Bdellovibrio and Like Organisms are Predictors of C. elegans Microbiome Diversity: Microbiome Data

Biodiversity is generally believed to be a main determinant of ecosystem functioning. This principle also applies to the microbiome and could thereby contribute to ecosystem productivity. According to ecological theory, communities are shaped by top predators whose direct and indirect interactions with community members cause stability and diversity. Bdellovibrio and like organisms (BALOs) are a neglected group of predatory bacteria that feed on Gram-negative bacteria and can thereby influence microbiome composition. We asked whether BALOs can predict biodiversity levels in microbiomes from distinct host groups and environments. We demonstrate that genetic signatures of BALOs are commonly found within the 16S rRNA reads from diverse host taxa, including C. elegans. More importantly, their presence, abundance, and especially richness are positively correlated with overall microbiome diversity. Our findings suggest that BALOs can act as drivers of microbial alpha-diversity and should therefore be considered as candidates for the restoration of microbiomes and the prevention of dysbiosis.

生物多样性通常被认为是生态系统功能的核心决定因素。这一原理同样适用于微生物组，并可由此助力生态系统生产力提升。根据生态学理论，群落由顶级捕食者塑造，后者与群落成员的直接及间接相互作用可维持群落的稳定性与多样性。蛭弧菌及其类似生物（Bdellovibrio and like organisms, BALOs）是一类长期被忽视的捕食性细菌，以革兰氏阴性菌为食，由此可影响微生物组的组成结构。本研究旨在探究BALOs能否预测不同宿主类群与环境来源的微生物组的生物多样性水平。研究结果显示，BALOs的遗传特征普遍存在于包括秀丽隐杆线虫（C. elegans）在内的多种宿主类群的16S核糖体RNA（16S rRNA）测序读段中。更为关键的是，BALOs的存在情况、丰度，尤其是其物种丰富度，与微生物组整体多样性呈显著正相关。本研究结果表明，BALOs可作为微生物组α多样性的调控因子，因此有望成为微生物组修复与菌群失调预防的潜在候选靶点。