Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

Diffuse Interactions Between Symbiotic Bacteria And Salamanders, Amanda Lee Allison

Masters Theses

A growing body of evidence indicates that all animals and plants have intimate associations (symbioses) with microbes. Scientific opinion has shifted from viewing microbes primarily as pathogens to the idea that healthy animals and plants carry specialized communities of coevolving microorganisms. However, the generality of this proposition is unknown because surveys rarely compare host-associated microbial assemblages with those of similar host species or free-living assemblages in relevant microhabitats. To evaluate the specificity and consistency of microbial associations in salamanders, I analyzed just over 3.6 million 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences from paired samples from host-associated bacteria on the skin of …