Open AccessMolecular characterization of the microbial communities in the subcaudal gland secretion of the E uropean badger ( M eles meles )
Author(s) -
Sin Yung Wa,
Buesching Christina D.,
Burke Terry,
Macdonald David W.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2012.01396.x
Subject(s) - biology , meles , firmicutes , bacteroidetes , actinobacteria , badger , proteobacteria , zoology , ecology , scent gland , mustelidae , evolutionary biology , genetics , 16s ribosomal rna , bacteria
Many mammals possess specialized scent glands, which convey information about the marking individual. As the chemical profile of scent marks is likely to be affected by bacteria metabolizing the primary gland products, the variation in bacterial communities between different individuals has been proposed to underpin olfactory communication. However, few studies have investigated the dependency of microbiota residing in the scent organs on the host's individual‐specific parameters. Here, we used terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the PCR ‐amplified 16 S r RNA gene and clone library construction to investigate the microbial communities in the subcaudal gland secretion of the E uropean badger ( M eles meles ). As the secretion has been shown to encode individual‐specific information, we investigated the correlation of the microbiota with different individual‐specific parameters (age, sex, body condition, reproductive status, and season). We discovered a high number of bacterial species (56 operational taxonomic units from four phyla: A ctinobacteria, F irmicutes, P roteobacteria, and B acteroidetes), dominated by A ctinobacteria (76.0%). The bacterial communities of cubs and adults differed significantly. Cubs possessed considerably more diverse communities dominated by F irmicutes, while in adults the communities were less diverse and dominated by A ctinobacteria, suggesting that the acquisition of a ‘mature bacterial community’ is an ontogenetic process related to physiological changes during maturation.