See the published version of this preprint at BMC Ecology.
This is a preprint, a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
A new preprint design is coming!
We have improved readability, clarity, accessibility, and opportunities for engagement.
Research article
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
Background: So far, large numbers of studies investigating the microbiome have focused on gut microbiota and less have addressed the microbiome of the skin. Especially in avian taxa our understanding of the ecology and function of these bacteria remains incomplete. The involvement of skin bacteria in intra-specific communication has recently received attention, and has highlighted the need to understand what information is potentially being encoded in bacterial communities. Using next generation sequencing techniques, we characterised the skin microbiome of wild zebra finches, aiming to understand the impact of sex, age and group composition on skin bacteria communities. For this purpose, we sampled skin swabs from both sexes and two age classes (adults and nestlings) of 12 different zebra finch families and analysed the bacterial communities.
Results: Using 16S rRNA sequencing we found no effect of age, sex and family on bacterial diversity (alpha diversity). However, when comparing the composition (beta diversity), we found that animals of social groups (families) harbour highly similar bacterial communities on their skin with respect to community composition. Within families, closely related individuals shared significantly more bacterial taxa than non-related animals. In addition, we found that age (adults vs. nestlings) affected bacterial composition. Finally, we found that spatial proximity of nest sites, and therefore individuals, correlated with the skin microbiota similarity.
Conclusions: Birds harbour very diverse and complex bacterial assemblages on their skin. These bacterial communities are distinguishable and characteristic for intraspecific social groups. Our findings are indicative for a family-specific skin microbiome in wild zebra finches. Genetics and the (social) environment seem to be the influential factors shaping the complex bacterial communities. Bacterial communities associated with the skin have a potential to emit volatiles and therefore these communities may play a role in intraspecific social communication, e.g. via signalling social group membership.
Keywords
family-specific, social group, bacterial communities, nestling, avian olfaction, olfactory communication, relatedness, social environment, microbiota
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
- Supplement1OTUdata.xlsx
Excel file containing Metadata, OTUs and sequences used for analyses in R and Primer-e.
- Supplement2Figsubsets.png
Three figures (nMDS plots) showing the families from Fig. 2 B, separated into the geographical clusters and visually illustrating the different sexes and therefore age classes.
Loading...
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Published
View the published article at BMC Ecology.
Version 3
Posted 05 Nov, 2020
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Accept
On 01 Nov, 2020
Editor assigned
On 30 Oct, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 30 Oct, 2020
Editor invited
On 30 Oct, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 13 Oct, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 06 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 16 Sep, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 16 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 15 Sep, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 14 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 14 Sep, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 06 Aug, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 20 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Jun, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 07 Jun, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 10 May, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 07 May, 2020
First submitted
On 18 Apr, 2020
Editor assigned
On 18 Apr, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 17 Apr, 2020
Editor invited
On 17 Apr, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
Learn more about our company.
A new preprint design is coming!
We have improved readability, clarity, accessibility, and opportunities for engagement.
See the published version of this preprint at BMC Ecology.
This is a preprint, a preliminary version of a manuscript that has not completed peer review at a journal. Research Square does not conduct peer review prior to posting preprints. The posting of a preprint on this server should not be interpreted as an endorsement of its validity or suitability for dissemination as established information or for guiding clinical practice.
Learn more about In Review
Research article
Badges
Prescreen
This manuscript passed our Prescreen assessment
Complete author information
Appropriate declaration statements
Potential risks to human health
Prescreen
Peer Review Timeline
CURRENT STATUS: Published
View the published article at BMC Ecology.
Version 3
Posted 05 Nov, 2020
No community comments so far
Editorial decision: Accept
On 01 Nov, 2020
Editor assigned
On 30 Oct, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 30 Oct, 2020
Editor invited
On 30 Oct, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Minor revision
On 13 Oct, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 06 Oct, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 16 Sep, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 16 Sep, 2020
Editor assigned
On 15 Sep, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 14 Sep, 2020
Editor invited
On 14 Sep, 2020
No comments provided
Editorial decision: Major revision
On 06 Aug, 2020
Review #2 received
Received 20 Jul, 2020
Reviewer #2 agreed
On 25 Jun, 2020
Review #1 received
Received 07 Jun, 2020
Reviewer #1 agreed
On 10 May, 2020
Reviewers invited
Invitations sent on 07 May, 2020
First submitted
On 18 Apr, 2020
Editor assigned
On 18 Apr, 2020
Submission checks complete
On 17 Apr, 2020
Editor invited
On 17 Apr, 2020
Metrics
Comments: 0
PDF Downloads: ...
HTML Views: ...
License:
This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License. Read Full License
View the published article at BMC Ecology.
Background: So far, large numbers of studies investigating the microbiome have focused on gut microbiota and less have addressed the microbiome of the skin. Especially in avian taxa our understanding of the ecology and function of these bacteria remains incomplete. The involvement of skin bacteria in intra-specific communication has recently received attention, and has highlighted the need to understand what information is potentially being encoded in bacterial communities. Using next generation sequencing techniques, we characterised the skin microbiome of wild zebra finches, aiming to understand the impact of sex, age and group composition on skin bacteria communities. For this purpose, we sampled skin swabs from both sexes and two age classes (adults and nestlings) of 12 different zebra finch families and analysed the bacterial communities.
Results: Using 16S rRNA sequencing we found no effect of age, sex and family on bacterial diversity (alpha diversity). However, when comparing the composition (beta diversity), we found that animals of social groups (families) harbour highly similar bacterial communities on their skin with respect to community composition. Within families, closely related individuals shared significantly more bacterial taxa than non-related animals. In addition, we found that age (adults vs. nestlings) affected bacterial composition. Finally, we found that spatial proximity of nest sites, and therefore individuals, correlated with the skin microbiota similarity.
Conclusions: Birds harbour very diverse and complex bacterial assemblages on their skin. These bacterial communities are distinguishable and characteristic for intraspecific social groups. Our findings are indicative for a family-specific skin microbiome in wild zebra finches. Genetics and the (social) environment seem to be the influential factors shaping the complex bacterial communities. Bacterial communities associated with the skin have a potential to emit volatiles and therefore these communities may play a role in intraspecific social communication, e.g. via signalling social group membership.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
This is a list of supplementary files associated with this preprint. Click to download.
- Supplement1OTUdata.xlsx
Excel file containing Metadata, OTUs and sequences used for analyses in R and Primer-e.
- Supplement2Figsubsets.png
Three figures (nMDS plots) showing the families from Fig. 2 B, separated into the geographical clusters and visually illustrating the different sexes and therefore age classes.
Loading...