Institute of the Environment, Center for Environmental Sciences & Engineering, and Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 3107 Horsebarn Hill Road, Storrs, CT, 06269-4210, USA.
Department of Molecular & Cell Biology, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269-3125, USA.
Curr Microbiol. 2021 Sep;78(9):3526-3540. doi: 10.1007/s00284-021-02607-5. Epub 2021 Jul 27.
Microbiota 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 the microbiota may provide novel insights into the origin and maintenance of these symbiotic relationships. Our goals were to (1) characterize biodiversity of oral and rectal microbiota in bats from Puerto Rico; and (2) determine the effects of geographic location and host characteristics on that biodiversity. We collected bats and their microbiota from three sites, and used four metrics (species richness, Shannon diversity, Camargo evenness, Berger-Parker dominance) to characterize biodiversity. We quantified the relative importance of site, host sex, host species-identity, and host foraging-guild on biodiversity of the microbiota. Microbe biodiversity was highly variable among conspecifics. Geographical location exhibited consistent effects, whereas host sex did not. Within each host guild, host species exhibited consistent differences in biodiversity of oral microbiota and of rectal microbiota. Oral microbe biodiversity was indistinguishable between guilds, whereas rectal microbe biodiversity was significantly greater in carnivores than in herbivores. The high intraspecific and spatial variation in microbe biodiversity necessitate a relatively large number of samples to statistically isolate the effects of environmental or host characteristics on the microbiota. Species-specific biodiversity of oral microbiota 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 driven by host diet-diversity or composition.
微生物组为其哺乳动物宿主执行重要功能，使它们成为宿主进化的潜在驱动因素。了解环境因素和宿主特征对微生物组的组成和生物多样性的影响，可能为这些共生关系的起源和维持提供新的见解。我们的目标是：（1）描述波多黎各蝙蝠的口腔和直肠微生物组的生物多样性；（2）确定地理位置和宿主特征对这种生物多样性的影响。我们从三个地点收集蝙蝠及其微生物组，使用四个指标（物种丰富度、香农多样性、卡马戈均匀度、伯杰-帕克优势度）来描述生物多样性。我们量化了地点、宿主性别、宿主物种身份和宿主觅食群落在微生物组生物多样性中的相对重要性。同种蝙蝠的微生物组生物多样性差异很大。地理位置具有一致的影响，而宿主性别则没有。在每个宿主群中，宿主物种的口腔微生物组和直肠微生物组的生物多样性都存在一致的差异。口腔微生物组的生物多样性在觅食群之间没有区别，而直肠微生物组的生物多样性在肉食动物中明显大于草食动物。微生物组生物多样性的种内和空间变异很大，因此需要大量的样本才能从统计学上分离环境或宿主特征对微生物组的影响。口腔微生物组的物种特异性生物多样性表明，这些群落是通过上皮受体与宿主免疫系统的直接相互作用来构建的。相比之下，宿主肠道支持的微生物类群的数量可能是由宿主饮食多样性或组成驱动的。
