Presentation Details
| Social Environment Shapes Gut Microbiome of Sailfin Mollies (Poecilla latipinna) Shala Hankison, Ian Sander, Doy Kim, Sophia Rohr, Andrea Suria. Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH, USA |
Abstract
The gut microbiome plays a key role in host health and behavior. In fish, gut-brain interaction has shown that environmental changes impact the gut microbiome composition and population health. However, little is known about how social structures affect microbiome composition and diversity. Male sailfin mollies are often competitive intrasexually and persistent with females, exhibiting mating displays from courting males or sneaky behaviors from small males. Female sailfin mollies were housed with and without male conspecifics to isolate the impact of specific social behaviors. We collected fecal samples and sequenced purified bacterial 16S rRNA genes. Alpha and beta diversity analyses identified 3,793 unique amplicon sequence variants. Shannon diversity exhibited the greatest dispersion in female-female groups, while isolated females showed the highest but least variable diversity. Bray-Curtis dissimilarity revealed that female gut microbiome composition differed by social condition, suggesting that social interaction-mediated microbial restructuring. These findings highlight social behavior as an important and underexplored driver of microbial community dynamics.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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