Isolation by distance promotes strain diversification in the wild mouse gut microbiota.

ABSTRACT: Bacterial species within the mammalian gut microbiota exhibit considerable strain diversity associated with both geography and host genetic ancestry. However, because geography and host ancestry are typically confounded, disentangling their contributions to the diversification of gut bacterial strains has remained challenging. Here, we show through joint profiling of gut bacterial and mitochondrial genomes from wild-living populations of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) sampled across the United States that isolation by distance (IBD) drives gut bacterial strain diversification independently of the effects of host ancestry. Analyses revealed significant IBD in 27 predominant gut bacterial species, including members of the Muribaculaceae and Lachnospiraceae, but limited evidence fo

SUBMITTER: Dillard BA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12458340 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature