VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY, BORDENSTEIN LAB
Transplanting the microbiome of one species into another species can cause a whole host of problems, according to a study published this month (November 18) in PLOS Biology.
In separate experiments by Vanderbilt University researchers, mice and wasps raised with the microbiota of closely related species suffered impaired digestion and lower overall survival rates—evidence that species host microbiomes tailored to their physiologies. The team also found that the evolutionary relationships between four animal groups paralleled the relationships between their microbiomes, supporting the notion that microbial communities living inside of animals evolve along with their hosts.
“Previous research has tended to concentrate on the negative effects of microbes. In this case we are showing that whole communities of microbes have positive effects as well,” coauthor Andrew ...
