Habitat disturbance and the organization of bacterial communities in Neotropical hematophagous arthropods

Abstract

The microbiome plays a key role in the biology, ecology and evolution of arthropod vectors of human pathogens. Vector-bacterial interactions could alter disease transmission dynamics through modulating pathogen replication and/or vector fitness. Nonetheless, our understanding of the factors shaping the bacterial community in arthropod vectors is incomplete. Using large-scale 16S amplicon sequencing, we examine how habitat disturbance structures the bacterial assemblages of field-collected whole-body hematophagous arthropods that vector human pathogens including mosquitoes (Culicidae), sand flies (Psychodidae), biting midges (Ceratopogonidae) and hard ticks (Ixodidae). We found that all comparisons of the bacterial community among species yielded statistically significant differences, but a difference was not observed between adults and nymphs of the hard tick, Haemaphysalis juxtakochi . While Culicoides species had the most distinct bacterial community among dipterans, tick species were composed of entirely different bacterial OTU’s. We observed differences in the proportions of some bacterial types between pristine and disturbed habitats for Coquillettidia mosquitoes, Culex mosquitoes, and Lutzomyia sand flies, but their associations differed within and among arthropod assemblages. In contrast, habitat quality was a poor predictor of differences in bacterial classes for Culicoides biting midges and hard tick species. In general, similarities in the bacterial communities among hematophagous arthropods could be explained by their phylogenetic relatedness, although intraspecific variation seems influenced by habitat disturbance.

Natural variation in physicochemical profiles and bacterial communities associated with Aedes aegypti breeding sites and larvae on Guadeloupe and French Guiana

“…aegypti communities. Such interactions remain largely unexplored but should be considered, as habitat disturbance can alter the microbiome and thus affect adult vector phenotypic traits [55]. In agreement with other studies, we found that the predominant microbiota at Ae.…”

Tick Microbiomes in Neotropical Forest Fragments Are Best Explained by Tick-Associated and Environmental Factors Rather than Host Blood Source

“…To date, few studies have compared the microbiomes of multiple tick species collected from the same geographic region. Most comparative microbiome studies focused on Ixodes scapularis and one other tick species (30, 32, 35, 50, 52) or considered only three species (56,57). Nakao et al (33) found evidence for species-specific effects on the microbiome composition of seven tick species.…”

Natural Variation in Physicochemical Profiles and Bacterial Communities Associated with Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites and Larvae on Guadeloupe and French Guiana

“…The differences found in the physicochemical parameters of breeding sites raise questions about their possible impact on the structure and composition of A. aegypti communities. Such interactions remain largely unexplored but should be considered, as habitat disturbance can alter the microbiota and thus affect adult vector phenotypic traits [59].…”