Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations
Abstract The impact of microbial composition on stress-related behavior in aquatic organisms is poorly understood. This study explored the link between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and the gut microbiome in wild stickleback from two lakes: clear, spring-fed Galtaból and turbid, glacial-fed Þri...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00758-y |
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| author | Javier Edo Varg Jaelle C. Brealey David Benhaïm Rafael Losada-Germain Janette W. Boughman |
| author_facet | Javier Edo Varg Jaelle C. Brealey David Benhaïm Rafael Losada-Germain Janette W. Boughman |
| author_sort | Javier Edo Varg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The impact of microbial composition on stress-related behavior in aquatic organisms is poorly understood. This study explored the link between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and the gut microbiome in wild stickleback from two lakes: clear, spring-fed Galtaból and turbid, glacial-fed Þristikla. Behavioral analysis revealed differences between populations, with each exhibiting unique baseline behaviors. Microbiome analysis showed that a small proportion of its variation was explained by population, likely reflecting differences in lake environments. Only the marine genus Pseudoalteromonas abundance differed between populations. Our findings suggest that behavior and microbiome correlations may primarily reflect environmental adaptations and parasite status rather than direct gut-brain interactions. However, some tentative evidence suggests a potential innate connection between some antipredator behavior and microbiome composition. The study highlights the complexity of the gut-brain axis in wild populations and suggests future research directions, including experimental manipulations to uncover causal relationships between microbiome composition and behavior. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-03deb45201e14b259157d18b4e6e016e |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2055-5008 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| spelling | doaj-art-03deb45201e14b259157d18b4e6e016e2025-08-20T04:01:53ZengNature Portfolionpj Biofilms and Microbiomes2055-50082025-07-0111111810.1038/s41522-025-00758-yInterplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populationsJavier Edo Varg0Jaelle C. Brealey1David Benhaïm2Rafael Losada-Germain3Janette W. Boughman4Department of Ecology and Genetics, section of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Ecology and Genetics, section of Animal Ecology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala UniversityDepartment of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar UniversityDepartment of Biological Sciences, Universidad De Los AndesDepartment of Integrative Biology, Evolution, Ecology & Behavior program, Michigan State UniversityAbstract The impact of microbial composition on stress-related behavior in aquatic organisms is poorly understood. This study explored the link between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and the gut microbiome in wild stickleback from two lakes: clear, spring-fed Galtaból and turbid, glacial-fed Þristikla. Behavioral analysis revealed differences between populations, with each exhibiting unique baseline behaviors. Microbiome analysis showed that a small proportion of its variation was explained by population, likely reflecting differences in lake environments. Only the marine genus Pseudoalteromonas abundance differed between populations. Our findings suggest that behavior and microbiome correlations may primarily reflect environmental adaptations and parasite status rather than direct gut-brain interactions. However, some tentative evidence suggests a potential innate connection between some antipredator behavior and microbiome composition. The study highlights the complexity of the gut-brain axis in wild populations and suggests future research directions, including experimental manipulations to uncover causal relationships between microbiome composition and behavior.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00758-y |
| spellingShingle | Javier Edo Varg Jaelle C. Brealey David Benhaïm Rafael Losada-Germain Janette W. Boughman Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations npj Biofilms and Microbiomes |
| title | Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| title_full | Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| title_fullStr | Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| title_short | Interplay between antipredator behavior, parasitism, and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| title_sort | interplay between antipredator behavior parasitism and gut microbiome in wild stickleback populations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41522-025-00758-y |
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