Convergence of gut microbiotas in the adaptive radiations of African cichlid fishes

Ecoevolutionary dynamics of the gut microbiota at the macroscale level, that is, in across-species comparisons, are largely driven by ecological variables and host genotype. The repeated explosive radiations of African cichlid fishes in distinct lakes, following a dietary diversification in a context of reduced genetic diversity, provide a natural setup to explore convergence, divergence and repeatability in patterns of microbiota dynamics as a function of the host diet, phylogeny and environment. Here we characterized by 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing the gut microbiota of 29 cichlid species from two distinct lakes/radiations (Tanganyika and Barombi Mbo) and across a broad dietary and phylogenetic range. Within each lake, a significant deviation between a carnivorous and herbivorous lifestyle was found. Herbivore species were characterized by an increased bacterial taxonomic and functional diversity and converged in key compositional and functional community aspects. Despite a significan...

宏观尺度下的肠道菌群生态进化动力学（即跨物种比较范畴内）主要由生态变量与宿主基因型驱动。非洲慈鲷鱼类在不同湖泊中反复发生的爆发性辐射演化，伴随遗传多样性降低背景下的饮食多样化，为探索菌群动力学模式随宿主饮食、系统发育与环境变化的趋同、趋异与可重复性提供了天然研究体系。本研究通过16S rRNA扩增子测序，对来自两个独立湖泊/辐射演化类群（坦噶尼喀湖与巴伦比姆博湖）、涵盖广泛饮食与系统发育谱系的29种慈鲷鱼类的肠道菌群进行了表征。在每个湖泊内部均发现，肉食性与草食性生活方式对应的肠道菌群存在显著差异。草食性物种的细菌分类与功能多样性均有所提升，且在群落核心组成与功能特征方面呈现趋同性。尽管存在显著的……