Environment and diet shape the geography-specific <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> microbiota composition.

ABSTRACT: Geographic and environmental variation in the animal microbiota can be directly linked to the evolution and wild fitness of their hosts, but it can be difficult to explain the underlying patterns. Here, we sought to better understand wild variation in the microbiota composition of Drosophila melanogaster. First, environmental temperature predicted geographic variation in fly microbial communities more consistently than latitude did. The microbiota also differed between wild flies and their diets, supporting previous conclusions that the fly microbiota is not merely a reflection of diet. Flies feeding on different diets varied significantly in their microbiota composition, and flies sampled from individual apples were exceptionally depauperate for the lactic acid bacteria (LAB), a ma

SUBMITTER: Gale JT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12542676 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature