Diversity and Function of Wolf Spider Gut Microbiota Revealed by Shotgun Metagenomics.

Runbiao Wu,Luyu Wang,Zhisheng Zhang,Jianping Xie

doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.758794

Abstract

Wolf spiders (Lycosidae) are crucial component of integrated pest management programs and the characteristics of their gut microbiota are known to play important roles in improving fitness and survival of the host. However, there are only few studies of the gut microbiota among closely related species of wolf spider. Whether wolf spiders gut microbiota vary with habitats remains unknown. Here, we used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to compare the gut microbiota of two wolf spider species, Pardosa agraria and P. laura from farmland and woodland ecosystems, respectively. The results show that the gut microbiota of Pardosa spiders is similar in richness and abundance. Approximately 27.3% of the gut microbiota of P. agraria comprises Proteobacteria, and approximately 34.4% of the gut microbiota of P. laura comprises Firmicutes. We assembled microbial genomes and found that the gut microbiota of P. laura are enriched in genes for carbohydrate metabolism. In contrast, those of P. agraria showed a higher proportion of genes encoding acetyltransferase, an enzyme involved in resistance to antibiotics. We reconstructed three high-quality and species-level microbial genomes: Vulcaniibacterium thermophilum, Anoxybacillus flavithermus and an unknown bacterium belonging to the family Simkaniaceae. Our results contribute to an understanding of the diversity and function of gut microbiota in closely related spiders.

Highlights

Gut microbial communities can be transmitted vertically in spiders and their composition is influenced by the consumed prey (Kennedy et al, 2020; Sheffer et al, 2020)
We sequenced the gut microbiota of the congeneric spiders P. agraria and P. laura using a metagenomic approach to evaluate the extent of microbial diversity
Given that metagenomic sequencing can provide an accurate indication of the true composition of the sampled microbiota, we established that spiders in the genus Pardosa have a rich gut microbial population

Summary

Introduction

Gut microbial communities can be transmitted vertically in spiders and their composition is influenced by the consumed prey (Kennedy et al, 2020; Sheffer et al, 2020). They may provide energy and contribute to defense against pathogens and parasites (Moran et al, 2019). It has been demonstrated that the microbiota of spiders can play an important role in contributing to the spider’s survival, as it can affect digestion, metabolism, and the maintenance of health (Kumar et al, 2020). Pardosa spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae) are Analyses of Spider Gut Microbiota

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