Comparative Analyses of Vertebrate Gut Microbiomes Reveal Convergence between Birds and Bats
Se Jin Song(University of California San Diego), Jon G. Sanders(University of California San Diego), Frédéric Delsuc(Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), Jessica L. Metcalf(Colorado State University), Katherine R. Amato(Northwestern University), Michael W. Taylor(University of Auckland), Florent Mazel(University of British Columbia), Holly L. Lutz(Field Museum of Natural History), Kevin Winker(University of Alaska Fairbanks), Gary R. Graves(Smithsonian Institution), Gregory Humphrey(University of California San Diego), Jack A. Gilbert(University of California San Diego), Shannon J. Hackett(Field Museum of Natural History), K White(University of Chicago), Heather R. Skeen(Field Museum of Natural History), Sarah M. Kurtis(University of Florida), Jack J. Withrow(University of Alaska Fairbanks), Thomas M. Braile(University of Alaska Fairbanks), Matthew J. Miller(University of Alaska Fairbanks), Kevin G. McCracken(University of Alaska Fairbanks), James M. Maley(Occidental College), Vanessa O. Ezenwa(University of Georgia), Allison E. Williams(University of Georgia), Jessica M. Blanton(Scripps Institution of Oceanography), Valerie J. McKenzie(University of Colorado Boulder), Rob Knight(University of California San Diego)
Cited by 521Open Access
Abstract
In this comprehensive survey of microbiomes of >900 species, including 315 mammals and 491 birds, we find a striking convergence of the microbiomes of birds and animals that fly. In nonflying mammals, diet and short-term evolutionary relatedness drive the microbiome, and many microbial species are specific to a particular kind of mammal, but flying mammals and birds break this pattern with many microbes shared across different species, with little correlation either with diet or with relatedness of the hosts. This finding suggests that adaptation to flight breaks long-held relationships between hosts and their microbes.
Related Papers
No related papers found
Powered by citation graph analysis