Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice.

Raulo A; Bürkner P-C; Finerty GE; Dale J; Hanski E; English HM; Lamberth C; Firth JA; Coulson T; Knowles SCL

Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice.

dc.citation.issue	5
dc.citation.volume	8
dc.contributor.author	Raulo A
dc.contributor.author	Bürkner P-C
dc.contributor.author	Finerty GE
dc.contributor.author	Dale J
dc.contributor.author	Hanski E
dc.contributor.author	English HM
dc.contributor.author	Lamberth C
dc.contributor.author	Firth JA
dc.contributor.author	Coulson T
dc.contributor.author	Knowles SCL
dc.coverage.spatial	England
dc.date.accessioned	2024-11-14T23:53:54Z
dc.date.available	2024-11-14T23:53:54Z
dc.date.issued	2024-05-01
dc.description.abstract	Gut microbes shape many aspects of organismal biology, yet how these key bacteria transmit among hosts in natural populations remains poorly understood. Recent work in mammals has emphasized either transmission through social contacts or indirect transmission through environmental contact, but the relative importance of different routes has not been directly assessed. Here we used a novel radio-frequency identification-based tracking system to collect long-term high-resolution data on social relationships, space use and microhabitat in a wild population of mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), while regularly characterizing their gut microbiota with 16S ribosomal RNA profiling. Through probabilistic modelling of the resulting data, we identify positive and statistically distinct signals of social and environmental transmission, captured by social networks and overlap in home ranges, respectively. Strikingly, microorganisms with distinct biological attributes drove these different transmission signals. While the social network effect on microbiota was driven by anaerobic bacteria, the effect of shared space was most influenced by aerotolerant spore-forming bacteria. These findings support the prediction that social contact is important for the transfer of microorganisms with low oxygen tolerance, while those that can tolerate oxygen or form spores may be able to transmit indirectly through the environment. Overall, these results suggest social and environmental transmission routes can spread biologically distinct members of the mammalian gut microbiota.
dc.description.confidential	false
dc.edition.edition	May 2024
dc.format.pagination	972-985
dc.identifier.author-url	https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/38689017
dc.identifier.citation	Raulo A, Bürkner P-C, Finerty GE, Dale J, Hanski E, English HM, Lamberth C, Firth JA, Coulson T, Knowles SCL. (2024). Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice.. Nat Ecol Evol. 8. 5. (pp. 972-985).
dc.identifier.doi	10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0
dc.identifier.eissn	2397-334X
dc.identifier.elements-type	journal-article
dc.identifier.issn	2397-334X
dc.identifier.pii	10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0
dc.identifier.uri	https://mro.massey.ac.nz/handle/10179/72011
dc.language	eng
dc.publisher	Springer Nature Limited
dc.publisher.uri	http://nature.com/articles/s41559-024-02381-0
dc.relation.isPartOf	Nat Ecol Evol
dc.rights	(c) 2024 The Author/s
dc.rights	CC BY 4.0
dc.rights.uri	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subject	Animals
dc.subject	Gastrointestinal Microbiome
dc.subject	RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
dc.subject	Murinae
dc.subject	Social Behavior
dc.subject	Bacteria
dc.subject	Male
dc.subject	Female
dc.subject	Mice
dc.title	Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice.
dc.type	Journal article
pubs.elements-id	488749
pubs.organisational-group	College of Health