The bacteria of a fig community

Area of Science:

• Microbial ecology
• Ecology
• Microbiome research

Background:

• Understanding biotic drivers of microbial diversity is crucial in ecology.
• Ficus figs offer simple, observable microbial ecosystems.
• Ficus septica figs host the nematode Caenorhabditis inopinata, a relative of C. elegans.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the microbial communities within Ficus septica figs.
• To investigate the influence of nematode and wasp occupancy on fig microbial composition.
• To compare the microbiomes of F. septica figs with C. elegans substrate microbiomes.

Main Methods:

• 16S microbial metabarcoding of fig interior and surface samples.
• Collection of metadata including foundress wasp number and nematode occupancy.
• Comparative analysis of fig microbiomes and published C. elegans microbiomes.

Main Results:

• Microbial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidota, and Actinobacteriota.
• Fig microbial composition varied significantly among individual plants.
• Nematode occupancy did not impact microbial community composition or diversity.
• Foundress wasp number was negatively correlated with microbial alpha diversity.
• Specific ASVs (Ochrobactrum, Stenotrophomonas) showed potential differential abundance related to nematode occupancy.

Conclusions:

• Plant of origin is a primary driver of fig microbial community composition.
• Nematodes do not significantly alter the fig microbiome.
• Increased foundress wasp presence reduces microbial diversity within figs.
• Identified potential microbial markers associated with nematode presence, warranting further investigation.