Bacterial diversity of the Radix balthica and related Lymnaeidae digestive tract obtained in different biogeographic regions

Microbes from the digestive tract of animals influence the development, physiology, and evolutionary diversification of the host. However the geographical impact on the bacterial community in the digestive tract remains elusive. Using the common pond snail Radix balthica as a model system for benthic invertebrates, we compared the differences in the bacterial community composition in digestive tract of Radix balthica sampled in maritime-continental part of Northern Germany and compared to the boreal-coniferous forest climate in central Estonia.