Microbes and Animal Behavior

Bella Microbio 238 2020

Introduction

By [Bella Stevens]
Animal behavior can be influenced by many factors, making it an interesting yet complex field. From environmental interactions to genetics, there are many ways to look at a certain behavior. How do microbes, particularly bacteria, play a role? Can these microscopic organisms that live inside animals affect who these animals mate with or even how they communicate with conspecifics? Experiments have used genetics, such as rRNA analysis, to study the make-up of symbiotic microbial communities to further understand a certain behavior, like finding another piece to the puzzle. Because animal behavior covers a wide range of topics, from mating to communication, there are possibly many ways microbes, especially symbiotic microbes, could affect behavior in a variety of animals from hyenas to squids, and even humans. How microbes affect and interact with animals can give us insight into our own relationship with microbial organisms and help us understand our own behavior.

Section 1

Microbe-animal interactions are often seen in the form of symbiosis, and these relationships impact various animal behaviors from mate choice to interspecies communication. These reactions range widely from parasitic to mutualistic. Marine animals in particular act as hosts for a diverse range of symbiotic microbes, with at least 7 different phyla acting as hosts for chemosynthetic symbionts. In terms of behavior and physiology, there is a diversity of reductants and oxidants that hosts provide for their symbionts. For example, motile animals such as nematode worms migrate between upper oxidized and lower reduced sediment layers to obtain oxidants and reductants. Thyasirid clams even use their feet, which extend up to 30 times the length of their shells,to form burrows, with the length and number of burrows corresponding to the concentration of hydrogen sulfide in the sediment (1).

Section 2

Include some current research, with at least one figure showing data.

Section 3

Include some current research, with at least one figure showing data.

References

Authored for BIOL 238 Microbiology, taught by Joan Slonczewski, 2018, Kenyon College.