Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 14, 2026
05:19
Isolation and Identification of Bacterial Strains from Skin of Terrestrial Amphibians
Published on: June 17, 2025
1.2K
Host-associated bacterial community succession during amphibian development
Tiffany L Prest1,2, Abigail K Kimball1,3, Jordan G Kueneman1,4
1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
Molecular Ecology
|February 8, 2018
Summary
Amphibian skin symbionts change as they develop, shifting from generalist to specialized bacteria. These microbial communities assemble predictably, influenced by developmental milestones like hatching and metamorphosis.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Developmental Biology
- Ecology
Background:
- Amphibian skin hosts symbiotic microbial communities.
- The acquisition and sources of these symbionts throughout amphibian development are poorly understood.
- Understanding microbial community assembly is crucial for host health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the sources of skin bacterial symbionts in boreal toads (Anaxyrus boreas) across different life stages.
- To determine how microbial communities change during amphibian development.
- To elucidate the factors driving bacterial community assembly on amphibian skin.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA marker gene profiling was used to analyze bacterial communities.
- SourceTracker analysis was employed to identify microbial symbiont sources.
- Bacterial communities from toad life stages (eggs, tadpoles, subadults, adults) and environmental samples (water, sediment, soil) were compared.
Main Results:
- Primary environmental sources of symbionts remained constant, but secondary sources shifted significantly with toad development.
- Boreal toad skin bacterial communities exhibited predictable changes across development, with major shifts occurring at egg hatching and metamorphosis.
- Bacterial communities assembled into distinct stable states post-developmental disturbances.
- A successional pattern was observed, with fast-growing generalist bacteria initially dominating, followed by slow-growing specialist bacteria.
Conclusions:
- Amphibian skin bacterial community assembly is closely linked to host development.
- Developmental stages and disturbances significantly shape host-associated microbial communities.
- Successional dynamics, similar to free-living communities, occur in amphibian skin microbiota.
More Related Videos
06:49Reduced Itraconazole Concentration and Durations Are Successful in Treating Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis Infection in Amphibians
Published on: March 14, 2014
12.1K
10:24Assessing the Viability of a Synthetic Bacterial Consortium on the In Vitro Gut Host-microbe Interface
Published on: July 4, 2018
12.3K
Related Concept Videos
02:17Ecological Succession
21.7K
Ecological succession is influenced by the processes of facilitation, inhibition, and toleration. Facilitation occurs when early successional species create more favorable ecological conditions for subsequent species, such as enhanced nutrient, water, or light availability. In contrast, inhibition happens when early successional species create unfavorable ecological conditions for potential successive species, such as limiting resource availability. In some cases, later successional species...
21.7K
00:30What are Populations and Communities?
38.0K
Overview
38.0K
01:30Bacterial Signaling
41.4K
Bacterial signaling can occur within bacteria (intracellular) or between bacteria (intercellular). At times, a group of bacteria behaves like a community. To achieve this, they engage in quorum sensing, the perception of higher cell density that causes changes in gene expression. Quorum sensing involves both extracellular and intracellular signaling. The signaling cascade starts with a molecule called an autoinducer (AI). Individual bacteria produce AIs that move out of the bacterial cell...
41.4K
01:30Community Based Intervention
492
Community-based interventions in mental health represent a paradigm shift from institution-centered care to treatments embedded within the fabric of local communities. By prioritizing inclusion and leveraging existing societal structures, this approach fosters a supportive environment conducive to addressing mental health challenges while promoting individual dignity and agency.
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
Foundations of Community Mental Health Programs
Central to the success of community-based interventions is the...
492
01:33Bacterial Transformation
60.2K
In 1928, bacteriologist Frederick Griffith worked on a vaccine for pneumonia, which is caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. Griffith studied two pneumonia strains in mice: one pathogenic and one non-pathogenic. Only the pathogenic strain killed host mice.
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
60.2K
00:43Bacterial RNA Polymerase
32.9K
Unlike eukaryotes, bacteria use a single RNA Polymerase (RNAP) to transcribe all genes. The different subunits of bacterial RNAPhave distinct functions. The multisubunit structure of the bacterial RNAP helps the enzyme to maintain catalytic function, facilitate assembly, interact with DNA and RNA, and self-regulate its activity.
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
In most genes, the transcription site is a single base present upstream of the coding sequence. Though RNAP is a catalytically efficient enzyme, it does not recognize...
32.9K