Highlights d Mutation accumulation over extended growth can be investigated in fungal fairy rings d Combining genome sequencing technologies can generate highly contiguous assemblies d Discovered mutations were far fewer than expected from the number of cell divisions d Results suggest an unknown mutation suppression mechanism to be present in fungi
Wolf spiders are typically the most common group of arthropod predators
on both lake and marine shorelines, because of the high prey
availability in these habitats. However, shores are also harsh
environments due to flooding and, in proximity to marine waters, to
toxic salinity levels. Here, we describe the spider community, prey
availabilities and spider diets between shoreline sites with different
salinities, albeit with comparatively small differences (5 vs. 7‰).
Despite the small environmental differences, spider communities between
low and higher saline sites showed an almost complete species turnover.
At the same time, differences in prey availability or spider gut
contents did not match changes in spider species composition but rather
changed with habitat characteristics within region, where spiders
collected at sites with thick wrack beds had a different diet than sites
with little wrack. These data suggest that shifts in spider communities
are due to habitat characteristics rather than prey availabilities, and
the most likely candidate restricting species in high salinity would be
saline sensitivity. At the same time, species absences from low-saline
habitats remain unresolved.
Gut microbes play important roles for their hosts. Previous studies suggest that host-microbial systems can form long-term associations over evolutionary time and the dynamic changes of the intestinal system may represent major driving forces and contribute to insect dietary diversification and speciation. Our study system includes a set of six closely related leaf beetle species (Galerucella spp.) and our study aims to separate the roles of host phylogeny and ecology in determining the gut microbial community and to identify eventual relationship between host insects and gut bacteria. We collected adult beetles from their respective host plants and quantified their microbial community using 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that the gut bacteria community composition was structured by host beetle phylogeny, where more or less host-specific gut bacteria interact with the different Galerucella species. For example, the endosymbiotic bacteria Wolbachia was found almost exclusively in G. nymphaea and G. sagittariae. Diversity indicators also suggested that α- and β-diversities of gut bacteria communities varied among host beetle species. Overall, our results suggest a phylogenetically controlled co-occurrence pattern between the six closely related Galerucella beetles and their gut bacteria, indicating the potential of co-evolutionary processes occurring between hosts and their gut bacterial communities.
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