Social environment influences microbiota and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities on the skin of developing birds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Animal bacterial symbionts are established early in life, either through vertical transmission and/or by horizontal transmission from both the physical and the social environment, such as direct contact with con- or heterospecifics. The social environment particularly can influence the acquisition of both mutualistic and pathogenic bacteria, with consequences for the stability of symbiotic communities. However, segregating the effects of the shared physical environment from those of the social interactions is challenging, limiting our current knowledge on the role of the social environment in structuring bacterial communities in wild animals. Here, we take advantage of the avian brood-parasite system of Eurasian magpies (Pica pica) and great spotted cuckoos (Clamator gla

SUBMITTER: Martinez-Renau E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11325624 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature