which calls for a better understanding of the connection between behaviour and the microbial community thriving within their nests. Here, we studied the significance of the mutualistic fungus garden composition for the beetles’ nest ecology and fitness by experimentally varying substrate quality. We found that the vertically transmitted ambrosia fungus garden is composed of at least two fungus mutualist species and a wide variety of other microbes varying in their relative abundance. This is strongly affected by the moisture content of the substrate, which in nature depends on the age and type of wood. We found that the mutualist fungi complement each other in terms of dryness-resistance, allowing the beetles to utilise a broad range of substrates over prolonged time during which the wood gradually desiccates. Under suboptimal humidity conditions, the interaction between host and multiple fungus species has important ramifications for the behaviour of philopatric helpers, including their alloparental investment, sibling cannibalism and the timing of dispersal. Rearing five generations of beetles consecutively in dry substrate resulted in transgenerational effects on philopatry and alloparental care, probably mediated through the dominance of a particular fungus species that was driven by the experimental habitat condition. Interestingly, the nests of these selection lines produced much more offspring after five generations than any first-generation nest, which may have reflected increased egg laying by non-dispersing daughters. Our study highlights the importance of considering the interactions between the microbial community and their insect hosts for understanding social evolution in cooperatively breeding beetles.

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Microbiota Changes in Fathers Consuming a High Prebiotic Fiber Diet Have Minimal Effects on Male and Female Offspring in Rats

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13030820 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 820

Author(s):

Faye Chleilat ◽

Alana Schick ◽

Raylene A. Reimer

Keyword(s):

Beta Diversity ◽

Control Diet ◽

Gastrointestinal Hormones ◽

Alpha Diversity ◽

Female Offspring ◽

Sprague Dawley ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Gut Hormone ◽

Satiety Hormone ◽

Prebiotic Fiber

Background: Consuming a diet high in prebiotic fiber has been associated with improved metabolic and gut microbial parameters intergenerationally, although studies have been limited to maternal intake with no studies examining this effect in a paternal model. Method: Male Sprague Dawley rats were allocated to either (1) control or (2) oligofructose-supplemented diet for nine weeks and then mated. Offspring consumed control diet until 16 weeks of age. Bodyweight, body composition, glycemia, hepatic triglycerides, gastrointestinal hormones, and gut microbiota composition were measured in fathers and offspring. Results: Paternal energy intake was reduced, while satiety inducing peptide tyrosine tyrosine (PYY) gut hormone was increased in prebiotic versus control fathers. Increased serum PYY persisted in female prebiotic adult offspring. Hepatic triglycerides were decreased in prebiotic fathers with a similar trend (p = 0.07) seen in female offspring. Gut microbial composition showed significantly reduced alpha diversity in prebiotic fathers at 9 and 12 weeks of age (p < 0.001), as well as concurrent differences in beta diversity (p < 0.001), characterized by differences in Bifidobacteriaceae, Lactobacillaceae and Erysipelotrichaceae, and particularly Bifidobacterium animalis. Female prebiotic offspring had higher alpha diversity at 3 and 9 weeks of age (p < 0.002) and differences in beta diversity at 15 weeks of age (p = 0.04). Increases in Bacteroidetes in female offspring and Christensenellaceae in male offspring were seen at nine weeks of age. Conclusions: Although paternal prebiotic intake before conception improves metabolic and microbiota outcomes in fathers, effects on offspring were limited with increased serum satiety hormone levels and changes to only select gut bacteria.

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Host reproductive cycle influences the pouch microbiota of wild southern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus latifrons)

Animal Microbiome ◽

10.1186/s42523-021-00074-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sesilje Weiss ◽

