Population Genetic Divergence and Environment Influence the Gut Microbiome in Oregon Threespine Stickleback

Much of animal-associated microbiome research has been conducted in species for which little is known of their natural ecology and evolution. Microbiome studies that combine population genetic, environment, and geographic data for wild organisms can be very informative, especially in situations where host genetic variation and the environment both influence microbiome variation. The few studies that have related population genetic and microbiome variation in wild populations have been constrained by observation-based kinship data or incomplete genomic information. Here we integrate population genomic and microbiome analyses in wild threespine stickleback fish distributed throughout western Oregon, USA. We found that gut microbiome diversity and composition partitioned more among than within wild host populations and was better explained by host population genetic divergence than by environment and geography. We also identified gut microbial taxa that were most differentially abundant across environments and across genetically divergent populations. Our findings highlight the benefits of studies that investigate host-associated microbiomes in wild organisms.