The role of the gut microbiota in the dietary niche expansion of fishing bats

Abstract

BackgroundDue to its central role in animal nutrition, the gut microbiota is likely a relevant factor shaping dietary niche shifts. We analysed both the impact and contribution of the gut microbiota to the dietary niche expansion of the only four bat species that have incorporated fish into their primarily arthropodophage diet.ResultsWe first compared the taxonomic and functional features of the gut microbiota of the four piscivorous bats to that of 11 strictly arthropodophagous species using 16S rRNA targeted amplicon sequencing. Second, we increased the resolution of our analyses for one of the piscivorous bat species, namely Myotis capaccinii , and analysed multiple populations combining targeted approaches with shotgun sequencing. To better understand the origin of gut microorganisms, we also analysed the gut microbiota of their fish prey ( Gambusia holbrooki ). Our analyses showed that piscivorous bats carry a characteristic gut microbiota that differs from that of their strict arthropodophagous counterparts, in which the most relevant bacteria have been directly acquired from their fish prey. This characteristic microbiota exhibits enrichment of genes involved in vitamin biosynthesis, as well as complex carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, likely providing their hosts with an enhanced capacity to metabolise the glycosphingolipids and long-chain fatty acids that are particularly abundant in fish.ConclusionsOur results depict the gut microbiota as a relevant element in facilitating the dietary transition from arthropodophagy to piscivory.

The fecal bacterial microbiome of the Kuhl’s pipistrelle bat (Pipistrellus kuhlii) reflects landscape anthropogenic pressure

“…Insectivorous bat species from the former study included Pipistrellus kuhlii , other vespertilionid and rhinolophid bats, but specific characteristics of the sampling localities were not specified. Moreover, none of the most differentially abundant genera present in piscivorous bats were represented in our study [ 68 ], further supporting the current scientific data about the significant impact of trophic guilds on fecal bacterial communities [ 66 ].…”

“…More recently, different bat dietary habits have also been linked to differences in metagenome functions which may be linked to specific metabolic pathways [ 28 ]. Several most abundant genera from our study ( Carnobacterium, Serratia, Hafnia, Enterococcus and Lonsdalea ) were also found to be significantly abundant in some insectivorous bat species across Europe, China, Israel, Mexico and Costa Rica, compared to piscivorous bat species [ 68 ]. Notably, we found that Serratia , Hafnia and Lonsdalea genera were differentially abundant in P. kuhlii from scenario D2.…”