Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Sciences
Committee Chair
Matthew L. Niemiller
Committee Member
Zachary Culumber
Committee Member
Annette Summers Engel
Research Advisor
Matthew L. Niemiller
Subject(s)
Groundwater animals--Cumberland Mountains, Cave animals--Cumberland Mountains, Caves--Cumberland Mountains, Microbiomes
Abstract
Caves and other subterranean ecosystems are among the most understudied ecosystems globally and house unique and ecologically important biodiversity. While several studies have characterized the microbial communities of respective cave systems, research on microbiomes of cave fauna has been limited. This study investigated microbiomes for aquatic cave fauna in the southern Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee and Alabama, USA. Exoskeleton and skin swabs were taken from three species of cave-dwelling crayfishes, two species of salamanders, and one cavefish. Bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified in microbiomes of hosts included primarily members of the phylum Pseudomonadota, but also the phyla Acidobacteriota, Actinomycetota, Bacteroidota, Chloroflexota, Cyanobacteriota, and Planctomycetota. Environmental and land cover/land use (LULC) variables affected microbiome composition and diversity for hosts and the surrounding aquatic environment. Microbiome diversity and composition varied between sites primarily for Southern Cave Crayfish, and to some degree for Southern Cavefish and Tennessee Cave Salamanders.
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Bjorn Van, "Characterization and comparison of skin and exoskeleton microbiomes of stygobiotic fauna and the influence of environmental variables on microbiome diversity and composition" (2025). Theses. 768.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/768