Elevational Changes in Bacterial Microbiota Structure and Diversity in an Arthropod-Disease Vector.

ABSTRACT: Environmental conditions change rapidly along elevational gradients and have been found to affect community composition in macroscopic taxa, with lower diversity typically observed at higher elevations. In contrast, microbial community responses to elevation are still poorly understood. Specifically, the effects of elevation on vector-associated microbiota have not been studied to date, even though the within-vector microbial community is known to influence vector competence for a range of zoonotic pathogens. Here we characterize the structure and diversity of the bacterial microbiota in an important zoonotic disease vector, the sheep tick Ixodes ricinus, along replicated elevational gradient (630-1673 m) in the Swiss Alps. 16S rRNA sequencing of the whole within-tick bacterial microbiota

SUBMITTER: Aivelo T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9622521 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature