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Gut Microbiome Community Assembly Across Three Snake Communities.
Timothy J Colston1,2,3, Frederico G R França4, Brice P Noonan3
1Biology Department, University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez, Mayagüez, 00682, Puerto Rico.
Integrative and Comparative Biology
|July 22, 2025
Summary
The gut microbiomes of wild snakes are surprisingly consistent across vast distances, primarily shaped by host family, niche, and evolutionary history. Foraging behavior significantly influences these microbial communities.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology
- Zoology
- Herpetology
Background:
- Vertebrate microbiomes are essential for host physiology, influencing nutrient acquisition and immunity.
- Gut microbiome research in wild reptiles, particularly snakes, remains limited.
- Host ecology and evolution are known drivers of microbiome structure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the gut microbiome composition and diversity in wild snakes across diverse geographic regions.
- To determine the influence of host phylogeny, ecology, and geographic locality on snake gut microbiomes.
- To identify core bacterial taxa within snake gut communities.
Main Methods:
- Collected gut microbiome samples from wild snakes across tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions.
- Utilized sequencing techniques to analyze bacterial community structure and diversity.
- Correlated microbiome data with host phylogeny, ecological traits (foraging mode, habitat use), and geographic locality.
Main Results:
- Snake gut microbiomes are generally conserved at the host family level, with core taxa including Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, and Bacteroidia.
- Geographic locality significantly impacted bacterial community structure and diversity despite broad conservation.
- Host phylogeny, ecological niche, foraging mode, and habitat use were identified as key factors shaping regional microbiome structure.
Conclusions:
- The snake gut microbiome exhibits remarkable conservation across large geographic distances, reflecting host family.
- Ecological factors, particularly foraging mode and habitat use, play a significant role in shaping regional microbiome composition.
- Snake gut microbiome structure is a reflection of host niche and evolutionary relationships.
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