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The Aquatic Microbial Environment Shapes the Tadpole Microbiome and Antipredator Behavior
Kyle J Emerson1,2, Safoorah S Shaikh1, Damiana P Bradley-Slagle1
1Department of Biological Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|March 19, 2025
Summary
The aquatic microbial environment shapes tadpole gut and skin microbes, influencing brain development and antipredator behavior. Gut microbiota significantly predicted behavior, highlighting the microbiota-gut-brain axis in wildlife.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology
- Neuroscience
- Amphibian biology
Background:
- The microbiota-gut-brain (MGB) axis influences host physiology and behavior.
- Research on the MGB axis predominantly focuses on mammals, with limited understanding in wildlife.
- Aquatic environments and their microbial communities are crucial for amphibian development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the aquatic microbial environment on the gut and skin microbiota, brain development, and antipredator behavior in larval amphibians.
- To explore the interplay between microbial exposure, environmental stressors, and MGB axis components in a wildlife model.
- To determine the role of gut versus skin microbiota in modulating behavior.
Main Methods:
- Northern Leopard Frog (Lithobates pipiens) tadpoles were reared in autoclaved (microbe-absent) or natural (microbe-present) pond water.
- Tadpoles were exposed to predation-derived chemical cues and corticosterone as environmental stressors.
- Microbial community composition (gut and skin), body and brain morphology, gene expression, and behavioral responses were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Exposure to autoclaved pond water altered gut and skin microbial communities, body size, brain size, and brain shape compared to natural pond water.
- Gut microbiota composition significantly predicted behavioral responses to alarm pheromones, while skin microbiota did not.
- Environmental stressors had minimal direct impact but interacted with microbial treatments to influence gut microbiota composition.
Conclusions:
- The aquatic microbial community experienced during development plays a critical role in modulating tadpole behavior, likely impacting survival.
- The MGB axis is a relevant framework for understanding wildlife responses to environmental microbial conditions.
- This study underscores the importance of microbial exposures in shaping neurodevelopment and behavior in non-mammalian vertebrates.
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