Distinct biogeographical patterns in snail gastrointestinal tract bacterial communities compared with sediment and water.

The factors that influence the distribution of bacterial community composition are not well understood. The role of geographical patterns, which suggest limited dispersal, is still a topic of debate. Bacteria associated with hosts face unique dispersal challenges as they often rely on their hosts, which provide specific environments for their symbionts.

Distinct stages of the intestinal bacterial community of after salinization.

Environmental disturbances influence bacterial community structure and functioning. To investigate the effect of environmental disturbance caused by changes in salinity on host-protected bacterial communities, we analyzed the microbiome within the gastrointestinal tract of in different salinities. is a benthic gastropod found in fresh- and mesohaline waters.

Impact of disturbance and dietary shift on gastrointestinal bacterial community and its invertebrate host system.

The gut microbiome is one of the most important sites of host-microbe interactions, however, mechanisms governing the responses of host-associated microbes to changing environmental conditions are poorly understood. To address this, we investigated individual and combined effects of dietary changes and increase in salinity (from freshwater to salinity 3) or antibiotic concentration on the gastrointestinal bacterial community of the aquatic snail Ampullaceana balthica. In parallel, the energy reserves of the host were quantified.

Impact of Salinity on the Gastrointestinal Bacterial Community of .

Differences in salinity are boundaries that act as barriers for the dispersal of most aquatic organisms. This creates distinctive biota in freshwater and brackish water (mesohaline) environments. To test how saline boundaries influence the diversity and composition of host-associated microbiota, we analyzed the microbiome within the digestive tract of , an organism able to cross the freshwater and mesohaline boundary.