Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MUSMICRO (Causes and consequences of variation in the mammalian microbiota)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-08-01 bis 2023-01-31
In this project, we are investigating the causes and consequences of gut microbiota variation in a natural population of the species with the best laboratory tools, and knowledge, for the mammalian microbiome: the house mouse. We are pairing detailed studies of wild mice in their natural environment with lab-based experiments to investigate the causal impacts of naturally occurring microbiota variation. This project tackles the following three major objectives:
(1) To uncover the processes generating microbiota variation in the wild, including genetic, environmental and social influences. We aim to unpick the extent of genetic influence on the microbiota and which types of genes are involved, using a genome-wide association study. We also aim to shed light on the forces driving temporal microbiota dynamics within individuals.
(2) To test whether natural variation in the gut microbiota causally influences key host phenotypic traits of interest. We focus on two traits that lab mouse studies have suggested are under microbiota influence, and which we expect to be relevant to host fitness (overwinter survival): body condition (fat deposition) and host tolerance of cold temperatures. Using state-of-the-art wild-to-lab gnotobiotic experiments, we will test whether natural differences in these traits, both among individuals and within individuals across seasons, are driven by the gut microbiota.
(3) By combining results from Objective 2 with data on predictors of overwinter survival in among wild mice, we will shed light on whether the microbiome, and traits under its influence, play an important role in determining host fitness.
Overall, the findings from this project will shed vital new light on the reach of the gut microbiome's influence outside the laboratory in real-world settings, and answer the key unanswered question: does variation in the gut microbiome actually matter in nature?