Spatiotemporal variation in the gut microbiomes of co-occurring wild rodent species

Mammalian gut microbiomes differ within and among individual hosts. Hosts that occupy a range of environmental conditions may exhibit greater spatiotemporal variation in their microbiome than those constrained as specialists to narrower subsets of resources or habitats. This can occur because widespread host species encounter a variety of ecological conditions that act to diversify their gut microbiomes and/or because generalized host species tend to form large populations that promote sharing and maintenance of diverse microbes. We studied spatiotemporal variation in the gut microbiomes of three co-occurring rodent species across an environmental gradient in a Kenyan savanna. We hypothesized: (i) the taxonomic, phylogenetic, and predicted functional composition of gut microbiomes differ significantly among host species, (ii) microbiome richness increases with population size for all host species, and (iii) host species exhibit different rates of seasonal change in their gut microbiomes..., , , # Spatiotemporal variation in the gut microbiomes of co-occurring wild rodent species

\####Short title: Spatiotemporal gut microbiome variation

Authors:
Bianca R. P. Brown1,2,3,a, Leo M. Khasoha3,4, Peter Lokeny3, Rhiannon P. Jakopak3,4, Courtney G. Reed1,2,3, Marissa Dyck5, Alois Wambua4, Seth D. Newsome6, Todd M. Palmer3,7, Robert M. Pringle3,8, Jacob R. Goheen3,4, Tyler R. Kartzinel1,2,3,a

Affiliations:
1Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
2Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
3Mpala Research Centre, Laikipia, Kenya
4Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming 82071 WY, US
5Biological Sciences Department, Athens, OH, 45701, USA
6Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131-000
7Center of African Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
8Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton Univer...