Abstract
Louse flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) are obligate ectoparasites that often cause behavioral, pathogenic, and evolutionary effects on their hosts. Interactions between ectoparasites and avian hosts, especially migrating taxa, may influence avian pathogen spread in tropical and temperate ecosystems and affect long-term survival, fitness and reproductive success. The purpose of this study was to characterize the vector-associated microbiome of ectoparasitic louse flies feeding on migrating raptors over the fall migration period. Surveys for louse flies occurred during fall migration (2015–2016) at a banding station in Pennsylvania, United States; flies were collected from seven species of migrating raptors, and we sequenced their microbial (bacteria and archaea) composition using high-throughput targeted amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene (V4 region). All louse flies collected belonged to the same species, Icosta americana. Our analysis revealed no difference in bacterial communities of louse flies retrieved from different avian host species. The louse fly microbiome was dominated by a primary endosymbiont, suggesting that louse flies maintain a core microbial structure despite receiving blood meals from different host species. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of characterizing both beneficial and potentially pathogenic endosymbionts when interpreting how vector-associated microbiomes may impact insect vectors and their avian hosts.
Highlights
Each autumn millions of raptors migrate from their breeding grounds in North America to overwintering areas in South America, following well-established routes created by geographical features and ideal weather conditions [1,2,3]
All flies collected were identified as the same species, Icosta americana (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) (Leach 1817), a Nearctic and Neotropical species found on Accipitridae, Phasianidae, and Strigidae [22]
The phylum Proteobacteria dominated the internal microbiome of all louse flies but one sample, and comprised greater than 97% of the total bacterial community regardless of which raptor host species they were collected from (Fig 1A)
Summary
Each autumn millions of raptors migrate from their breeding grounds in North America to overwintering areas in South America, following well-established routes created by geographical features and ideal weather conditions [1,2,3]. One of the major migratory routes in North America, the Atlantic Flyway, ranges from northeastern Canada to the southern United States. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript
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