Convergent lignocellulose degradation in terrestrial crabs is driven by distinct host genus-specific microbial communities

Host genus is linked to most variation in bacterial community composition across fecal gut microbiomes of 14 terrestrial crab species, with terrestrial grade explaining less.

• Why it matters: Understanding how crab gut microbes support lignocellulose digestion during repeated land colonization remains unclear, despite convergent herbivory and known microbial degradation pathways.
• What they did: Read-based and assembly-based metagenomic analyses of feces from 14 crab species across six genera produced 129 metagenome-assembled genomes and compared community composition and carbon metabolism, including CAZyme domain functions.
• The result: Lower terrestrial grades lacked complete general carbon metabolism pathways, and fine-scale CAZyme analyses connected specific MAGs to lignocellulose degradation genes, implying host-genus–specific microbes with similar CAZyme profiles.

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