Symbiotic microbes can dramatically impact host health and fitness, and recent research in a diversity of systems suggests that different symbiont community structures may result in distinct outcomes for the host. In amphibians, some symbiotic skin bacteria produce metabolites that inhibit the growth of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a cutaneous fungal pathogen that has caused many amphibian population declines and extinctions. Treatment with beneficial bacteria (probiotics) prevents Bd infection in some amphibian species and creates optimism for conservation of species that are highly susceptible to chytridiomycosis, the disease caused by Bd. In a laboratory experiment, we used Bd-inhibitory bacteria from Bd-tolerant Panamanian amphibians in a probiotic development trial with Panamanian golden frogs, Atelopus zeteki, a species currently surviving only in captive assurance colonies. Approximately 30% of infected golden frogs survived Bd exposure by either clearing infection or maintaining low Bd loads, but this was not associated with probiotic treatment. Survival was instead related to initial composition of the skin bacterial community and metabolites present on the skin. These results suggest a strong link between the structure of these symbiotic microbial communities and amphibian host health in the face of Bd exposure and also suggest a new approach for developing amphibian probiotics.
Amphibians host diverse skin bacteria that have a role in pathogen defense, but these skin communities could change over time and impact this function. Here, we monitored individual Eastern red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus viridescens; N = 17) for two years in a field pond enclosure and assessed the effects of season and disturbance on skin bacterial community dynamics. We created disturbances by adding additional pond substrate to the enclosure at two timepoints. We planned to sample the skin bacterial community and metabolite profiles of each newt every six weeks; we ultimately sampled eight individuals at least six times. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize the bacterial communities and HPLC-MS for metabolite profiling. We found that disturbance had a dramatic effect on skin bacterial communities and metabolite profiles, while season had an effect only using select metrics. There were seven core bacterial taxa (97% OTUs) that were found on all newts in all seasons, pre- and post-disturbance. Lastly, there was a correlation between bacterial and metabolite profiles post-disturbance, which was not observed pre-disturbance. This longitudinal study suggests that environmental disturbances can have lasting effects on skin bacterial communities that overwhelm seasonal changes, although the core bacteria remain relatively consistent over time.
Disruptions to the microbiome can impact host health as can exposure to environmental contaminants. However, few studies have addressed how environmental contaminants impact the microbiome. We explored this question for frogs that breed in wetlands contaminated with fly ash, a by-product of coal combustion that is enriched in trace elements. We found differences in the bacterial communities among a fly ash-contaminated site and several reference wetlands. We then experimentally assessed the impacts of fly ash on the skin microbiome of adult spring peepers (Pseudacris crucifer). Frogs were exposed to fly ash in the laboratory for 12 h, the duration of a typical breeding event, and the skin microbiome was assessed after 5 days (experiment 1) or after 5 and 15 days (experiment 2). We examined bacterial community structure using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metabolite profiles using high-pressure liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). We found little impact as the result of acute exposure to fly ash on the bacterial communities or metabolite profiles in either experiment, suggesting that the bacterial symbiont communities of adults may be relatively resistant to brief contaminant exposure. However, housing frogs in the laboratory altered bacterial community structure in the two experiments, which supports prior research suggesting that environmental source pools are important for maintaining the amphibian skin microbiome. Therefore, for contaminants like fly ash that may alter the potential source pool of symbionts, we think it may be important to explore how contaminants affect the initial assembly of the amphibian skin microbiome in larval amphibians that develop within contaminated sites. IMPORTANCEAnimals are hosts to many symbiotic microorganisms, collectively called the microbiome, that play critical roles in host health. Therefore, environmental contaminants that alter the microbiome may impact hosts. Some of the most widespread contaminants, produced worldwide, are derived from the mining, storage, and combustion of coal for energy. Fly ash, for example, is a by-product of coal combustion. It contains compounds such as arsenic, selenium, cadmium, and strontium and is a recognized source of ground and surface water contamination. Here, we experimentally investigated the impacts of short-term fly ash exposure on the skin microbiome of spring peepers, one of many species of amphibian that sometimes breed in open fly ash disposal ponds. This research provides a look into the potential impacts of fly ash on an animal's microbiome and suggests important future directions for research on the effects of environmental contaminants on the microbiome. Vertebrates host a wide array of symbiotic microorganisms, mainly in the gut, but there are unique microbial communities spread throughout the body from the nasal cavity to the lungs to the skin (1). While we have long understood that the microbiota residing in the gut are diverse and are important in helping to digest food, only recently have...
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