Social microbiome transmission predicts microbial specialization and host lifespan in a wild primate

Social interactions are proposed to provide reliable routes for microbial transmission between animals, facilitating animal-microbiome co-evolution. However, microbiome transmission remains challenging to measure in wild populations. Here we combine behavioral observations of wild baboons with repeated strain-resolved metagenomic profiling to identify individual gut microbial species that follow a dominant mode of social transmission. In an 18-year metagenomic time series from the same population, baboons with higher levels of socially transmitted species lived longer than those with lower levels of socially transmitted species. Socially transmitted species were also more stable and persistent within baboons, yet had narrower host ranges outside of baboons. Thus, social transmission is not only detectable in free-living primates, but may play a special role in both host and microbial fitness.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Published
2026-04-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.04.29.721577
Primary Topic
Primate Behavior and Ecology
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Social microbiome transmission predicts microbial specialization and host lifespan in a wild primate

Reena Debray, Shasta E. Webb, Pamela Ferretti, Jack Gilbert et al.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
Primate Behavior and Ecology
article

Social microbiome transmission predicts microbial specialization and host lifespan in a wild primate

Reena Debray, Shasta E. Webb, Pamela Ferretti, Jack Gilbert, Susan C Alberts, Elizabeth A Archie, Alex Meloimet, Ran Blekhman, Caroline C. Dickson, Jenny Tung
article en

Abstract

Social interactions are proposed to provide reliable routes for microbial transmission between animals, facilitating animal-microbiome co-evolution. However, microbiome transmission remains challenging to measure in wild populations. Here we combine behavioral observations of wild baboons with repeated strain-resolved metagenomic profiling to identify individual gut microbial species that follow a dominant mode of social transmission. In an 18-year metagenomic time series from the same population, baboons with higher levels of socially transmitted species lived longer than those with lower levels of socially transmitted species. Socially transmitted species were also more stable and persistent within baboons, yet had narrower host ranges outside of baboons. Thus, social transmission is not only detectable in free-living primates, but may play a special role in both host and microbial fitness.

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
University of Notre Dame (US), Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CA), Leipzig University of Applied Sciences (DE), Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US), University of San Diego (US), Duke University (US), University of California San Diego (US), University of Chicago (US), Ambo University (ET), Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (DE), Leipzig University (DE)
Zero hunger
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Primate Behavior and Ecology
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.