Abstract
Hybridisation and introgression of eukaryotic genomes can generate new species or subsume existing ones, with direct and indirect consequences for biodiversity. An understudied component of these evolutionary forces is their potentially rapid effect on host gut microbiomes, and whether these pliable microcosms may serve as early biological indicators of speciation. We address this hypothesis in a field study of angelfishes (genus Centropyge), which have one of the highest prevalence of hybridisation within coral reef fish. In our study region of the Eastern Indian Ocean, the parent fish species and their hybrids cohabit and display no differences in their diet, behaviour, and reproduction, often interbreeding in mixed harems. Despite this ecological overlap, we show that microbiomes of the parent species are significantly different from each other in form and function based on total community composition, supporting the division of parents into distinct species, despite the confounding effects of introgression acting to homogenize parent species identity at other molecular markers. The microbiome of hybrid individuals, on the other hand, are not significantly different to each of the parents, instead harbouring an intermediate community composition. These findings suggest that shifts in gut microbiomes may be an early indicator of speciation in hybridising species.
RAS ID
60243
Document Type
Journal Article
Volume
6
Issue
1
Funding Information
Australian Research Council / Curtin University Early Career Research Fellowship
PubMed ID
37202414
School
School of Science / Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research
Grant Number
ARC Numbers : LP160100839, LP160101508
Grant Link
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP160100839 http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/LP160101508
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Publisher
Springer Nature
Comments
Huggett, M. J., Hobbs, J. P. A., Vitelli, F., Stat, M., Sinclair-Taylor, T. H., Bunce, M., & DiBattista, J. D. (2023). Gut microbial communities of hybridising pygmy angelfishes reflect species boundaries. Communications Biology, 6, article 542. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04919-7