Sharon Bewick
Clemson University, SC·Ecology & Evolution
Why do two animals of the same species carry such different communities of microbes? The microbes living on and in an animal's body, called host-associated microbiota, matter for health.
- Fields
Ecology & Evolution
Microbiology & Immunology
Biology
- Topics
microbiome
host-associated microbiota
whiptail lizards
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Test whether genetically identical parthenogenetic whiptail lizards (Aspidoscelis) show less individual-to-individual variation in gut and skin microbiota than their sexually reproducing, genetically diverse parent species, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
- Test whether the environment drives microbiome variation by sampling each lizard group within one vegetation community, across several vegetation communities and across broad geographic ranges, expecting smaller variation where surroundings are more uniform.
- Characterize the bacterial and archaeal communities of the gut and skin in four hybrid parthenogenetic whiptail species and their bisexual parents, to compare how much microbiomes vary within each species.
- Identify rules governing how host-associated microbial communities assemble by comparing the combined effects of host genetics and environment across clonal and sexual lizard populations.
More about the research
Gut microbes help with digestion and can influence whether an animal is lean or obese. Skin microbes can affect wound healing and skin disease. Yet these communities vary widely from one individual to the next. A central question is whether those differences come from nature (the host's genes) or nurture (the host's surroundings). That is hard to answer because most animals are genetically unique.
Why it matters
Knowing whether genes or environment shape an animal's microbes could reveal general rules for how these microbial communities assemble. Those rules bear on host health, fitness and ecological success. The findings could also guide conservation. For example, they could help managers weigh preserving landscape diversity against preserving host genetic diversity when choosing which areas to protect as nature reserves.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Emily Davenport
Pennsylvania State University, PA·Genetics
Identify links between host genes and the bacteria and archaea living directly on gut and lung mucosal surfaces, by pairing microbial sequencing with single-cell RNA sequencing of the adjacent host tissue.
Murali Temburni
Delaware State University, DE·Neuroscience
Test how the type and amount of dietary fat changes gut microbial community composition in male and female chickens across ages, using 16S rRNA sequencing and shotgun metagenomics.
Olivia Mason
Florida State University, FL·Earth & Environmental Science
Test whether SUP05 sulfur-oxidizing bacteria include distinct cell types that perform different nitrogen-respiring steps in oxygen minimum zone fjords, using DNA and RNA sequencing, cultivation and isotope rate measurements.
The school
Clemson University: 19 labs on PI Pages, $339M a year on research, 297 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
A start for your email. Fill in the brackets.