David Taggart ◽

Ian Smith ◽

Kristofer M. Helgen ◽

Raphael Eisenhofer

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Reproductive Cycle ◽

Tammar Wallaby ◽

The Body ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Birth Canal ◽

Gram Positive Bacteria ◽

Rigorous Framework ◽

The 16S Rrna Gene

Abstract Background Marsupials are born much earlier than placental mammals, with most crawling from the birth canal to the protective marsupium (pouch) to further their development. However, little is known about the microbiology of the pouch and how it changes throughout a marsupial’s reproductive cycle. Here, using stringent controls, we characterized the microbial composition of multiple body sites from 26 wild Southern Hairy-nosed Wombats (SHNWs), including pouch samples from animals at different reproductive stages. Results Using qPCR of the 16S rRNA gene we detected a microbial community in the SHNW pouch. We observed significant differences in microbial composition and diversity between the body sites tested, as well as between pouch samples from different reproductive stages. The pouches of reproductively active females had drastically lower microbial diversity (mean ASV richness 19 ± 8) compared to reproductively inactive females (mean ASV richness 941 ± 393) and were dominated by gram positive bacteria from the Actinobacteriota phylum (81.7–90.6%), with the dominant families classified as Brevibacteriaceae, Corynebacteriaceae, Microbacteriaceae, and Dietziaceae. Three of the five most abundant sequences identified in reproductively active pouches had closest matches to microbes previously isolated from tammar wallaby pouches. Conclusions This study represents the first contamination-controlled investigation into the marsupial pouch microbiota, and sets a rigorous framework for future pouch microbiota studies. Our results indicate that SHNW pouches contain communities of microorganisms that are substantially altered by the host reproductive cycle. We recommend further investigation into the roles that pouch microorganisms may play in marsupial reproductive health and joey survival.

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Disentangling Responses of the Subsurface Microbiome to Wetland Status and Implications for Indicating Ecosystem Functions

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms9020211 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (2) ◽

pp. 211

Author(s):

Jie Gao ◽

Miao Liu ◽

Sixue Shi ◽

Ying Liu ◽

Yu Duan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Carbon Fixation ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Wetland Ecosystems ◽

Soil Microbial ◽

Geochemical Properties ◽

Microbial Groups

In this study, we analyzed microbial community composition and the functional capacities of degraded sites and restored/natural sites in two typical wetlands of Northeast China—the Phragmites marsh and the Carex marsh, respectively. The degradation of these wetlands, caused by grazing or land drainage for irrigation, alters microbial community components and functional structures, in addition to changing the aboveground vegetation and soil geochemical properties. Bacterial and fungal diversity at the degraded sites were significantly lower than those at restored/natural sites, indicating that soil microbial groups were sensitive to disturbances in wetland ecosystems. Further, a combined analysis using high-throughput sequencing and GeoChip arrays showed that the abundance of carbon fixation and degradation, and ~95% genes involved in nitrogen cycling were increased in abundance at grazed Phragmites sites, likely due to the stimulating impact of urine and dung deposition. In contrast, the abundance of genes involved in methane cycling was significantly increased in restored wetlands. Particularly, we found that microbial composition and activity gradually shifts according to the hierarchical marsh sites. Altogether, this study demonstrated that microbial communities as a whole could respond to wetland changes and revealed the functional potential of microbes in regulating biogeochemical cycles.

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Reproductive suppression in female cooperatively breeding cichlids

Biology Letters ◽

10.1098/rsbl.2008.0365 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 4 (6) ◽

pp. 606-609 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Dik Heg

Keyword(s):

Clutch Size ◽

Group Living ◽

Egg Laying ◽

Alloparental Care ◽

Large Female ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Small Female ◽

Reproductive Suppression ◽

Cooperatively Breeding ◽

Female Subordinate

Suppression by dominants of female subordinate reproduction has been found in many vertebrate social groups, but has rarely been shown experimentally. Here experimental evidence is provided for reproductive suppression in the group-living Lake Tanganyika cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher . Within groups of three unrelated females, suppression was due to medium- and small-sized females laying less frequently compared with large females, and compared with medium females in control pairs. Clutch size and average egg mass of all females depended on body size, but not on rank. In a second step, a large female was removed from the group and a very small female was added to keep the group size constant. The medium females immediately seized the dominant breeding position in the group and started to reproduce as frequently as control pairs, whereas clutch size and egg mass did not change. These results show that female subordinate cichlids are reproductively capable, but apparently suppressed with respect to egg laying. Nevertheless, some reproduction is tolerated, possibly to ensure continued alloparental care by subordinate females.

