Environmental Sources of Bacteria and Genetic Variation in Behavior Influence Host-Associated Microbiota

An animal’s behavior can affect its risk of infection, but it is not well understood how behavior affects microbiome composition. The aquatic crustacean Daphnia exhibits genetic variation in the extent to which it browses in the sediment at the bottoms of ponds. We show that this behavior affects the Daphnia microbiome, indicating that genetic variation among individuals may affect microbiome composition and the movement of bacteria in different environments.