title: Gut bacterial communities across tadpole ecomorphs in two diverse tropical anuran faunas.
abstract: Animal-associated microbial communities can play major roles in the physiology, development, ecology, and evolution of their hosts, but the study of their diversity has yet focused on a limited number of host species. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of partial sequences of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene to assess the diversity of the gut-inhabiting bacterial communities of 212 specimens of tropical anuran amphibians from Brazil and Madagascar. The core gut-associated bacterial communities among tadpoles from two different continents strongly overlapped, with eight highly represented operational taxonomic units (OTUs) in common. In contrast, the core communities of adults and tadpoles from Brazil were less similar with only one shared OTU. This suggests a community turnover at metamorphosis. Bacterial diversity was higher in tadpoles compared to adults. Distinct differences in composition and diversity occurred among gut bacterial communities of conspecific tadpoles from different water bodies and after experimental fasting for 8 days, demonstrating the influence of both environmental factors and food on the community structure. Communities from syntopic tadpoles clustered by host species both in Madagascar and Brazil, and the Malagasy tadpoles also had species-specific isotope signatures. We recommend future studies to analyze the turnover of anuran gut bacterial communities at metamorphosis, compare the tadpole core communities with those of other aquatic organisms, and assess the possible function of the gut microbiota as a reservoir for protective bacteria on the amphibian skin.
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany. m.vences@tu-braunschweig.de.
authors.forename: Miguel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vences
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av 24A, N 1515, CEP 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Mariana L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lyra
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Ramaley N-122, UCB 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Jordan G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Kueneman
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Molly C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Bletz
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Ramaley N-122, UCB 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Holly M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Archer
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.|Evolutionary Biology and Special Zoology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Canitz
authors.affiliation: Zoological Institute, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Mendelssohnstr. 4, 38106, Braunschweig, Germany.|Visualization Group, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Svenja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Handreck
authors.affiliation: Département de Biologie Animale, Université d'Antananarivo, 101, Antananarivo, Madagascar.
authors.forename: Roger-Daniel
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Randrianiaina
authors.affiliation: Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstrasse 43, 10115, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Struck
authors.affiliation: Department of Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bhuju
authors.affiliation: Department of Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jarek
authors.affiliation: Department of Genome Analytics, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Geffers
authors.affiliation: Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Ramaley N-122, UCB 334, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.affiliation: Thünen Institute of Biodiversity, Bundesallee 50, 38116, Braunschweig, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tebbe
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biociências, UNESP - Univ Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av 24A, N 1515, CEP 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Célio F B
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Haddad
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation, University of Hamburg, Martin-Luther-King Platz 3, 20146, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glos
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001001:Anura / Q000382:microbiology*; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics; D018407:Bacterial Physiological Phenomena; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D007814:Larva; D008270:Madagascar; D008675:Metamorphosis, Biological; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: 16S rRNA; Amphibia; Anura; Gut microbiota; Stable isotopes; Tadpoles