Western tiger salamander skin microbiome. 16S and ITS metabarcoding for bacterial and fungal communities on salamander skin, water, and lake substrate

Amphibian skin microbiota serve as the first line of defense against cutaneous diseases. This project investigates spatiotemporal and ontogenetic variation of bacterial and fungal communities on the skin of the western tiger salamander (Ambystoma mavortium). Additionally, this study identifies differentially abundant microbes between salamander skin and the environment, predicts the antifungal function of skin bacterial communities, and observes whether predicted antifungal function is correlated with amphibian chytrid fungus.