Microbiome stability and structure is governed by host phylogeny over diet and geography in woodrats (Neotoma spp.).

ABSTRACT: The microbiome is critical for host survival and fitness, but gaps remain in our understanding of how this symbiotic community is structured. Despite evidence that related hosts often harbor similar bacterial communities, it is unclear whether this pattern is due to genetic similarities between hosts or to common ecological selection pressures. Here, using herbivorous rodents in the genus Neotoma, we quantify how geography, diet, and host genetics, alongside neutral processes, influence microbiome structure and stability under natural and captive conditions. Using bacterial and plant metabarcoding, we first characterized dietary and microbiome compositions for animals from 25 populations, representing seven species from 19 sites across the southwestern United States. We then brought

SUBMITTER: Weinstein SB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8617456 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature