Multi-Omics insights into predator-prey interactions: microbiome dysbiosis and host transcriptomic adaptations under dietary perturbation
Predators ingest diverse, potentially harmful microbes with every meal, yet how they prevent microbial spillover while maintaining a stable microbiome is unclear. We test how antibiotic-disrupted prey microbiomes affect predator and prey microbial communities, associated host transcriptomic responses, and whether predators preserve stability via ecological filtering, transcriptional buffering, or both, using multi-omics in Toxeus maxillosus and Drosophila melanogaster.