Data from: Hierarchical social networks shape gut microbial composition in wild Verreaux's sifaka

In wild primates, social behaviour influences exposure to environmentally
acquired and directly transmitted microorganisms. Prior studies indicate
that gut microbiota reflect pairwise social interactions among chimpanzee
and baboon hosts. Here, we demonstrate that higher-order social network
structure—beyond just pairwise interactions—drives gut bacterial
composition in wild lemurs, which live in smaller and more cohesive groups
than previously studied anthropoid species. Using 16S rRNA gene sequencing
and social network analysis of grooming contacts, we estimate the relative
impacts of hierarchical (i.e. multilevel) social structure, individual
demographic traits, diet, scent-marking, and habitat overlap on bacteria
acquisition in a wild population of Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus
verreauxi) consisting of seven social groups. We show that social group
membership is clearly reflected in the microbiomes of individual sifaka,
and that social groups with denser grooming networks have more homogeneous
gut microbial compositions. Within social groups, adults, more gregarious
individuals, and individuals that scent-mark frequently harbour the
greatest microbial diversity. Thus, the community structure of wild lemurs
governs symbiotic relationships by constraining transmission between hosts
and partitioning environmental exposure to microorganisms. This social
cultivation of mutualistic gut flora may be an evolutionary benefit of
tight-knit group living.