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Effect of Pyroligneous Acid on the Microbial Community Composition and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) in Soils

Soil Systems ◽

10.3390/soilsystems6010010 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 10

Author(s):

Anithadevi Kenday Sivaram ◽

Logeshwaran Panneerselvan ◽

Kannappar Mukunthan ◽

Mallavarapu Megharaj

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Microbial Diversity ◽

Growth And Yield ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Pyroligneous Acid ◽

Plant Growth Promoting ◽

Growth Promoting

Pyroligneous acid (PA) is often used in agriculture as a plant growth and yield enhancer. However, the influence of PA application on soil microorganisms is not often studied. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effect of PA (0.01–5% w/w in soil) on the microbial diversity in two different soils. At the end of eight weeks of incubation, soil microbial community dynamics were determined by Illumina-MiSeq sequencing of 16S rRNA gene amplicons. The microbial composition differed between the lower (0.01% and 0.1%) and the higher (1% and 5%) concentration in both PA spiked soils. The lower concentration of PA resulted in higher microbial diversity and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) compared to the un-spiked control and the soil spiked with high PA concentrations. Interestingly, PA-induced plant growth-promoting bacterial (PGPB) genera include Bradyrhizobium, Azospirillum, Pseudomonas, Mesorhizobium, Rhizobium, Herbaspiriluum, Acetobacter, Beijerinckia, and Nitrosomonas at lower concentrations. Additionally, the PICRUSt functional analysis revealed the predominance of metabolism as the functional module’s primary component in both soils spiked with 0.01% and 0.1% PA. Overall, the results elucidated that PA application in soil at lower concentrations promoted soil DHA and microbial enrichment, particularly the PGPB genera, and thus have great implications for improving soil health.

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Compared the Microbiota Profiles between Samples from Bronchoalveolar Lavage and Endotracheal Aspirates in Severe Pneumonia: A Real-World Experience

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm11020327 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 327

Author(s):

Yeong-Nan Cheng ◽

Wei-Chih Huang ◽

Chen-Yu Wang ◽

Pin-Kuei Fu

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Bronchoalveolar Lavage ◽

Microbial Community Composition ◽

Severe Pneumonia ◽

Metagenomic Sequencing ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Icu Patients ◽

Mechanically Ventilated ◽

The Difference ◽

New Onset

Lower respiratory tract sampling from endotracheal aspirate (EA) and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) are both common methods to identify pathogens in severe pneumonia. However, the difference between these two methods in microbiota profiles remains unclear. We compared the microbiota profiles of pairwise EA and BAL samples in ICU patients with respiratory failure due to severe pneumonia. We prospectively enrolled 50 ICU patients with new onset of pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. EA and BAL were performed on the first ICU day, and samples were analyzed for microbial community composition via 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. Pathogens were identified in culture medium from BAL samples in 21 (42%) out of 50 patients. No difference was observed in the antibiotic prescription pattern, ICU mortality, or hospital mortality between BAL-positive and BAL-negative patients. The microbiota profiles in the EA and BAL samples are similar with respect to diversity, microbial composition, and microbial community correlations. The antibiotic treatment regimen was rarely changed based on the BAL findings. The samples from BAL did not provide more information than EA in the microbiota profiles. We suggest that EA is more useful than BAL for microbiome identification in mechanically ventilated patients.

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Impact of Fermentable Protein, by Feeding High Protein Diets, on Microbial Composition, Microbial Catabolic Activity, Gut Health and beyond in Pigs

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8111735 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (11) ◽

pp. 1735

Author(s):

Hanlu Zhang ◽

Nikkie van der Wielen ◽

Bart van der Hee ◽

Junjun Wang ◽

Wouter Hendriks ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

High Protein ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Catabolic Activity ◽

