Microbiomes are the communities of microorganisms (for example, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live on, in, and around people, plants, animals, soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microbiomes are active in the functioning of diverse ecosystems, for instance, by influencing water quality, nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance in plants, and stability of soil and aquatic environments.
When new environmental conditions cause the composition of a microbiome to change, such that some microorganisms become pathogenic (capable of causing disease) or overgrowth occurs among certain microbial groups, altering the function of the microbiome, these dysfunctional microbiomes can cause visible problems. Results of dysfunctional microbiomes include coral disease, reduced agricultural crop production, and contaminated waterways.
One example is White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats. White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) is a fungal disease that has caused the death of six million hibernating bats across the United States and Canada since it emerged in 2007. The USGS National Wildlife Health Center, with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners, continues to play a primary role in WNS surveillance and research. Current projects include the collection of baseline skin microbiome data on bats to identify natural defenses and potential biocontrol agents against
WNS.
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Comparison of microbiomes of cold-water corals Primnoa pacifica and Primnoa resedaeformis, with possible link between microbiome composition and host genotype
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Effects of host species and environment on the skin microbiome of Plethodontid salamanders
Endozoicomonas dominates the gill and intestinal content microbiomes of Mytilus edulis from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
USGS microbiome research
Characterization of the juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) microbiome throughout an ontogenetic shift from pelagic to neritic habitats
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Comparison of microbiomes of cold-water corals Primnoa pacifica and Primnoa resedaeformis, with possible link between microbiome composition and host genotype
Cold-water corals provide critical habitats for a multitude of marine species, but are understudied relative to tropical corals. Primnoa pacifica is a cold-water coral prevalent throughout Alaskan waters, while another species in the genus, Primnoa resedaeformis, is widely distributed in the Atlantic Ocean. This study examined the V4-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene after amplifying and pyrosequenciAuthorsDawn B. Goldsmith, Christina A. Kellogg, Cheryl L. Morrison, Michael A. Gray, Robert P. Stone, Rhian G. Waller, Sandra D. Brooke, Steve W. RossExploring the pathology of an epidermal disease affecting a circum-Antarctic sea star
Over the past decade, unusual mortality outbreaks have decimated echinoderm populations over broad geographic regions, raising awareness globally of the importance of investigating such events. Echinoderms are key components of marine benthos for top-down and bottom-up regulations of plants and animals; population declines of these individuals can have significant ecosystem-wide effects. Here we dAuthorsLaura Nunez-Pons, Thierry M. Work, Carlos Angulo-Preckler, Juan Moles, Conxita AvilaEffects of host species and environment on the skin microbiome of Plethodontid salamanders
The amphibian skin microbiome is recognized for its role in defence against pathogens, including the deadly fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd). Yet, we have little understanding of evolutionary and ecological processes that structure these communities, especially for salamanders and closely related species. We investigated patterns in the distribution of bacterial communities on PAuthorsCarly R. Muletz-Wolz, Stephanie A. Yarwood, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Robert C. Fleischer, Karen R. LipsEndozoicomonas dominates the gill and intestinal content microbiomes of Mytilus edulis from Barnegat Bay, New Jersey
Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, Linnaeus 1758 from southern Barnegat Bay, New Jersey were examined to determine the make-up of the normal blue mussel microbiome. Sequencing of 16S ribosomal DNA amplicons from gill and intestinal content microbiomes using the Illumina® MiSeq platform yielded 1,276,161 paired end sequence reads from the gill libraries and 1,092,333 paired end sequence reads from theAuthorsWilliam B. Schill, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Cynthia R. AdamsUSGS microbiome research
Microbiomes are the communities of microorganisms (for example, bacteria, viruses, and fungi) that live on, in, and around people, plants, animals, soil, water, and the atmosphere. Microbiomes are active in the functioning of diverse ecosystems, for instance, by influencing water quality, nutrient acquisition and stress tolerance in plants, and stability of soil and aquatic environments. MicrobioAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, M. Camille HopkinsCharacterization of the juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) microbiome throughout an ontogenetic shift from pelagic to neritic habitats
The gut microbiome of herbivorous animals consists of organisms that efficiently digest the structural carbohydrates of ingested plant material. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) provide an interesting model of change in these microbial communities because they undergo a pronounced shift from a surface-pelagic distribution and omnivorous diet to a neritic distribution and herbivorous diet. As an alteAuthorsJames T. Price, Frank V. Paladino, Margaret M. Lamont, Blair E. Witherington, Scott T. Bates, Tanya SouleBiogeographic comparison of Lophelia-associated bacterial communities in the Western Atlantic reveals conserved core microbiome
Over the last decade, publications on deep-sea corals have tripled. Most attention has been paid to Lophelia pertusa, a globally distributed scleractinian coral that creates critical three-dimensional habitat in the deep ocean. The bacterial community associated with L. pertusa has been previously described by a number of studies at sites in the Mediterranean Sea, Norwegian fjords, off Great BritaAuthorsChristina A. Kellogg, Dawn B. Goldsmith, Michael A. GrayThe bee microbiome: Impact on bee health and model for evolution and ecology of host-microbe interactions
As pollinators, bees are cornerstones for terrestrial ecosystem stability and key components in agricultural productivity. All animals, including bees, are associated with a diverse community of microbes, commonly referred to as the microbiome. The bee microbiome is likely to be a crucial factor affecting host health. However, with the exception of a few pathogens, the impacts of most members of tAuthorsPhilipp Engel, Waldan K. Kwong, Quinn McFrederick, Kirk E. Anderson, Seth Michael Barribeau, James Angus Chandler, Robert S. Cornman, Jacques Dainat, Joachim R. de Miranda, Vincent Doublet, Olivier Emery, Jay D. Evans, Laurent Farinelli, Michelle L. Flenniken, Fredrik Granberg, Juris A. Grasis, Laurent Gauthier, Juliette Hayer, Hauke Koch, Sarah Kocher, Vincent G. Martinson, Nancy Moran, Monica Munoz-Torres, Irene Newton, Robert J. Paxton, Eli Powell, Ben M. Sadd, Paul Schmid-Hempel, Regula Schmid-Hempel, Se Jin Song, Ryan S. Schwarz, Dennis vanEngelsdorp, Benjamin Dainat - News