Dataset Information

Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds.

ABSTRACT: Long-distance host movements play a major regulatory role in shaping microbial communities of their digestive tract. Here, we studied gut microbiota composition during seasonal migration in five shorebird species (Charadrii) that use different migratory (stopover) habitats. Our analyses revealed significant interspecific variation in both composition and diversity of gut microbiome, but the effect of host identity was weak. A strong variation in gut microbiota was observed between coastal and inland (dam reservoir and river valley) stopover habitats within species. Comparisons between host age classes provided support for an increasing alpha diversity of gut microbiota during ontogeny and an age-related remodeling of microbiome composition. There was, however, no correlation between microbiome and diet composition across study species. Finally, we detected high prevalence of avian pathogens, which may cause zoonotic diseases in humans (e.g. Vibrio cholerae) and we identified stopover habitat as one of the major axes of variation in the bacterial pathogen exposure risk in shorebirds. Our study not only sheds new light on ecological processes that shape avian gut microbiota, but also has implications for our better understanding of host-pathogen interface and the role of birds in long-distance transmission of pathogens.

SUBMITTER: Wlodarczyk R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11008731 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds.

Włodarczyk Radosław R Drzewińska-Chańko Joanna J Kamiński Maciej M Meissner Włodzimierz W Rapczyński Jan J Janik-Superson Katarzyna K Krawczyk Dawid D Strapagiel Dominik D Ożarowska Agnieszka A Stępniewska Katarzyna K Minias Piotr P

FEMS microbiology ecology 20240401 5

Long-distance host movements play a major regulatory role in shaping microbial communities of their digestive tract. Here, we studied gut microbiota composition during seasonal migration in five shorebird species (Charadrii) that use different migratory (stopover) habitats. Our analyses revealed significant interspecific variation in both composition and diversity of gut microbiome, but the effect of host identity was weak. A strong variation in gut microbiota was observed between coastal and in ...[more]

PMID: 38515294

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Project description:BackgroundMigration is a vital element of the life cycle of many freshwater fish species but is increasingly hampered globally by riverine barriers. Fish passes are a common approach to enable migration past barriers but are often ineffective. More knowledge is required on fish behaviour as they approach barriers such as habitat preferences.MethodsWe evaluate the habitat selection of two upstream migrating fish species, barbel Barbus barbus and grayling Thymallus thymallus, at a hydropower plant in southern Germany, considering individual variation and population trends. Fish were tracked via fine-scale 2D acoustic telemetry in 2018 during their spawning migration. Step selection functions were used to evaluate selection of hydraulic parameters by the fish for a time step of 20 s. Exploratory models were built via model selection for each individual fish, to evaluate the extent of individual variation in model structure. A population model was developed for each species by averaging coefficients from individual models to describe general trends. The extent of individual variation was determined and confidence intervals for the population model coefficients were calculated.ResultsFish varied greatly in individual model structure though common terms were apparent in both species, such as depth, flow velocity, the angular difference between fish and velocity, and the logarithm of the step length. Final population models for barbel included several parameters describing habitat selection and displacement. Barbel selected for faster flows, deeper water, and higher spatial velocity gradients. In addition, they selected to move more with the flow than against. Interactions were also present between habitat parameters, suggesting selection is context dependent. Barbel movement speed also changed with depth, flow velocity and spatial velocity gradient. With grayling, terms often had contrasting effects among individuals and thus general trends could not be distinguished for most terms.ConclusionOur findings demonstrate habitat selection by upstream migrating fish approaching a fish pass and differences in individual selection which may have an impact on barrier management. Step selection functions are a promising approach and can provide useful insight into habitat selection and movement by migrating freshwater fish in an altered river system.

Project description:Populations of many shorebird species appear to be declining in North America, and food resources at stopover habitats may limit migratory bird populations. We investigated body condition of, and foraging habitat and diet selection by 4 species of shorebirds in the central Illinois River valley during fall migrations 2007 and 2008 (Killdeer [Charadrius vociferus], Least Sandpiper [Calidris minutilla], Pectoral Sandpiper [Calidris melanotos], and Lesser Yellowlegs [Tringa flavipes]). All species except Killdeer were in good to excellent condition, based on size-corrected body mass and fat scores. Shorebird diets were dominated by invertebrate taxa from Orders Diptera and Coleoptera. Additionally, Isopoda, Hemiptera, Hirudinea, Nematoda, and Cyprinodontiformes contribution to diets varied by shorebird species and year. We evaluated diet and foraging habitat selection by comparing aggregate percent dry mass of food items in shorebird diets and core samples from foraging substrates. Invertebrate abundances at shorebird collection sites and random sites were generally similar, indicating that birds did not select foraging patches within wetlands based on invertebrate abundance. Conversely, we found considerable evidence for selection of some diet items within particular foraging sites, and consistent avoidance of Oligochaeta. We suspect the diet selectivity we observed was a function of overall invertebrate biomass (51.2 ± 4.4 [SE] kg/ha; dry mass) at our study sites, which was greater than estimates reported in most other food selection studies. Diet selectivity in shorebirds may follow tenants of optimal foraging theory; that is, at low food abundances shorebirds forage opportunistically, with the likelihood of selectivity increasing as food availability increases. Nonetheless, relationships between the abundance, availability, and consumption of Oligochaetes for and by waterbirds should be the focus of future research, because estimates of foraging carrying capacity would need to be revised downward if Oligochaetes are truly avoided or unavailable for consumption.

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Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds.

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Stopover habitat selection drives variation in the gut microbiome composition and pathogen acquisition by migrating shorebirds.

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