| 1. |
- Bensch, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes : captivity changes the gut microbiota composition and diversity in a social subterranean rodent
- 2023
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Ingår i: Animal Microbiome. - : BioMed Central (BMC). - 2524-4671. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BackgroundIn mammals, the gut microbiota has important effects on the health of their hosts. Recent research highlights that animal populations that live in captivity often differ in microbiota diversity and composition from wild populations. However, the changes that may occur when animals move to captivity remain difficult to predict and factors generating such differences are poorly understood. Here we compare the bacterial gut microbiota of wild and captive Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) originating from a population in the southern Kalahari Desert to characterise the changes of the gut microbiota that occur from one generation to the next generation in a long-lived, social rodent species.ResultsWe found a clear divergence in the composition of the gut microbiota of captive and wild Damaraland mole-rats. Although the dominating higher-rank bacterial taxa were the same in the two groups, captive animals had an increased ratio of relative abundance of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes compared to wild animals. The Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) that were strongly associated with wild animals were commonly members of the same bacterial families as those strongly associated with captive animals. Captive animals had much higher ASV richness compared to wild-caught animals, explained by an increased richness within the Firmicutes.ConclusionWe found that the gut microbiota of captive hosts differs substantially from the gut microbiota composition of wild hosts. The largest differences between the two groups were found in shifts in relative abundances and diversity of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes.
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| 2. |
- Bensch, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Environmental effects rather than relatedness determine gut microbiome similarity in a social mammal
- 2023
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Ingår i: Journal of Evolutionary Biology. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1010-061X .- 1420-9101. ; 36:12, s. 1753-1760
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In social species, group members commonly show substantial similarity in gut microbiome composition. Such similarities have been hypothesized to arise either by shared environmental effects or by host relatedness. However, disentangling these factors is difficult, because group members are often related, and social groups typically share similar environmental conditions. In this study, we conducted a cross-foster experiment under controlled laboratory conditions in group-living Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) and used 16S amplicon sequencing to disentangle the effects of the environment and relatedness on gut microbiome similarity and diversity. Our results show that a shared environment is the main factor explaining gut microbiome similarity, overshadowing any effect of host relatedness. Together with studies in wild animal populations, our results suggest that among conspecifics environmental factors are more powerful drivers of gut microbiome composition similarity than host genetics.
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| 3. |
- Bensch, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Freeze-drying can replace cold-chains for transport and storage of fecal microbiome samples
- 2022
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Ingår i: PeerJ. - : PeerJ. - 2167-8359. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The transport and storage of samples in temperatures of minus 80 °C is commonly considered as the gold standard for microbiome studies. However, studies conducting sample collection at remote sites without a reliable cold-chain would benefit from a sample preservation method that allows transport and storage at ambient temperature.Methods: In this study we compare alpha diversity and 16S microbiome composition of 20 fecal sample replicates from Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) preserved in a minus 80 °C freezer and transported on dry ice to freeze-dried samples that were stored and transported in ambient temperature until DNA extraction.Results: We found strong correlations between relative abundances of Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) between preservation treatments of the sample, no differences in alpha diversity measures between the two preservation treatments and minor effects of the preservation treatment on beta diversity measures. Our results show that freeze-drying samples can be a useful method for cost-effective transportation and storage of microbiome samples that yields quantitatively almost indistinguishable results in 16S microbiome analyses as those stored in minus 80 °C.
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| 4. |
- Bensch, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Gut microbiome similarity in wild mole-rats : The effects of shared common descent
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Group members often show high similarity in their gut microbiomes. This is typically attributed to increased social transmission of microbes within social groups and the shared environment. However, despite extensive research on within-group variation in gut microbiomes of wild hosts, between-group variation has remained less explored. Here, we use faecal samples collected from a long-term study population of wild Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis) to study within- and between group variation in gut microbiome similarity. We show that overall, group members have more similar gut microbiomes than those of individuals from separate groups. For individuals who had dispersed to become breeders in separate groups, dispersal from the same birth group predicted more similar microbiomes. The birth group affiliation therefore has long lasting effects on the microbiome, which individuals bring with them as they disperse to establish their own groups. Our results also suggest that when these individuals start to breed, their gut microbiome is transferred to their offspring, who show higher microbiome similarity if their parents shared birth groups. Together, we show that the gut microbiome can be transferred over generations and variation between groups can be predicted by the dispersal histories of individuals. Although we also identify some environmental effects on the gut microbiome within the population, our study shows that the gut microbiome can be inherited through shared common descent of the parental generation. Our results help to explain similarities in gut microbiomes within and between groups of social mammals.
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| 5. |
- Bensch, Hanna M., et al.
(författare)
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Living with relatives offsets the harm caused by pathogens in natural populations
- 2021
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Ingår i: eLife. - 2050-084X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Living with relatives can be highly beneficial, enhancing reproduction and survival. High relatedness can, however, increase susceptibility to pathogens. Here, we examine whether the benefits of living with relatives offset the harm caused by pathogens, and if this depends on whether species typically live with kin. Using comparative meta-analysis of plants, animals, and a bacterium (nspecies = 56), we show that high within-group relatedness increases mortality when pathogens are present. In contrast, mortality decreased with relatedness when pathogens were rare, particularly in species that live with kin. Furthermore, across groups variation in mortality was lower when relatedness was high, but abundances of pathogens were more variable. The effects of within-group relatedness were only evident when pathogens were experimentally manipulated, suggesting that the harm caused by pathogens is masked by the benefits of living with relatives in nature. These results highlight the importance of kin selection for understanding disease spread in natural populations.
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| 6. |
- Bensch, Hanna
(författare)
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Social below ground : Life-history and gut microbiome of Damaraland mole-rats
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Studying the consequences of variation in individual life-histories is vital for our understanding of the evolution of animal societies. In this thesis, I study the ecology and consequences of group living on growth, survival, reproduction, and the gut microbiome of the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis), a subterranean cooperatively breeding mammal. For this, I used data and faecal samples collected from a long-term study population in the Kalahari Desert, South Africa.I explored the effects of group size and group composition on individuals’ growth and survival. While large group size had no clear advantages for either growth or survival, individuals within groups biased to their own sex grew more slowly. The number of recruits increased modestly with group size, but experimentally created pairs showed the same reproductive success as established groups. Further, single individuals exhibited high survival rates and good body condition. Combined, these results suggest that mole-rats delay dispersal to maximise their own fitness, and that group living has costs and benefits for all group members.I also investigated the effects of individual life-histories and group affiliation on the gut microbiome. This work shows that individuals bring the gut microbiome from their birth group when they disperse, and that group members have more similar gut microbiomes. When dispersed individuals start to reproduce in their new groups, they subsequently transfer this microbiome to their offspring, resulting in higher similarity between offspring with common descent of breeders. This pattern could arise from shared early life environment of breeders or through genetic relatedness of breeders. To separate the effects of these factors, I used a cross-foster experiment of captive animals, which showed that group members have more similar gut microbiomes, regardless of host relatedness.My thesis gives deepened insights into the ecology of the Damaraland mole-rat. It shows how variation in the social environment of group living species affects their life-histories, their fitness, and beyond that extended phenotypic traits such as the gut microbiome composition.
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| 7. |
- Bensch, Hanna, et al.
(författare)
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Within-group sex ratios predict growth of social mole-rats
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Annan publikation (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Groups of wild animals can vary considerably in their composition, including in the proportion of group members which are male or female, the within-group sex ratio. Variation in within-group sex ratios can arise from active adjustment of litter sex ratios by mothers, from sex differences in mortality, dispersal and immigration, or from stochastic variation in recruitment. Irrespective of its origins, variation in the within-group sex ratio can have consequences for within-group competition and can affect individual life histories throughout development. In this paper, we explore which processes may generate variation in within-group sex ratios in wild Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), a singular cooperative breeder, and we investigate whether within-group sex ratios predict the growth, body condition and philopatry of individuals. We show that although the population-level sex ratio is balanced, skewed within-group sex ratios are common, particularly among small groups. Our data suggests that stochastic variation in the sex of recruits explains natural variation in the sex ratio of wild groups. Non-breeding individuals in groups with a sex ratio biased towards their own sex grow more slowly than individuals in groups biased towards the opposite sex, suggesting that intra-sexual competition may decrease growth rates. We suggest that the costs of competition may contribute to the large variation in growth observed in social mole-rat groups.
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| 8. |
- Bensch, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Sten i detalj – utemiljö
- 2011
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Bok (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Syftet med denna bok är att inspirera och förenkla arbetet för beställare av natursten i konstruktioner i vår utemiljö. De exempel som visas i boken är inte specialtillverkade för en viss plats, utan skulle kunna fylla en eller flera funktioner på andra platser. Rena utsmyckningar eller konstverk behandlas därför inte i denna bok. Boken ingår i en trilogi om stenarkitektur, vars syfte är att vara ett inspirerande och illustrerande komplement till den tekniskt strikta Stenhandboken framtagen av Stenindustrins Forskningsinstitut.
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| 9. |
- Finn, Kyle T., et al.
(författare)
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Subterranean Life-Style Does Not Limit Long Distance Dispersal in African Mole-Rats
- 2022
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. - : Frontiers Media S.A.. - 2296-701X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Dispersal from the natal site to breeding sites is a crucial phase in the life history of animals and can have profound effects on the reproductive ecology and the structure of animal societies. However, few studies have assessed dispersal dynamics in subterranean mammals and it is unknown whether dispersal distances are constrained by living underground. Here we show, in social, subterranean Damaraland mole-rats (Fukomys damarensis), that a subterranean lifestyle does not preclude long distance dispersal and that both sexes are capable of successfully dispersing long distances (>4 km). Body condition did not predict dispersal distance, but dispersers from larger groups traveled farther than individuals from smaller groups. Subsequently we show in a phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of dispersal distances in subterranean and surface-dwelling rodents that living underground does not constrain dispersal distances and that dispersal capacity is mainly a consequence of body size in both lifestyles.
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| 10. |
- Gomez-Llano, Miguel A., et al.
(författare)
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Sexual conflict and ecology : Species composition and male density interact to reduce male mating harassment and increase female survival
- 2018
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Ingår i: Evolution. - : Wiley. - 0014-3820. ; 72:4, s. 906-915
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Sexual conflict is a pervasive evolutionary force that can reduce female fitness. Experimental evolution studies in the laboratory might overestimate the importance of sexual conflict because the ecological conditions in such settings typically include only a single species. Here, we experimentally manipulated conspecific male density (high or low) and species composition (sympatric or allopatric) to investigate how ecological conditions affect female survival in a sexually dimorphic insect, the banded demoiselle (Calopteryx splendens). Female survival was strongly influenced by an interaction between male density and species composition. Specifically, at low conspecific male density, female survival increased in the presence of heterospecific males (C. virgo). Behavioral mating experiments showed that interspecific interference competition reduced conspecific male mating success with large females. These findings suggest that reproductive interference competition between con- and heterospecific males might indirectly facilitate female survival by reducing mating harassment from conspecific males. Hence, interspecific competitors can show contrasting effects on the two sexes thereby influencing sexual conflict dynamics. Our results call for incorporation of more ecological realism in sexual conflict research, particularly how local community context and reproductive interference competition between heterospecific males can affect female fitness.
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