Linking Bacterial Communities Associated with the Environment and the Ecosystem Engineer Orchestia gammarellus at Contrasting Salt Marsh Elevations.

ABSTRACT: The digestive tract of animals harbors microbiota important for the host's fitness and performance. The interaction between digestive tract bacteria and soil animal hosts is still poorly explored despite the importance of soil fauna for ecosystem processes. In this study, we investigated the interactions between the bacterial communities from the digestive tract of the litter-feeding, semi-terrestrial crustacean Orchestia gammarellus and those obtained from the environment; these organisms thrive in, i.e., soil and plant litter from salt marshes. We hypothesized that elevation is an important driver of soil and litter bacterial communities, which indirectly (via ingested soil and litter bacteria) influences the bacterial communities in the digestive tract of O. gammarellus. Indeed, our res

SUBMITTER: Garcia Hernandez E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8384807 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature