Body Size Poorly Predicts Host-Associated Microbial Diversity in Wild Birds.

ABSTRACT: The composition and diversity of avian microbiota are shaped by many factors, including host ecologies and environmental variables. In this study, we examine microbial diversity across 214 bird species sampled in Malawi at five major body sites: blood, buccal cavity, gizzard, intestinal tract, and cloaca. Microbial community dissimilarity differed significantly across body sites. Ecological theory predicts that as area increases, so does diversity. We tested the hypothesis that avian microbiota diversity is correlated with body size, used as a proxy for area, using comparative phylogenetic methods. Using Pagel's lambda, we found that few microbial diversity metrics had significant phylogenetic signals. Phylogenetic generalized least squares identified a significant but weak negative correl

SUBMITTER: Herder EA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10269867 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature