Geology correlates with gut microbial community composition in the Mountainsnails (Oreohelicidae: <i>Oreohelix)</i>.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Species that require soil mineral macronutrients for survival may depend on specific microbiome communities to aid in nutrient processing. Land snails, which utilize environmental minerals to synthesize a shell of calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), may rely on or possess distinct gut microbiome communities depending on soil mineral characteristics. Here, we investigate whether the occurrence of calcareous vs. non-calcareous soils is associated with shifts the composition of the gut microbiome of the calciphilous and highly diverse land snail genus Oreohelix from the Western United States.

Methods

We collected snail and soil samples from nine sites in central Idaho: five near, and four away from calcium-rich geology. We sequenced the V4 region of t

SUBMITTER: Oiler IM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12513373 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature