Data bat skin microbiome

Bats (Chiroptera: Mammalia) are an ecologically and evolutionarily diversified group with an unexplored skin microbiome. The bat skin microbiome could play a role in disease resistance, for example to white nose syndrome (WNS), an infection which has been devastating North American bat populations. However, fundamental knowledge of the bat skin microbiome is needed before understanding its role in health and disease resistance. In this study, we aimed to determine the relative importance of habitat and host-species on the bat skin microbiome. <br>We performed high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the skin microbiome of two different bat species living in captivity in two different habitats. In the first habitat, <i>Artibeus jamaicensis</i> and <i>Carollia perspicillata</i> lived together, while the second habitat contained only <i>A. jamaicensis. </i>The sampling protocol was approved by the ethics committee of the Montréal Biodôme and by the staff of the Granby Zoo.<br> ^{<br> <br>}翼手目（Chiroptera：哺乳纲Mammalia）蝙蝠是一类在生态与进化层面均具有高度多样性的类群，但其皮肤微生物组（skin microbiome）仍有待深入探索。蝙蝠的皮肤微生物组或可参与宿主的疾病抗性调控，例如针对白鼻综合征（white nose syndrome, WNS）——这种感染性疾病曾给北美蝙蝠种群带来毁灭性打击。然而，若要阐明其在宿主健康与疾病抗性中的具体作用，首先需掌握蝙蝠皮肤微生物组的基础研究认知。本研究旨在探究生境与宿主物种对蝙蝠皮肤微生物组的相对影响程度。 本研究针对两种圈养蝙蝠的皮肤微生物组，在两种不同生境下开展了高通量16S rRNA基因测序分析。第一种生境中，牙买加果蝠（*Artibeus jamaicensis*）与佩氏短尾蝠（*Carollia perspicillata*）共栖；第二种生境中则仅饲养有牙买加果蝠（*A. jamaicensis*）。本研究的采样方案已获得蒙特利尔生物穹顶（Montréal Biodôme）伦理委员会以及格兰比动物园（Granby Zoo）工作人员的审批通过。