RT Journal Article
T1 Does the Gut Microbiome of the Insular Lizard Gallotia galloti Reflect Variation in Sex, Environment, and Population Genetic Differentiation?
A1 Cottam, Dayna E.
A1 Cosgrove, Daniel W.
A1 Megia Palma, Rodrigo Manuel
A1 Žagar, Anamarija
A1 Blázquez Castro, Sara
A1 Faria, J. Filipe
A1 Turner, Amy E.
A1 Silva, Diego O.
A1 Pie, Marcio R.
AB Despite their critical role in maintaining organismal health, the factors driving intraspecific variation in gut microbiotas in the wild are poorly understood. Gallotia galloti is a lizard endemic to the Canary Islands characterized by substantial phenotypic and genetic differentiation across populations, as well as by its ability to occur across considerably different environmental conditions. However, the extent to which such diversity is reflected in their gut microbiota is still unknown. Here, we use metabarcoding of fecal samples to explore how the gut microbiome of G. galloti reflects variation in sex, environment, human footprint, and subspecies identity. Fecal samples of 47 individuals were obtained across 13 locations to reflect the extent of intraspecific variation in the species. We found no evidence for consistent differences in microbiota richness across the studied groups, regardless of whether analyses were carried out at the genus, family, or phylum levels. Moreover, neither the richness nor composition of the microbiota was associated with variation in mean annual temperature, annual precipitation, and human footprint. Our results suggest that the generalist diet of G. galloti exposes them to a broad range of food items that provide a common template across the island, despite ecological and historical differences between populations.
PB Springer Nature
SN 0095-3628
YR 2025
FD 2025
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123082
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/123082
LA eng
NO Cottam, D. E., Cosgrove, D. W., Megía-Palma, R., Žagar, A., Blázquez-Castro, S., Faria, J. F., Turner, A. E., Silva, D. O., & Pie, M. R. (2025). Does the Gut Microbiome of the Insular Lizard Gallotia galloti Reflect Variation in Sex, Environment, and Population Genetic Differentiation? Microbial Ecology, 88(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/S00248-025-02560-X
NO The authors would like to thank the Biology Department of Edge Hill University for financial support, The Slovenian Research and innovation Agency (ARIS) (P1-0255 and J1-2466) for funding AŽ, and Troy Marchant-Whitehurst and Jonathan Loftus for their assistance during fieldwork.
NO Edge Hill University
NO Slovenian Research and innovation Agency
DS Docta Complutense
RD 24 dic 2025