DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Intra-annual Dynamics in the Gut Microbiota of Migratory Shorebirds

Kansas State University, Manhattan KS

Investigators

Abstract

Gut microbiota plays a vital role in organism health through facilitating nutrient uptake, detoxification and interactions with the immune system. Whereas the mammalian microbiota is predominantly shaped by underlying genetics, factors affecting the avian gut microbiota remain largely unknown. Migratory shorebirds are sensitive to environmental change as a result of their use of geographically wide-spread habitats throughout their annual cycle. The local environment thus has the potential to alter avian gut microbiota. This research will investigate environmental factors influencing gut microbiota of migratory shorebirds as their long-distance movement and intercontinental migration annually expose them to a wide range of microorganisms and potential pathogens. The overarching objective of this study is to evaluate the importance of the local environment in determining gut microbiota composition in migratory shorebirds, by assessing presence and causes of intra-annual variation in gut microbiota in relation to breeding, staging and wintering environments. Migratory shorebirds have the potential to act as disease vectors that spread pathogens over long distances, and investigation of gut microbiota diversity and function is an essential first step towards identifying current and future disease threats to both avian and human populations. The overall objective of this research will be addressed by testing three hypotheses related to different aspects of environment-gut microbiota interactions: site characteristics, duration of stay, and interactions among migratory populations. The researchers predict that the local environment largely determines gut microbial composition, and that within this environment the effect of latitude and flock composition on gut microbiota composition will be detectable. Shorebird gut microbial composition will be analyzed from fecal samples collected from key shorebird staging and wintering sites throughout the Western Hemisphere. Bacterial communities will be sequenced using genetic techniques and microbial communities will be analyzed by using advanced bioinformatics and a Bayesian statistical framework. This research combines the fields of migration ecology, microbiology and computational biology.