Microbial diversity on amphibian skin

Symbiotic bacteria on the skin may play an important role in the resistance of amphibians to the pathogenic chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Microbial communities resident on hosts’ skin show topographical and temporal diversity mapping to physical and biotic features of the skin ecosystem but studies have mainly focussed on the human microbiome. We examined skin microbiomes of fire-bellied toads (Bombina orientalis) to determine whether microbial community varies between the dorsal and the ventral skin region, more prone to Bd infection. We also assessed whether topographical variations were more pronounced in captive than in wild populations.

皮肤表面的共生细菌可能在两栖动物抵抗致病性壶菌（Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis，简称Bd）的过程中发挥重要作用。宿主皮肤定植的微生物群落呈现出空间与时间维度的多样性，且该多样性与皮肤生态系统的物理及生物特征高度相关，但既往相关研究多聚焦于人类微生物组。本研究检测了东方铃蟾（Bombina orientalis）的皮肤微生物组，以明确其背侧与腹侧皮肤区域的微生物群落是否存在差异，这两类区域均更易感染Bd。我们同时评估了圈养种群与野生种群的皮肤微生物群落空间变异是否更为显著。