Skin and gut microbiomes of a wild mammal respond to different environmental cues.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Animal skin and gut microbiomes are important components of host fitness. However, the processes that shape the microbiomes of wildlife are poorly understood, particularly with regard to exposure to environmental contaminants. We used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing to quantify how exposure to radionuclides impacts the skin and gut microbiota of a small mammal, the bank vole Myodes glareolus, inhabiting areas within and outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ), Ukraine.

Results

Skin microbiomes of male bank voles were more diverse than females. However, the most pronounced differences in skin microbiomes occurred at a larger spatial scale, with higher alpha diversity in the skin microbiomes of bank voles from areas within the CEZ, whether contaminated by radionucli

SUBMITTER: Lavrinienko A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6258405 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature