Leasi Francesca, Eckert Ester M, Norenburg Jon L, Thomas W Kelley, Sevigny Joseph L, Hall Jeffrey A, Wirshing Herman H, Fontaneto Diego
Department of Biology, Geology, and Environmental Science University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga Tennessee USA.
National Research Council of Italy (CNR), water Research Institute (IRSA) Molecular Ecology Group (MEG) Verbania Pallanza Italy.
Ecol Evol. 2024 Dec 3;14(12):e70471. doi: 10.1002/ece3.70471. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Phylosymbiosis, the association between the phylogenetic relatedness of hosts and the composition of their microbial communities, is a widespread phenomenon in diverse animal taxa. However, the generality of the existence of such a pattern has been questioned in many animals across the tree of life, including small-sized aquatic invertebrates. This study aims to investigate the microbial communities associated with poorly known marine interstitial nemerteans to uncover their microbiota diversity and assess the occurrence of phylosymbiosis. Specimens from various Central American sites were analyzed using morphology-based taxonomy and molecular techniques targeting the host 18S rRNA gene whereas their microbial association was analyzed by targeting the prokaryotic 16S rRNA gene. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses were conducted to examine the potential effects of host nemertean taxa and sampling locations on the host-associated microbial communities. The results provide compelling evidence of phylosymbiosis in meiofaunal nemertean species, highlighting the significant impact of host genetic relatedness on microbiome diversity in small-sized animals. This finding supports previous studies that demonstrate how certain nemertean species harbor distinct microbial communities with functional and ecological implications. Given the remarkable diversity of meiofaunal animals-spanning numerous phyla with varying lifestyles and co-existing in the same habitat-combined with advancements in multi-omics approaches, there is a promising opportunity to deepen our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological interactions between hosts and their microbiota throughout the animal tree of life.
系统共生，即宿主的系统发育相关性与其微生物群落组成之间的关联，是多种动物类群中普遍存在的现象。然而，包括小型水生无脊椎动物在内的许多动物界生物中，这种模式存在的普遍性受到了质疑。本研究旨在调查与鲜为人知的海洋间隙纽形动物相关的微生物群落，以揭示其微生物群多样性，并评估系统共生的发生情况。使用基于形态学的分类法和针对宿主18S rRNA基因的分子技术，对来自中美洲不同地点的标本进行了分析，而通过针对原核生物16S rRNA基因来分析它们的微生物关联。进行了系统发育和统计分析，以检验宿主纽形动物分类群和采样地点对宿主相关微生物群落的潜在影响。结果提供了有力证据，证明小型底栖纽形动物物种中存在系统共生，突出了宿主遗传相关性对小型动物微生物组多样性的重大影响。这一发现支持了先前的研究，这些研究表明某些纽形动物物种如何拥有具有功能和生态意义的独特微生物群落。鉴于小型底栖动物的显著多样性——跨越众多具有不同生活方式且共存于同一栖息地的门——再加上多组学方法的进步，有一个充满希望的机会来加深我们对整个动物界宿主与其微生物群之间进化和生态相互作用的理解。