High Protein Diets ◽

Protein Diets

In pigs, high protein diets have been related to post-weaning diarrhoea, which may be due to the production of protein fermentation metabolites that were shown to have harmful effects on the intestinal epithelium in vitro. In this review, we discussed in vivo effects of protein fermentation on the microbial composition and their protein catabolic activity as well as gut and overall health. The reviewed studies applied different dietary protein levels, which was assumed to result in contrasting fermentable protein levels. A general shift to N-utilisation microbial community including potential pathogens was observed, although microbial richness and diversity were not altered in the majority of the studies. Increasing dietary protein levels resulted in higher protein catabolic activity as evidenced by increased concentration of several protein fermentation metabolites like biogenic amines in the digesta of pigs. Moreover, changes in intestinal morphology, permeability and pro-inflammatory cytokine concentrations were observed and diarrhoea incidence was increased. Nevertheless, higher body weight and average daily gain were observed upon increasing dietary protein level. In conclusion, increasing dietary protein resulted in higher proteolytic fermentation, altered microbial community and intestinal physiology. Supplementing diets with fermentable carbohydrates could be a promising strategy to counteract these effects and should be further investigated.

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Microbial Diversity Associated with Gwell, a Traditional French Mesophilic Fermented Milk Inoculated with a Natural Starter

Microorganisms ◽

10.3390/microorganisms8070982 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 982

Author(s):

Lucas von Gastrow ◽

Marie-Noëlle Madec ◽

Victoria Chuat ◽

Stanislas Lubac ◽

Clémence Morinière ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Fermentation Process ◽

Fermented Milk ◽

Geotrichum Candidum ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Streptococcus Species ◽

Culture Independent ◽

History Of ◽

Points Of View ◽

Culture Dependent

Gwell is a traditional mesophilic fermented milk from the Brittany region of France. The fermentation process is based on a back-slopping method. The starter is made from a portion of the previous Gwell production, so that Gwell is both the starter and final product for consumption. In a participatory research framework involving 13 producers, Gwell was characterized from both the sensory and microbial points of view and was defined by its tangy taste and smooth and dense texture. The microbial community of typical Gwell samples was studied using both culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Lactococcus lactis was systematically identified in Gwell, being represented by both subspecies cremoris and lactis biovar diacetylactis which were always associated. Geotrichum candidum was also found in all the samples. The microbial composition was confirmed by 16S and ITS2 metabarcoding analysis. We were able to reconstruct the history of Gwell exchanges between producers, and thus obtained the genealogy of the samples we analyzed. The samples clustered in two groups which were also differentiated by their microbial composition, and notably by the presence or absence of yeasts identified as Kazachstania servazii and Streptococcus species.

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Structural changes in gut microbiome after Ramadan fasting: a pilot study

Beneficial Microbes ◽

10.3920/bm2019.0039 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 227-233

Author(s):

C. Ozkul ◽

M. Yalinay ◽

T. Karakan

Keyword(s):

Microbial Community ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Structural Changes ◽

Bacterial Species ◽

Shannon Index ◽

Microbial Community Analysis ◽

Intermittent Fasting ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

Ramadan Fasting ◽

Significant Difference

It has been largely accepted that dietary changes have an effect on gut microbial composition. In this pilot study we hypothesised that Ramadan fasting, which can be considered as a type of time-restricted feeding may lead to changes in gut microbial composition and diversity. A total of 9 adult subjects were included in the study. Stool samples were collected before (baseline) and at the end of the Ramadan fasting (after 29 days). Following the construction of an 16S rRNA amplicon library, the V4 region was sequenced using the Illumina Miseq platform. Microbial community analysis was performed using the QIIME program. A total of 27,521 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) with a 97% similarity were determined in all of the samples. Microbial richness was significantly increased after Ramadan according to observed OTU results (P=0.016). No significant difference was found in terms of Shannon index or phylogenetic diversity metrics of alpha diversity. Microbial community structure was significantly different between baseline and after Ramadan samples according to unweighted UniFrac analysis (P=0.025). LEfSe analysis revealed that Butyricicoccus, Bacteroides, Faecalibacterium, Roseburia, Allobaculum, Eubacterium, Dialister and Erysipelotrichi were significantly enriched genera after the end of Ramadan fasting. According to random forest analysis, the bacterial species most affected by the Ramadan fasting was Butyricicoccus pullicaecorum. Despite this is a pilot study with a limited sample size; our results clearly revealed that Ramadan fasting, which represents an intermittent fasting regime, leads to compositional changes in the gut microbiota.

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