Skin bacterial microbiome diversity predicts lower activity levels in female, but not male, guppies, Poecilia reticulata.

ABSTRACT: While the link between the gut microbiome and host behaviour is well established, how the microbiomes of other organs correlate with behaviour remains unclear. Additionally, behaviour-microbiome correlations are likely sex-specific because of sex differences in behaviour and physiology, but this is rarely tested. Here, we tested whether the skin microbiome of the Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata, predicts fish activity level and shoaling tendency in a sex-specific manner. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the bacterial community richness on the skin (Faith's phylogenetic diversity) was correlated with both behaviours differently between males and females. Females with richer skin-associated bacterial communities spent less time actively swimming. Activity level was sign

SUBMITTER: Kramp RD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9382456 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature