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The Antarctic mite, Alaskozetes antarcticus, shares bacterial microbiome community membership but not abundance between adults and tritonymphs

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Abstract

The Antarctic mite (Alaskozetes antarcticus) is widely distributed on sub-Antarctic islands and throughout the Antarctic Peninsula, making it one of the most abundant terrestrial arthropods in the region. Despite the impressive ability of A. antarcticus to thrive in harsh Antarctic conditions, little is known about the biology of this species. In this study, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to examine the microbiome of the final immature instar (tritonymph) and both male and female adults. The microbiome included a limited number of microbial classes and genera, with few differences in community membership noted among the different stages. However, the abundances of taxa that composed the microbial community differed between adults and tritonymphs. Five classes—Actinobacteria, Flavobacteriia, Sphingobacteriia, Gammaproteobacteria, and Betaproteobacteria—comprised ~ 82.0% of the microbial composition, and five (identified) genera—Dermacoccus, Pedobacter, Chryseobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Flavobacterium—accounted for ~ 68.0% of the total composition. The core microbiome present in all surveyed A. antarcticus was dominated by the families Flavobacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, Sphingobacteriaceae, Chitinophagaceae and Cytophagaceae, but the majority of the core consisted of operational taxonomic units of low abundance. This comprehensive analysis reveals a diverse microbiome among individuals of different stages, with overlap likely due to their shared habitat and common feeding preferences as herbivores and detritivores. The microbiome of the Antarctic mite shows considerably more diversity than observed in mite species from lower latitudes.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF PLR 1341385 and NSF PLR 1341393, with partial support for computing resources in DEB-1654417). This study used the Nephele platform from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Office of Cyber Infrastructure and Computational Biology (OCICB) in Bethesda, MD. We are grateful for the hard work and assistance of the support staff at Palmer Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA

    Christopher J. Holmes, Emily C. Jennings, Austin A. Spangler & Joshua B. Benoit

  2. Department of Biology, Hendrix College, Conway, AR, USA

    J. D. Gantz

  3. Department of Biology, Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

    J. D. Gantz & Richard E. Lee Jr.

  4. Departments of Entomology and Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Drew Spacht & David L. Denlinger

  5. Department of Plant and Microbial Biology and the BioTechnology Institute, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Trinity L. Hamilton

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Holmes, C.J., Jennings, E.C., Gantz, J.D. et al. The Antarctic mite, Alaskozetes antarcticus, shares bacterial microbiome community membership but not abundance between adults and tritonymphs. Polar Biol 42, 2075–2085 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-019-02582-5

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