Maternal transmission gives way to social transmission during gut microbiota assembly in wild mice.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The mammalian gut microbiota influences a wide array of phenotypes which are relevant to fitness, yet knowledge about the transmission routes by which gut microbes colonise hosts in natural populations remains limited. Here, we use an intensively studied wild population of wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) to examine how vertical (maternal) and horizontal (social) transmission routes influence gut microbiota composition throughout life.

Results

We identify independent signals of maternal transmission (sharing of taxa between a mother and her offspring) and social transmission (sharing of taxa predicted by the social network), whose relative magnitudes shift as hosts age. In early life, gut microbiota composition is predicted by both maternal and social relationships

SUBMITTER: Wanelik KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10230743 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature