Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) Dübendorf, Zürich, Switzerland Dept. of Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany
Ellen Decaestecker
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, University of Leuven, Campus-Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium
Lore Bulteel
Dept. of Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity Conservation, University of Leuven, Campus-Kulak, Kortrijk, Belgium
Jean-Claude Walser
Genetic Diversity Centre, Dept. of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Piet Spaak
Department of Aquatic Ecology, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag) Dübendorf, Zürich, Switzerland
Justyna Wolinska
Dept. of Evolutionary and Integrative Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany Dept. of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität (FU) Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Host–bacterial communities (microbiomes) are influenced by a wide range of factors including host genotype and parasite exposure. However, few studies disentangle temporal and host-genotype-specific variation in microbiome response to infection across several host tissues. We experimentally exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to its fungal parasite Metschnikowia bicuspidata and characterized changes in host–bacterial communities associated with the parasite's development within the host. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to assess bacterial communities of the host (a) 24 h (‘initial parasite exposure’) and (b) 10 days (‘successful infection’) after exposure to a standard dose of M. bicuspidata spores, in host guts, body tissue (excluding guts) and whole individuals. We also investigated whether bacterial community responses to parasite exposure varied by host genotype.
