Increased host diversity limits bacterial generalism but may promote microbe-microbe interactions.

ABSTRACT: Host-associated bacteria vary in the number of host species they occupy. By colonizing many host species, host generalists can have disproportionate ecological impacts and should gain an evolutionary advantage when host species availability varies. However, past work has shown that many bacterial lineages are host specific. We hypothesized that constraints on bacterial host generalism will differ depending on ecological context. To test this, we assessed patterns of diversity and specialization in the cloacal microbiomes of reptile communities from the temperate zone to the tropics, a 10-fold increase in host species richness. We found that some host-specific lineages increased in richness along with their hosts, while generalist lineages did not. Generalist lineages were able to attain th

SUBMITTER: Holmes IA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12448418 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature