The gut microbiota of three avian species living in sympatry
While patterns of microbial diversity varied across species, the lack of compositional differences suggests that habitat and diet likely exert a strong influence on the gut microbiota of plovers. This may be enhanced by their precocial, ground-dwelling nature, which could facilitate the horizontal transmission of microbes from the environment. We hypothesise that gut microbiota diversity in plovers primarily reflects the ecological pool of microbiota, which is subsequently modified by host-specific factors including genetics. The reduced microbial and genetic diversity of the endemic A. thoracicus may hinder its ability to adapt to environmental changes, highlighting the need for increased conservation efforts for this vulnerable species.
Authors
- Hugo Pereira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2108-9265)
- Joseph I. Hoffman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5895-8949)
- Barbara A. Caspers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4380-0476)
- Nayden Chakarov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9124-1242)
- W. E. Jones
- Sama Zefania (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6260-1069)
- Tamás Székely (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2093-0056)
- Marc Gilles (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4222-9754)
- Tafitasoa Jaona Mijoro (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-3673-3121)
- Oliver Krüger
Institutions
- British Antarctic Survey (GB)
- University of Debrecen (HU)
- Bielefeld University (DE)
- Hochschule Bielefeld (DE)
- University of Münster (DE)
- University of Toliara (MG)
- University of Bath (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMC Ecology and Evolution
- Published
- 2024-11-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-024-02329-9
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.70
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Universität Bielefeld