First Metabarcoding Characterization of Seabird Guano Microbiomes Along the Peruvian Coast Environmental Filtering Shapes Taxonomically Simplified but Functionally Stable Communities
Seabird guano from the islands off the Peruvian coast constitutes an organic fertilizer resource of recognized strategic importance; however, the microbial communities associated with this substrate had remained entirely uncharacterized. The present study provides the first comprehensive, culture-independent characterization of bacterial and fungal communities in guano collected from 13 guano-producing zones along the Peruvian coastline, encompassing deposits from the Guanay cormorant (Leucocarbo bougainvillii) and the Peruvian booby (Sula variegata), the two dominant and representative guano-producing bird species.