Indirect maternal effects via nest microbiome composition drive gut colonization in altricial chicks

David Diez-Méndez*, Kasun H. Bodawatta, Inga Freiberga, Irena Klečková, Knud A. Jønsson, Michael Poulsen, Katerina Sam

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Gut microbial communities are complex and heterogeneous and play critical roles for animal hosts. Early-life disruptions to microbiome establishment can negatively impact host fitness and development. However, the consequences of such early-life disruptions remain unknown in wild birds. To help fill this gap, we investigated the effect of continuous early-life gut microbiome disruptions on the establishment and development of gut communities in wild Great tit (Parus major) and Blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) nestlings by applying antibiotics and probiotics. Treatment neither affected nestling growth nor their gut microbiome composition. Independent of treatment, nestling gut microbiomes of both species grouped by brood, which shared the highest numbers of bacterial taxa with both nest environment and their mother. Although fathers showed different gut communities than their nestlings and nests, they still contributed to structuring chick microbiomes. Lastly, we observed that the distance between nests increased inter-brood microbiome dissimilarity, but only in Great tits, indicating that species-specific foraging behaviour and/or microhabitat influence gut microbiomes. Overall, the strong maternal effect, driven by continuous recolonization from the nest environment and vertical transfer of microbes during feeding, appears to provide resilience towards early-life disruptions in nestling gut microbiomes.

Original languageEnglish
JournalMolecular Ecology
Volume32
Issue number13
Pages (from-to)3657-3671
Number of pages15
ISSN0962-1083
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
This project and K.S., D.D‐M., I.F. and I.K. were financially supported by the European Research Council Starting Grant BABE 805189. KAJ is grateful for the financial support received from the Villum Foundation (Young Investigator Programme, project no. 15560) and the Carlsberg Foundation (Distinguished Associate Professor Fellowship no. CF17‐0248).

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Molecular Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Keywords

  • antibiotics
  • brood feeding
  • environmental microbiomes
  • probiotics
  • vertical transmission

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