Bat Cutaneous Microbial Assemblage Functional Redundancy Across a Host-Mediated Disturbance

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Ecology
• Host-Microbe Interactions

Background:

• Host-associated microbial assemblages are crucial for host defense against pathogens.
• Bat cutaneous bacteria exhibit antifungal properties against Pseudogymnoascus destructans.
• Limited understanding of microbial assemblage fluctuations due to host habitat shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how taxonomic and functional bat cutaneous microbial assemblages respond to seasonal habitat shifts.
• To test hypotheses on taxonomic turnover and functional redundancy across seasons.
• To examine seasonal and multi-winter differences in microbial assemblage structure and function.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of bat cutaneous microbial communities across different seasons (winter and summer).
• Assessment of taxonomic structure and functional gene abundance.
• Statistical analysis to detect differences in assemblage composition and function.

Main Results:

• Bat cutaneous microbial assemblages are seasonally dynamic taxonomically but functionally redundant.
• Complete taxonomic turnover observed between winter and summer assemblages.
• No significant differences in assemblage structure or functional gene abundance across winters or seasons.

Conclusions:

• Species sorting mechanisms, linked to host habitat shifts, drive taxonomic changes in bat cutaneous microbial communities.
• Functional redundancy is maintained across seasons despite significant taxonomic alterations.
• The study highlights the resilience of microbial functions despite seasonal environmental variations.