Factors shaping the gut microbiome of five species of lizards from
different habitats
Abstract
Host-gut microbiota interactions are complex and can have a profound
impact on the ecology and evolution of both counterparts. Several host
traits such as systematics, diet and social behavior, and external
factors such as prey availability and local environment are known to
influence the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota. In this
study, we investigate the influence of systematics, sex, host size, and
locality/habitat on gut microbiota diversity in five lizard species from
two different sites in Portugal: Podarcis bocagei and Podarcis
lusitanicus, living in syntopy in a rural area in northern Portugal
(Moledo); the invasive Podarcis siculus and the native Podarcis
virescens, living in sympatry in urbanized environment (Lisbon); and the
invasive Teira dugesii also living in an urban area (Lisbon). We also
infer the potential microbial transmission occurring between species
living in sympatry and syntopy. To accomplish these goals, we use a
metabarcoding approach to characterize the bacterial communities from
the cloaca of lizards, sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA.
Habitat/locality was an important factor explaining differences in gut
bacterial composition and structure, with species from urbanized
environments having higher bacterial diversity. Host systematics (i.e.
species) influenced gut bacterial community structure only in lizards
from the urbanized environment. We also detected a significant positive
correlation between lizard size and gut bacterial alpha-diversity in the
invasive species P. siculus, which could be due to its higher
exploratory behavior. Moreover, estimates of bacterial transmission
indicate that P. siculus may have acquired a high proportion of local
microbiota after its introduction. These findings confirm that a diverse
array of host and environmental factors can influence lizards gut
microbiota.