Meeting Abstract

P1.37  Saturday, Jan. 4 15:30  NGS analyses of spatiotemporal variation in the avian gut microbial community VO, A.E.; Univ. of California, Berkeley vo@berkeley.edu

Microbes occur in extraordinary abundance and diversity in vertebrates, yet factors driving the assembly of microbial communities and the role of microbes in determining fitness in wild vertebrate populations remain predominantly understudied. The neonatal vertebrate life stage is a particularly relevant period during which microbiota may shape host fitness. Vertebrates are generally born immunologically immature and free of microbes, whereby the initial microbial colonization has longlasting effects on metabolic programming. To better understand mechanisms underlying microbial colonization and variation during early periods of vertebrate development, this study characterized the gut microbiota of nestlings and their mothers in a natural population of Western Bluebirds (Sialia mexicana). An effective method was developed to extract metagenomic DNA from noninvasive avian fecal and swab specimens. Illumina sequence analysis of bacterial 16S rRNA genes was performed on oropharyngeal, cloacal, and fecal samples collected longitudinally from nestlings throughout the nestling period across multiple nests and over three consecutive breeding seasons. Some samples from Oak Titmice (Baeolophus inornatus) and Ash-throated Flycatchers (Myiarchus cinerascens) were also included in comparative analyses. These data inform hypotheses on the drivers of avian host-microbial associations and the extent to which microbiota may impact host growth in natural systems. Discerning how microbiota may generate phenotypic or fitness differences among vertebrate host organisms is essential to our understanding of the evolution and maintenance of biodiversity.