Abstract
Animals develop microbial associations (i.e., their microbiome) early in life that have been linked to changes in host development, physiology, and survival. However, microbial sources contributing to initial microbial colonization remain unclear, particularly in oviparous animals. We described a potential microbial source, the eggshell microbiome of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana), a cavity nesting bird. We found bacteria commonly seen in the microbiomes of other birds; thus, eggshells could represent a source during initial microbial colonization. Eggshell microbiomes also represented an independent group from the gut microbiomes of similar species. Future work should explore the relative contribution of eggshells to initial microbial colonization of nestlings.
Zusamemnfassung
Das Mikrobiom der Eischale als potenzielles mikrobielles Reservoir bei einem Höhlenbrüter
Tiere entwickeln früh im Leben mikrobielle Lebensgemeinschaften (d. h. ihr Mikrobiom), die mit Veränderungen in der Entwicklung, der Physiologie und dem Überleben des Wirts in Verbindung gebracht werden. Die Mikroben-Quellen, die zur mikrobiellen Erstbesiedlung eines Tieres beitragen, sind jedoch nach wie vor unklar, insbesondere bei eierlegenden Tieren. Wir beschreiben eine potenzielle mikrobielle Quelle, nämlich das Mikrobiom der Eischalen des Blaukehl-Hüttensängers (Sialia mexicana), eines Höhlenbrüters. Wir fanden Bakterien, die auch in den Mikrobiomen anderer Vögel vorkommen; somit könnten die Eischalen eine Quelle der mikrobiellen Erstbesiedlung darstellen. Die Mikrobiome der Eischalen zeigten eine vom Darmmikrobiom ähnlicher Vogelarten unabhängige Zusammenstellung von Bakterien. Künftige Untersuchungen sollten sich den Anteil der Eischalen bei der mikrobiellen Erstbesiedlung von Nestlingen vornehmen.
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Data availability
Raw 16S rRNA data are publicly available at the SRA of NCBI under BioProject # PRJNA860643.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT 220418 and INFR-2015-01-253217) and PRODEP (UATLX-PTC-129) grants to BM. Financial support for FCC was provided by Grant 490792 CONACYT-Ciencia de Frontera 2020.
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Study design by BM and YNN. Field samples were taken by BM, LN and CCL. Bench work was performed by LN and YNN. Data analysis and manuscript preparation was performed by FCC. BM, RT and YNN contributed to discussion of results. Comments and approval of final version by all authors. The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
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Communicated by I. Moore.
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Campos-Cerda, F., Torres, R., Nava, L. et al. Eggshell microbiome as a potential microbial reservoir in a cavity nesting bird. J Ornithol 164, 217–222 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02028-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-022-02028-6