Microbiome assembly of avian eggshells and their potential as transgenerational carriers of maternal microbiota.

ABSTRACT: The microbiome is essential for development, health and homeostasis throughout an animal's life. Yet, the origins and transmission processes governing animal microbiomes remain elusive for non-human vertebrates, oviparous vertebrates in particular. Eggs may function as transgenerational carriers of the maternal microbiome, warranting characterisation of egg microbiome assembly. Here, we investigated maternal and environmental contributions to avian eggshell microbiota in wild passerine birds: woodlark Lullula arborea and skylark Alauda arvensis. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we demonstrated in both lark species, at the population and within-nest levels, that bacterial communities of freshly laid eggs were distinct from the female cloacal microbiome. Instead, soil-borne bacteria appeared

SUBMITTER: van Veelen HPJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5932060 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature