Volta

Using Ponds and Aquatic Organisms to Understand Host–Microbe–Environment Interactions Across Geographic and Temporal Scales

For decades, standing freshwater environments have served as powerful model systems for ecologists to study the hierarchical nature of biological organization. As our understanding of host-microbe interactions grows, these systems offer a tractable framework for examining how landscape and regional factors shape local microbial communities, the microbial members that associate with hosts, and resulting consequences for holobiont performance and fitness. Here, we highlight temperate freshwater ponds and resident larval amphibians (tadpoles) as model systems for studying these multidirectional interactions. We present empirical data on aquatic microbial communities and gut microbiomes of wood frog tadpoles (Lithobates sylvaticus) sampled across multiple sites in Western Pennsylvania. Aquatic microbial communities were more diverse than amphibian-associated communities. Local environmental conditions significantly contributed to tadpole gut …

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