Four Neotropical frog species exhibit shared and distinct skin bacterial communities in a laboratory setting
Amphibian skin microbiomes are an essential part of host physiology and pathogen defense. In this study, we identified common and distinct microbiota across four Neotropical frog species in laboratory conditions. Across frogs, we found communities dominated by <i>Pseudomonas</i> and <i>Chryseobacterium</i> . However, each frog species had a unique bacterial profile with at least one unique bacterial genus, highlighting the variability of naturally occurring amphibian skin microbiomes. These experiments were conducted by undergraduate students in an upper-division laboratory course, demonstrating how curiosity-based science education can lead to practical research experiences and new scientific insights.
Authors
- Morgan Seibert
- Linh Vo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0665-0309)
- Nicole Bradon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9236-0593)
- Viraj Jansari
- Griselda Cortés Morales
- Kaya Ben-Efraim
- Keira Nakamura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8054-6049)
- Nicole Jade Dye
- Mila Maria Pamplona-Barbosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7579-6344)
- Chantal Aivan Le
- Olivia Roti
- Gwendolyne K. Aguilar
- Riley E. Carolan
- Massiel Melian
- Ruhee Nemawarkar
- Harmony M. Sosa
- Baraa J. Abdelghne
- Melody J. Dailey
- Jessie Ong
- Zeinab K. Zreik
- Chloe L. Golde
- Halyna Kuznetsov
- Anna Amine
- Dave Ramirez
- Daniela A. Castro-Martinez
- Melody Chang
- Amy T. Nguyen
- Ashley N. Carter
- Keshav Saigal
- Samuel H. Wu
- Madison P. Lacey
- Lauren A. O’Connell
Publication Details
- Journal
- PubMed
- Published
- 2026-02-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.002080
- Primary Topic
- Infections and bacterial resistance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00