Association between parasite microbiomes and caste development and colony structure in a social trematode.

ABSTRACT: Division of labour through the formation of morphologically and functionally distinct castes is a recurring theme in the evolution of animal sociality. The mechanisms driving the differentiation of individuals into distinct castes remain poorly understood, especially for animals forming clonal colonies. We test the association between microbiomes and caste formation within the social trematode Philophthalmus attenuatus, using a metabarcoding approach targeting the bacterial 16S SSU rRNA gene. Clonal colonies of this trematode within snail hosts comprise large reproductive individuals which produce dispersal stages, and small, non-reproducing soldiers which defend the colony against invaders. In colonies extracted directly from field-collected snails, reproductives harboured more diverse ba

SUBMITTER: Jorge F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9826137 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature