Syngnathus leptorhynchus raw sequence reads
Understanding the origin and structure of microbiomes and their associations with ecologically significant host traits is essential for understanding the evolution of host-microbe interactions. These interactions support a wide range of physiological processes important for development, survival, and reproduction. One example of a host trait that likely falls into this category is male pregnancy in syngnathid fishes, which has evolved to include the development of complex, fitness-critical brood pouches. We found that the pregnant male brood pouch microbiome was distinct from other body sites in community composition on average, and in that it exhibited the highest richness and phylogenetic diversity of microbes of any site, possibly supporting a specialized environment for embryonic development. Moreover, we found that microbial diversity was higher in non-pregnant compared to each pregnancy stage but found no significant differences among the pregnancy stages.