Planillo, A. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2023

Subspecies divergence, hybridisation and the spatial environment shape phylosymbiosis in the microbiome of house mice

Closely related host species share similar symbionts, yet how host genetics and the environment affect symbiont communities at different stages of host genetic divergence remains largely unknown. Similarly, it is unclear whether host-symbiont associations result from or contribute to host divergence. We examined the intestinal community of 619 wild-caught mice from Germanys European house mouse hybrid zone. Here, hybridisation upon secondary contact reflects divergence and could be traced gradually. Temporal and spatial factors were strong predictors of microbiome composition. Subspecies divergence predicted the composition similarity of the overall microbiome, specifically in the bacteria, parasite and fungal components. The effect of hybridisation was generally weak but significant for the fungal component. We confirmed our results in experiments with wild-derived inbred mice: subspecies genetic distances and hybridisation predicted the overall microbiome composition, and hybridisation further predicted fungal similarities among individuals. Fungi seemed more stable to the community perturbation of infection than other components of the microbiome. Differences between subspecies were more substantial across different microbiome components than those associated with hybridisation. Diverged microbiomes are a product of host divergence and are maintained by host genetics upon large environmental effects. These results provide a unique perspective into the ecoevolutionary processes shaping phylosymbiosis.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Global disparity of research allocation and the Aichi biodiversity conservation targets

Tracking progress towards global biodiversity conservation targets requires appropriate allocation of research and monitoring efforts. We conducted a global review of camera trap research on mammals as a proxy for biodiversity research and monitoring over the last two decades. We assessed how 3395 research locations from 2324 studies tracked priority regions for attaining the 2020 Aichi Biodiversity Targets. We used a geospatial distribution modelling approach to predict the spatial allocation of biodiversity research and to identify its key drivers. We show that conservation research in the past two decades has often failed to target areas important for conservation, and that 76.8% of the global research allocation can be attributed to country income, biome, mammal richness and accessibility. We predicted lowest probabilities of research allocation in low income countries. The Amazon and Congo Forest basins -- two highly biodiverse ecosystems facing unprecedented human alteration -- received inadequate research attention. Even in the most researched regions, an average of 51.4% of the research locations were outside the top 20% most important areas for the global biodiversity Aichi Targets. To support biodiversity conservation targets, policy and practice, more research and monitoring is required in regions with high importance for conservation.

ecology↗