Ani Breeding group microbiota
Symbiotic microbes affect the health, fitness, and behavior of their animal hosts, and can even affect the behavior of non-hosts. Living in groups presents numerous benefits and challenges to social animals, including exposure to symbiotic microbes, which can mediate both cooperation and competition. In social mammals, individuals from the same social group tend to share more similar microbes and this social microbiome, the microbial community of all hosts in the same social group, can shape the benefits and costs of group living. In contrast, very little is known about the social microbiome of group living birds. We tested the predictions that communally breeding smooth-billed anis (Crotophaga ani) belonging to the same breeding group share more similar microbes and that their microbial community composition would differ between body regions. To test this, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the preen gland and body feather microbiota of adult birds from 16 breeding groups in southwestern Puerto Rico. As predicted, individuals from the same breeding group shared more similar microbiota than non-group members and preen gland and body feathers harboured distinct microbial communities. Future research will evaluate whether this social microbiome affects the behavior of group living birds.