ArticleBMC ecology2020
Family matters: skin microbiome reflects the social group and spatial proximity in wild zebra finches.
Article in BMC ecology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- Environmental factors associated with nesting habits and age shape the composition and connection between skin and uropygial gland microbiomes of birds.The Journal of animal ecology · 2026Article
- Passive environmental and group-level processes drive gut microbiome composition in a wild corvid.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- Population and Spatial Features Impact the Gut Phageome-Bacteriome Structure and Interactions in a Mammal Species Living in Fragmented Habitats.Microbial ecology · 2025Article
- Unveiling the skin microbial guardians and assailants in psoriasis subtypes: a Mendelian randomization study.Archives of dermatological research · 2024Article
- Social environment influences microbiota and potentially pathogenic bacterial communities on the skin of developing birds.Animal microbiome · 2024Article
- Plumage microorganism communities of tidal marsh sparrows.iScience · 2024Article
- Ecology and evolution of the social microbiome.Annual review of ecology, evolution, and systematics · 2024Article
- Sex-dependent effects of mechanical delousing on the skin microbiome of broodstock Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).Scientific reports · 2023Article
- Article
- Ecological Processes and Human Behavior Provide a Framework for Studying the Skin Microbial Metacommunity.Microbial ecology · 2022Review
- The Gut Microbial Composition Is Species-Specific and Individual-Specific in Two Species of Estrildid Finches, the Bengalese Finch and the Zebra Finch.Frontiers in microbiology · 2021Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSo far, large numbers of studies investigating the microbiome have focused on gut microbiota and less have addressed the microbiome of the skin. Especially in avian taxa our understanding of the ecology and function of these bacteria remains incomplete. The involvement of skin bacteria in intra-specific communication has recently received attention, and has highlighted the need to understand what information is potentially being encoded in bacterial communities. Using next generation sequencing techniques, we characterised the skin microbiome of wild zebra finches, aiming to understand the impact of sex, age and group composition on skin bacteria communities. For this purpose, we sampled skin swabs from both sexes and two age classes (adults and nestlings) of 12 different zebra finch families and analysed the bacterial communities.
resultsUsing 16S rRNA sequencing we found no effect of age, sex and family on bacterial diversity (alpha diversity). However, when comparing the composition (beta diversity), we found that animals of social groups (families) harbour highly similar bacterial communities on their skin with respect to community composition. Within families, closely related individuals shared significantly more bacterial taxa than non-related animals. In addition, we found that age (adults vs. nestlings) affected bacterial composition. Finally, we found that spatial proximity of nest sites, and therefore individuals, correlated with the skin microbiota similarity.
conclusionsBirds harbour very diverse and complex bacterial assemblages on their skin. These bacterial communities are distinguishable and characteristic for intraspecific social groups. Our findings are indicative for a family-specific skin microbiome in wild zebra finches. Genetics and the (social) environment seem to be the influential factors shaping the complex bacterial communities. Bacterial communities associated with the skin have a potential to emit volatiles and therefore these communities may play a role in intraspecific social communication, e.g. via signalling social group membership.
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