The Role of Microbiome and Genotype in Daphnia magna Upon Parasite Re-exposure

We aimed to study the role of the gut microbiome on tolerance in Daphnia magna upon multiple parasite species re-exposure. Additionally, we investigated the role of the host genotype in the interaction between the gut microbiome and the host phenotypic perfor-mance. A microbiome transplant experiment was performed in which three germ-free Daphnia magna genotypes were exposed to a gut microbial inoculum and a parasite community treatment. The gut microbiome inocula were pre-exposed to the same parasite communities or a control treatment. Daphnia performance was monitored and amplicon sequencing was performed to characterize the gut microbial community.