RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fungal microbiomes are determined by host phylogeny and exhibit widespread associations with the bacterial microbiome
JF bioRxiv
FD Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
SP 2020.07.07.177535
DO 10.1101/2020.07.07.177535
A1 Xavier A. Harrison
A1 Allan D. McDevitt
A1 Jenny C. Dunn
A1 Sarah Griffiths
A1 Chiara Benvenuto
A1 Richard Birtles
A1 Jean P. Boubli
A1 Kevin Bown
A1 Calum Bridson
A1 Darren Brooks
A1 Samuel S. Browett
A1 Ruth F. Carden
A1 Julian Chantrey
A1 Friederike Clever
A1 Ilaria Coscia
A1 Katie L. Edwards
A1 Natalie Ferry
A1 Ian Goodhead
A1 Andrew Highlands
A1 Jane Hopper
A1 Joseph Jackson
A1 Robert Jehle
A1 Mariane da Cruz Kaizer
A1 Tony King
A1 Jessica M. D. Lea
A1 Jessica L. Lenka
A1 Alexandra McCubbin
A1 Jack McKenzie
A1 Bárbara Lins Caldas de Moraes
A1 Denise B. O’Meara
A1 Poppy Pescod
A1 Richard F. Preziosi
A1 Jennifer K. Rowntree
A1 Susanne Shultz
A1 Matthew J. Silk
A1 Jennifer E. Stockdale
A1 William O. C. Symondson
A1 Mariana Villalba de la Pena
A1 Susan L. Walker
A1 Michael D. Wood
A1 Rachael E. Antwis
YR 2021
UL http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2021/02/24/2020.07.07.177535.abstract
AB Interactions between hosts and their resident microbial communities are a fundamental component of fitness for both agents. Though recent research has highlighted the importance of interactions between animals and their bacterial communities, comparative evidence for fungi is lacking, especially in natural populations. Using data from 49 species, we present novel evidence of strong covariation between fungal and bacterial communities across the host phylogeny, indicative of recruitment by hosts for specific suites of microbes. Using co-occurrence networks, we demonstrate that fungi form critical components of putative microbial interaction networks, where the strength and frequency of interactions varies with host taxonomy. Host phylogeny drives differences in overall richness of bacterial and fungal communities, but the effect of diet on richness was only evident in mammals and for the bacterial microbiome. Collectively these data indicate fungal microbiomes may play a key role in host fitness and suggest an urgent need to study multiple agents of the animal microbiome to accurately determine the strength and ecological significance of host-microbe interactions.SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Microbes perform vital metabolic functions that shape the physiology of their hosts. However, almost all research to date in wild animals has focused exclusively on the bacterial microbiota, to the exclusion of other microbial groups. Although likely to be critical components of the host microbiome, we have limited knowledge of the drivers of fungal composition across host species. Here we show that fungal community composition is determined by host species identity and phylogeny, and that fungi form extensive interaction networks with bacteria in the microbiome of a diverse range of animal species. This highlights the importance of microbial interactions as mediators of microbiome-health relationships in the wild.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.