Covariation Between Microbiome Composition and Host Transcriptome in the Gut of Wild : A Re-Analysis.

Gut microbiota are fundamental for healthy animal function, but the evidence that host function can be predicted from microbiota taxonomy remains equivocal, and natural populations remain understudied compared to laboratory animals. Paired analyses of covariation in microbiota and host parameters are powerful approaches to characterise host-microbiome relationships mechanistically, especially in wild populations of animals that are also lab models, enabling insight into the ecological basis of host function at molecular and cellular levels. The fruitfly is a preeminent model organism, amenable to field investigation by 'omic analyses.