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Dissertation
Evolutionary dynamics in the diverse specialized gut microbiome of cephalotine ants
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
Sep 2024
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00010760
Abstract
Many animals host specialized microbial communities within their gut, but the diversity of these communities makes the study of such systems difficult, thus limiting our understanding of the evolutionary forces that shape these relationships. Here, I studied the evolutionary history of a conserved community of bacteria housed within the gut of cephalotine ants, leveraging a growing collection of sequencing data. I first performed multi-locus phylogenetic analyses to disentangle the domestication events underlying the diversity of the microbiome, finding evidence for 18 distinct lineages of domesticated bacteria. Using these phylogenies as a backdrop, I then studied the infection patterns of these 18 groups, revealing lineage-specific host fidelity and diversification histories, with only a subset of the microbiome cospeciating with the host. Assessments of genome evolution uncovered a similar diversity of histories, including modest degrees of genome size reduction, turnover in encoded genes, and shifts in sequence evolution. Metabolic redundancy within the symbiotic community has decreased since cephalotine origins, reshaping symbiont-symbiont and host-symbiont interactions, pointing to niche diversification within the gut community. Overall, I provide a community-scale illustration of the evolution of a diverse gut microbiome, highlighting an evolutionary trajectory for specialized gut microbes that diverges from the classic patterns of intracellular symbiont evolution.
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Details
- Title
- Evolutionary dynamics in the diverse specialized gut microbiome of cephalotine ants
- Creators
- Christian Superio Cabuslay
- Contributors
- Michael P. O'Connor (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Number of pages
- xiii, 190 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology; College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991021910513104721