Mixed-Mode Bacterial Transmission via Eggshells in an Oviparous Reptile Without Parental Care.

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic microorganisms play important roles in maintaining health and facilitating the adaptation of the host. We know little about the origin and transgenerational transmission of symbiotic bacteria, especially in egg-laying species without parental care. Here, we investigated the transmission of bacterial symbionts in the Chinese three-keeled pond turtle (Mauremys reevesii), a species with no post-oviposition parental care, by evaluating contributions from potential maternal and environmental sources to eggshell bacterial communities. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, we established that the bacterial communities of eggshells were similar to those of the maternal cloaca, maternal skin, and nest soil, but distinct from those of surface soil around nest and pond water. Phylogene

SUBMITTER: Li T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9273969 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature