Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 19, 2025
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Microinjection for Transgenesis and Genome Editing in Threespine Sticklebacks
Published on: May 13, 2016
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Host traits and environmental variation shape gut microbiota diversity in wild threespine stickleback
Andreas Härer1, Emma Kurstjens2,3, Diana J Rennison4
1Department of Ecology, Behavior, & Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. andreas_haerer@gmx.de.
Animal Microbiome
|June 18, 2025
Summary
Host traits significantly influence gut microbiota in threespine stickleback fish. This study reveals host morphology and sex impact microbial diversity more than environment, highlighting complex host-microbiota eco-evolutionary dynamics.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Microbiology
Background:
- Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host ecology and evolution.
- Limited understanding exists on factors shaping gut microbiota in wild populations.
- Host-associated and environmental factors' relative contributions require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate how host morphology, sex, genetic divergence, and environment influence gut microbiota in threespine stickleback.
- Determine the relative importance of host-associated versus environmental factors on gut microbiota composition.
- Explore sex-dependent differences in microbial diversity.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed gut microbiota composition and diversity in threespine stickleback from 20 lakes.
- Assessed the influence of host morphology, sex, genetic divergence, and environmental characteristics.
- Utilized amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) to characterize microbial communities.
Main Results:
- Substantial variation in gut microbiota composition and diversity observed among populations.
- Host traits, particularly morphology, showed a stronger influence on bacterial alpha diversity than environmental factors.
- Weakly defined core microbiota and limited ASV sharing indicated individualized gut microbiota composition.
- Detected sex-dependent differences in microbial diversity.
Conclusions:
- Host-associated factors, including morphology and sex, significantly shape gut microbiota dynamics in threespine stickleback.
- Environmental factors play a lesser role compared to host traits in influencing gut microbiota.
- Highlights the complex interplay between host organisms, their microbiota, and the environment, with implications for eco-evolutionary studies.
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