Host-microbiome associations of native and invasive small mammals across
a tropical urban-rural ecotone
Abstract
Global change and urbanisation profoundly alter wildlife habitats,
driving native animals into novel habitats while increasing the
co-occurrence between native and invasive species. Host-microbiome
associations are shaped by host traits and environmental features, but
little is known about their plasticity in co-occurring native and
invasive species across urban-rural gradients. Here, we explored gut
microbiomes of four sympatric small mammal species along an urban-rural
ecotone in Borneo, one of the planet’s oldest rainforest regions
experiencing recent urban expansion. Host species identity was the
strongest determinant of microbiome composition, while land use and
spatial proximity shaped microbiome similarity within and among the
three rat species. The urban-dwelling rat Rattus rattus had a microbiome
composition more similar to that of the native, urban-adapted rat
Sundamys muelleri (R. rattus’ strongest environmental niche overlap),
than to the closely related urban-dwelling R. norvegicus. The
urban-dwelling shrew Suncus murinus presented the most distinct
microbiome. The microbiome of R. norvegicus was the most sensitive to
land use intensity, exhibiting significant alterations in composition
and bacterial abundance across the ecotone. Our findings suggest that
environmental niche overlap among native and invasive species promotes
similar gut microbiomes. Even for omnivorous urban-dwellers with a
worldwide distribution like R. norvegicus, gut microbiomes may change
across fine-scale environmental gradients. Future research needs to
confirm whether land use intensity can be a strong selective force on
mammalian gut microbiomes, influencing the way in which native and
invasive species are able to exploit novel environments.