Manipulation of Gut Microbiota Reveals Shifting Community Structure Shaped by Host Developmental Windows in Amphibian Larvae

Synopsis

Exploration of the importance of developmental windows for microbial colonization in diverse animal taxa, and tests of how these shape both animal microbiomes as well as host phenotypes promise to shed needed light on host-microbe interactions. The aims of this study were to explore how gut microbiota diversity of larval amphibians varies among species and across ontogeny, and to test if manipulation of gut colonization can reveal how microbiomes develop. We found that gut microbiomes differ among species and change across larval ontogeny, with distinctive differences between larvae, metamorphic animals, and juvenile frogs. Through applying a gnotobiotic protocol to eggs and cross-inoculating gut microbiomes between species, we demonstrated that microbiota can be transplanted among species and developmental stages. These results also demonstrated that microbial colonization at hatching is potentially formative for long term composition and function of amphibian gut microbiomes, suggesting that hatching may be a critical developmental window for colonization, similar to the effects of birth mode on human microbiomes. Specifically, our results suggest that either the egg jelly and/or capsules surrounding amphibian eggs are likely important sources for initial microbiome inoculation. Furthermore, we speculate these results suggest that vertical transmission may be important to amphibian microbiome establishment and development, as is common among many animal taxa. Taken together, our results suggest that explicit tests of how host developmental windows influence microbial colonization, and shape amphibian microbiomes across life stages promise to provide insight into the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of host-microbe interactions.