16S and 18S rRNA Microbial communities in mounds of the Orange-footed Scrubfowl Megapodius reinwardt and from adjacent soils and scrubfowl faeces

Megapodius reinwardt; known as the orange-footed scrubfowl, belongs to a small family of birds that inhabits the Indo-Australian region. Megapodes are unique in incubating their eggs using heat from microbial decomposition of organic materials in mounds and solar radiation. Little is known about the microorganisms involved in the decomposition of organic matter in mounds. To determine the source of microbes in the mounds, we used 16S and 18S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize the microbial communities of mound soil, adjacent soil and scrubfowl faeces. We found that the microbial communities of scrubfowl faeces was different from those of the mounds and surrounding soils; suggesting that scrubfowls do not use their faeces to inoculate their mounds. Further, the mound microbial community structure was significantly different to the adjacent soils. For example, mounds had a higher relative abundance of sequence variants belonging to Thermomonosporaceae, a thermophilic soil bacterial family able to degrade cellulose from plant residues. Thermomonosporas and/or other microbes may play a role in heat production in the mound, contributing to the incubation of eggs.