Strong microbiome disruption reduces damselfly survival, and subsequent pathogen exposure tends to increase mortality across metamorphosis

Strong microbiome disruption reduces damselfly survival, and subsequent pathogen exposure tends to increase mortality across metamorphosis | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Oikos This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on Strong microbiome disruption reduces damselfly survival, and subsequent pathogen exposure tends to increase mortality across metamorphosis Authors : Charlotte Theys 0000-0002-8247-3228 [email protected] , Julie Verheyen [email protected] , Alessio Cocco 0000-0002-7932-8687 [email protected] , Ellen Decaestecker [email protected] , and Robby Stoks [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003035/v1 Under Review Oikos Peer review timeline 38 views 10 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Microbiomes are increasingly recognized as key contributors to host fitness, yet their role in mediating stressor effects, especially across metamorphosis, remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we strongly reduced the gut microbiome of Ischnura elegans damselfly larvae using antibiotics followed by inoculation with a donor gut microbiome or not, and afterwards exposed the larvae to the pathogen Escherichia coli. Both host fitness and gut microbiome diversity and community composition were assessed during the larval and adult life stages. Despite marked differences in gut microbiome community composition between both life stages, partial retention of larval taxa in adult microbiota suggests incomplete microbiome turnover in these hemimetabolous insects. Furthermore, microbiome disruption significantly increased larval mortality, an effect mitigated by microbiome inoculation, underscoring the functional importance of microbial associations in damselflies. Moreover, pathogen exposure elevated larval mortality and tended to induce delayed mortality in the adult stage, revealing carry-over effects across metamorphosis. Yet, we did not find evidence of the gut microbiome mediating these carry-over effects. Together, our results highlight the critical role of the microbiome in determining host fitness, and the importance of considering both immediate and delayed stressor effects in animals with complex life cycles. Supplementary Material File (supplementary material.docx) supplementary material Download 768.58 KB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Peer review timeline Under Review Oikos 12 May 2026 Under Review Collection Oikos Keywords Ecology Entomology Microbiome Damselfly E. Coli Aquatic invertebrates Microbiota Life stages Microbiome reduction Pathogen tolerance Transplant Evolutionary ecology Quantitative genetics behavioural ecology Life history Behaviour Ecology Entomology Microbiome Damselfly E. Coli Authors Affiliations Charlotte Theys 0000-0002-8247-3228 [email protected] KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium View all articles by this author Julie Verheyen [email protected] KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium View all articles by this author Alessio Cocco 0000-0002-7932-8687 [email protected] KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium View all articles by this author Ellen Decaestecker [email protected] KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium View all articles by this author Robby Stoks [email protected] KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 38 views 10 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Charlotte Theys, Julie Verheyen, Alessio Cocco, et al. Strong microbiome disruption reduces damselfly survival, and subsequent pathogen exposure tends to increase mortality across metamorphosis. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003035/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . Format Please select one from the list RIS (ProCite, Reference Manager) EndNote BibTex Medlars RefWorks Direct import Tips for downloading citations document.getElementById('citMgrHelpLink').addEventListener('click', function() { popupHelp(this.href); return false; }); $(".js__slcInclude").on("change", function(e){ if ($(this).val() == 'refworks') $('#direct').prop("checked", false); $('#direct').prop("disabled", ($(this).val() == 'refworks')); }); View Options View options PDF View PDF Figures Tables Media Share Share Share article link Copy Link Copied! Copying failed. 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