The abstract is read at the publisher; the summary is JClub's.
Across a 180-kilometer hybrid zone between Eulemur rufifrons and E. cinereiceps in southeastern Madagascar, gene flow erodes shared core gut microbes in hybrids while function stays nearly unchanged.
- Why it matters: Host ecology and evolution both shape gut communities, but in natural hybrid zones it is unclear how interspecific gene flow versus local adaptation reshapes microbiomes.
- What they did: Using low-coverage fecal host genomes and 16S rRNA microbiome profiles along a 180-kilometer transect, the authors tested links between microbiome beta diversity and host genomic distance, controlling for geography and ecology.
- The result: Microbiome beta diversity was significantly correlated with host genomic distance, hybrid microbiomes differed from parentals, and hybrids lost core microbes without accumulating novel taxa; gut microbiome function was nearly indistinguishable from parentals.
The findingWhy it mattersWhat they didThe result
AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.