The alligator gut microbiome and implications for archosaur symbioses

摘要: Among vertebrate gastrointestinal microbiome studies, complete representation of taxa is limited, particularly among reptiles. Here, we provide evidence for previously unrecognized host-microbiome associations along the tract from American alligator, a crown archosaur with shared ancestry to extinct taxa, including dinosaurs. Microbiome compositional variations reveal that digestive system consists multiple, longitudinally heterogeneous microbiomes strongly correlate specific organs, regardless rearing histories or feeding status. A core alligator gut comprised Fusobacteria, but depleted in Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria common mammalians, compositionally unique other microbiomes, reptiles, fish, herbivorous carnivorous mammals. As such, modern advance our understanding evolution, if conserved host ecology has retained archosaur-specific symbioses over geologic time.