Who is the host of the host-associated microbiome? Colony-level dynamics overshadow individual-level characteristics in the fur microbiome of a social mammal, the Egyptian fruit-bat
Oren kolodny, Maya Weinberg, Leah Reshef, Lee Harten, Abraham Hefetz, Uri Gophna, Marcus W Feldman, Yossi Yovel
The study shows that colony-level dynamics, not individual-level changes, drive fur microbiome variation in Egyptian fruit bats, suggesting the colony as a biological unit for studying host-microbiome interactions.
bioRxiv · Dec 12, 2017 · PreprintEcology