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Differential priority effects impact taxonomy and functionality of host-associated microbiomes
Jadranka Nappi1, Priscila Goncalves1, Tahsin Khan1
1Centre of Marine Science and Innovation, School of Biological and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Molecular Ecology
|January 7, 2022
Summary
The initial settlement of specific bacteria significantly impacts the structure and function of the green alga Ulva australis microbiome. These priority effects, though unique to each bacterial strain, can influence host-associated microbial communities and offer insights for probiotic development.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Marine Biology
- Ecology
Background:
- Multicellular eukaryotes host complex microbial communities, but assembly factors are poorly understood.
- Priority effects, where early microbial settlers influence community composition, are known but rarely studied for individual bacterial strains.
- The impact of bacterial priority effects on host microbiome functionality remains largely unknown.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the priority effects of two bacterial strains on the microbiome of the green alga Ulva australis.
- To determine the impact of these priority effects on microbial community assembly, succession, and predicted functionality.
- To understand the idiosyncratic nature of bacterial strain effects on host-associated microbial communities.
Main Methods:
- Experimental testing of two bacterial strains (Pseudoalteromonas tunicata D2 and Pseudovibrio sp. D323) on Ulva australis microbial communities.
- 16S rRNA gene sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to analyze taxonomic changes and microbial abundance.
- Metagenome analysis to predict functional shifts in the microbiome.
Main Results:
- Both bacterial strains exerted significant priority effects on the Ulva australis microbiome.
- Strain D2 caused strong, temporary taxonomic changes, while strain D323 induced weaker but consistent, facilitatory changes.
- Metagenomics revealed strain-specific functional impacts, including depletion of type III secretion system genes and enrichment of antibiotic resistance genes.
Conclusions:
- Individual bacterial colonizers can have strong, idiosyncratic effects on the structure and function of host-associated microbial communities.
- Understanding these unique priority effects is crucial for developing targeted probiotics to enhance host health.
- The study highlights the importance of considering specific bacterial strain interactions in microbiome assembly and function.
Keywords:
antagonistic bacteriamarine bacteriamicrobial community assemblymicrobial symbiosespriority effecttaxonomic and functional gene profileMore Related Videos
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