Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
07:00
Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: October 4, 2024
Home life: factors structuring the bacterial diversity found within and between homes
Robert R Dunn1, Noah Fierer, Jessica B Henley
1Department of Biology and Keck Center for Behavioral Biology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, United States of America. Rob_Dunn@ncsu.edu
Plos One
|May 30, 2013
Summary
Indoor microbial diversity varies by location and is influenced by cleaning habits and pets. Dog-associated bacteria are more abundant in homes with dogs, and outdoor microbes can enter homes, affecting indoor bacterial communities.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Indoor Ecology
Background:
- Humans spend most time indoors, exposed to diverse microorganisms.
- Limited understanding of indoor microbial diversity and its spatial variation.
- Factors influencing indoor microbial communities remain largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate bacterial community diversity across nine distinct indoor locations.
- To determine factors influencing microbial composition within homes.
- To assess the impact of outdoor environment, indoor structure, and occupants on indoor microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- High-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene.
- Sampling from forty homes in the Raleigh-Durham area, North Carolina, USA.
- Analysis of nine distinct locations within each home.
Main Results:
- Distinct bacterial communities were found in different indoor locations.
- Frequently cleaned surfaces showed lower bacterial diversity than infrequently cleaned surfaces.
- Homes with dogs had higher bacterial diversity and dog-associated taxa; outdoor microbes influenced indoor communities.
Conclusions:
- Indoor microbial communities are spatially structured and influenced by usage and cleaning.
- Pet ownership, particularly dogs, significantly alters indoor bacterial composition.
- Outdoor microbial sources contribute to indoor microbial diversity, highlighting interconnectedness.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Introduction to Microbial Ecology
Microbial ecology examines the complex web of interactions and diversity among microorganisms within various ecosystems. This field seeks to understand how microbial populations adapt to and influence their environments and how these interactions shape broader ecological processes. Microbes are integral to ecosystem function, participating in nutrient cycling, energy flow, and the maintenance of environmental homeostasis.An ecosystem represents a dynamic interaction between living organisms...
01:22Microenvironments
Microorganisms inhabit highly localized spaces known as microenvironments, which are defined by distinct physical and chemical characteristics. These include oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, light availability, and nutrient levels. The conditions within a microenvironment can differ markedly from those in the surrounding area and significantly influence microbial growth, metabolism, and community structure.Microenvironments often display sharp physicochemical gradients over small spatial...
01:22Introduction to the Human Microbiota
Microorganisms colonize various regions of the human body, including the mouth, nasal passages, throat, stomach, intestines, urogenital tract, and skin. The total number of microbial cells is estimated to range from 10¹³ to 10¹⁴—comparable to, or exceeding, the number of human somatic cells. This host–microbiome relationship has led to the conceptualization of humans as supraorganisms, wherein microbial communities perform vital roles in development, immunity, and disease...
01:30Development of Human Microbiota
The human microbiota begins developing at birth and undergoes continual change as we age. Infancy marks a critical period of microbial sensitivity, offering a “window of opportunity” during which beneficial microbes help mature the immune system. By age three, children typically develop a more stable and diverse microbial community. Newborns acquire microbes from their immediate environment; vaginal delivery favors maternal vaginal microbes, while cesarean births favor microbes from the skin...
01:27The Oral Microbiota
The oral microbiome includes a complex ecosystem comprising over 700 microbial species, identified through genomic sequencing and culture-based analyses to date. This community includes a core microbiome, found universally among individuals, and a variable component influenced by environmental factors such as diet, lifestyle, and host genetics. Site-specific conditions, including oxygen gradients, pH levels, and nutrient availability, determine the spatial distribution of these microorganisms...
01:29Soil Microbial Ecology
Soil microbial ecology is defined by highly diverse, spatially structured communities that drive nutrient cycling, organic matter turnover, and overall ecosystem stability. Although a gram of soil can contain thousands of bacterial and archaeal taxa, the ecological processes they mediate are even more crucial for sustaining terrestrial life.Microhabitats and NichesSoil is a heterogeneous mixture of minerals, organic matter, water, and air. Microbes inhabit distinct microhabitats formed by...