Relationships Between Migration and Microbiome Composition and Diversity in Urban Canada Geese

Study information

Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-5-5

study design

cross-sectional observational, not case-control

Citation

PMID PubMed identifier for scientific articles.

10.3389/fevo.2022.742369

DOI Digital object identifier for electronic documents.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2022.742369

URI

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2022.742369/full

Authors

Sean Obrochta, Maria Luisa Savo Sardaro, Katherine R. Amato, Maureen H. Murray

Journal

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Year

2022

Pages:

First page:

Keywords:

migration, Branta canadensis, urban ecology, firmicutes, microbiome, microbial diversity

Microbiome analysis presents an opportunity to understand how urban environments affect avian physiology. For example, habitat use can affect microbiome diversity and composition, and hosts with more diverse gut microbiota are thought to be more resistant to pathogens and have increased fitness. However, the microbiome is an understudied aspect of avian ecology, particularly in the context of migration and urbanization in wild birds. For this study, we hypothesized that, within urban birds, migrants would exhibit greater microbial diversity and inter-individual variation in microbiome composition than residents because they are exposed to more diverse habitats. We focused on Canada geese (Branta canadensis), one of many migratory species that exhibit increasingly more year-round residency in cities. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to quantify microbiome taxonomic composition in fecal samples from 32 GPS-tracked Canada geese, 22 of which were year-round residents of the Chicago area and 10 of which were migrants. Similar to recent studies on wild species feeding near human habitation, urban resident geese had higher gut microbial diversity than migrants. They also had increased inter-individual variation in microbiome composition and, on average, lower relative abundances of bacteria in the phylum Firmicutes, and the genera Terrisporobacter, Turicibacter, and Cellulosilyticum, which all have metabolic functions that may aid in goose digestion. Therefore, the gut microbiome of resident geese may provide fewer potential health benefits. These patterns may be a result of anthropogenic influences on aspects of resident goose ecology, such as diet, as well the influence of migration on migrant goose ecology and biology. Overall, our results suggest that reduced migration for urban-adapted wildlife species may have important consequences for physiology and health.

Experiment 1

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Reviewed Marked as Reviewed by KateRasheed on 2025-5-5

Curated date: 2025/04/15

Curator: Ameenatoloko

Revision editor(s): Ameenatoloko

Subjects

Location of subjects: United States of America

Host species Species from which microbiome was sampled. Contact us to have more species added.: Branta canadensis

Body site Anatomical site where microbial samples were extracted from according to the Uber Anatomy Ontology: Feces Cow dung,Cow pat,Droppings,Dung,Excrement,Excreta,Faeces,Fecal material,Fecal matter,Fewmet,Frass,Guano,Matières fécales@fr,Merde@fr,Ordure,Partie de la merde@fr,Piece of shit,Porción de mierda@es,Portion of dung,Portion of excrement,Portion of faeces,Portion of fecal material,Portion of fecal matter,Portion of feces,Portion of guano,Portion of scat,Portionem cacas,Scat,Spoor,Spraint,Stool,Teil der fäkalien@de,Feces,feces

Condition The experimental condition / phenotype studied according to the Experimental Factor Ontology: Exposure Exposure,exposure

Group 0 name Corresponds to the control (unexposed) group for case-control studies: Urban resident geese

Group 1 name Corresponds to the case (exposed) group for case-control studies: Migrant geese

Group 1 definition Diagnostic criteria applied to define the specific condition / phenotype represented in the case (exposed) group: Migrant geese were identified as birds that were captured and collared in the Chicago area but spent the breeding season outside of Illinois, travelling up to 2,000 miles to Northern Canada.

Group 0 sample size Number of subjects in the control (unexposed) group: 26

Group 1 sample size Number of subjects in the case (exposed) group: 10

Lab analysis

Sequencing type: 16S

16S variable region One or more hypervariable region(s) of the bacterial 16S gene: V4-V5

Sequencing platform Manufacturer and experimental platform used for quantifying microbial abundance: Illumina

Statistical Analysis

Data transformation Data transformation applied to microbial abundance measurements prior to differential abundance testing (if any).: relative abundances

Statistical test: ANOVA

Significance threshold p-value or FDR threshold used for differential abundance testing (if any): 0.05

MHT correction Have statistical tests be corrected for multiple hypothesis testing (MHT)?: Yes

Confounders controlled for Confounding factors that have been accounted for by stratification or model adjustment: Confounders controlled for: "Season" is not in the list (abnormal glucose tolerance, acetaldehyde, acute graft vs. host disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, adenoma, age, AIDS, alcohol consumption measurement, alcohol drinking, ...) of allowed values.Season, Confounders controlled for: "Individual Identity" is not in the list (abnormal glucose tolerance, acetaldehyde, acute graft vs. host disease, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, acute myeloid leukemia, adenoma, age, AIDS, alcohol consumption measurement, alcohol drinking, ...) of allowed values.Individual Identity