Abstract
Simple SummaryMicrobiota have a significant functional role in the life of the host, including immunity, lifespan and reproduction. Drosophila species are attractive model organisms for investigating microbiota diversity from different aspects due to their simple gut microbiota, short generation time and high fertility. Considering such an important role of the microbiota in the life of Drosophila, we investigated the extent to which lead (Pb), as one of the most abundant heavy metals in the environment, affects the microbiota and the fitness of this insect host. The results indicate that different factors, such as population origin and sex, may affect individual traits differently and this could be species-specific. In addition, there are members of microbiota that help the host to overcome environmental stress and they could play a key role in reducing the fitness cost in such situations. Studying the influence of microbiota on the adaptive response to heavy metals and the potential implications on overall host fitness is of great pertinence.Life history traits determine the persistence and reproduction of each species. Factors that can affect life history traits are numerous and can be of different origin. We investigated the influence of population origin and heavy metal exposure on microbiota diversity and two life history traits, egg-to-adult viability and developmental time, in Drosophila melanogaster and Drosophila subobscura, grown in the laboratory on a lead (II) acetate-saturated substrate. We used 24 samples, 8 larval and 16 adult samples (two species × two substrates × two populations × two sexes). The composition of microbiota was determined by sequencing (NGS) of the V3–V4 variable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. The population origin showed a significant influence on life history traits, though each trait in the two species was affected differentially. Reduced viability in D. melanogaster could be a cost of fast development, decrease in Lactobacillus abundance and the presence of Wolbachia. The heavy metal exposure in D. subobscura caused shifts in developmental time but maintained the egg-to-adult viability at a similar level. Microbiota diversity indicated that the Komagataeibacter could be a valuable member of D. subobscura microbiota in overcoming the environmental stress. Research on the impact of microbiota on the adaptive response to heavy metals and consequently the potential tradeoffs among different life history traits is of great importance in evolutionary research.
Highlights
The intestines of animals are occupied by diverse communities of microorganisms that can affect different aspects of host health
We investigated the influence of the composition of microbiota, different feeding substrates and population origin on two Drosophila life history traits, egg-to-adult viability and developmental time
Mean values revealed that egg-to-adult viability was the highest in Dmel_K_St (0.88) and the lowest was in Dmel_Sl_C3 (0.51), while developmental time was the highest in Dsub_Sl_C3_M (23.06) and the lowest was in Dmel_K_St_F (19.24)
Summary
The intestines of animals are occupied by diverse communities of microorganisms that can affect different aspects of host health. Aspects of host life, including development, digestion, behavior and the immune system [1,2,3]. Drosophila hosts only a small number of bacterial populations in its gut, but includes species present in the human microbiota as well. Drosophila gut microbiota in laboratory is represented by a low-diversity bacterial community [4,5], but it has great implications on its overall health. The gut microbiome of Drosophila contributes to a variety of host traits, such as innate immunity [6], lifespan [7,8,9], nutrition and reproduction [10] and behavior [11,12]. It is important to investigate the factors that shape the composition and diversity of microbiota and their possible implications on the host
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