Loading...
Amphibian gut microbiota shifts differentially in community structure but converges on habitat-specific predicted functions.
Bletz, Molly C Goedbloed, Daniel J Sanchez, Eugenia Reinhardt, Timm Tebbe, Christoph C Bhuju, Sabin Jarek, Michael Vences, Miguel Steinfartz, Sebastian
Bletz, Molly C
Goedbloed, Daniel J
Sanchez, Eugenia
Reinhardt, Timm
Tebbe, Christoph C
Bhuju, Sabin
Jarek, Michael
Vences, Miguel
Steinfartz, Sebastian
Citations
Altmetric:
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Issue Date
2016-12-15
Submitted date
Files
Loading...
Open Access publication
Adobe PDF, 620.85 KB
Other Titles
Abstract
Complex microbial communities inhabit vertebrate digestive systems but thorough understanding of the ecological dynamics and functions of host-associated microbiota within natural habitats is limited. We investigate the role of environmental conditions in shaping gut and skin microbiota under natural conditions by performing a field survey and reciprocal transfer experiments with salamander larvae inhabiting two distinct habitats (ponds and streams). We show that gut and skin microbiota are habitat-specific, demonstrating environmental factors mediate community structure. Reciprocal transfer reveals that gut microbiota, but not skin microbiota, responds differentially to environmental change. Stream-to-pond larvae shift their gut microbiota to that of pond-to-pond larvae, whereas pond-to-stream larvae change to a community structure distinct from both habitat controls. Predicted functions, however, match that of larvae from the destination habitats in both cases. Thus, microbial function can be matched without taxonomic coherence and gut microbiota appears to exhibit metagenomic plasticity.
Citation
Amphibian gut microbiota shifts differentially in community structure but converges on habitat-specific predicted functions. 2016, 7:13699 Nat Commun
Publisher
Journal
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Additional Links
Embedded video
Type
Article
Language
en
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
2041-1723