Meeting Abstract

P2-70   -   THE EFFECTS OF URBANIZATION ON THE GUT MICROBIOME OF AN URBAN ARTHROPOD PEST, THE WESTERN BLACK WIDOW SPIDER Asrari, H; Johnson, JC*; Az State University jchadwick@asu.edu

With increasing urbanization, organisms face a myriad of novel ecological challenges. While the eco-evolutionary dynamics of urbanization are currently receiving a great deal of attention, the effect of urban disturbance on the microbiome of urban organisms is relatively unstudied. Indeed, studies of the microbiome may illuminate the mechanisms by which some species thrive after urbanization (pest implications), while other species go locally extinct (biodiversity implications). We investigated the gut microbiome of the Western black widow spider (Latrodectus hesperus) across a gradient of land use. L. hesperus is an ideal model system to work on as they are a pest species of medical importance in urban ecosystems, often forming dense urban infestations relative to the sparse populations found in their native Sonoran Desert. After collecting the female spiders, we aseptically dissected their gut, extracted microbial DNA, and prepared gene libraries. We utilized Illumina MiSeq sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene libraries to compare the gut microbial communities present in these urban versus desert spiders. A better understanding of gut microbiome diversity, and its relationship to diet, environment, health, and fitness, will improve our understanding of the costs and benefits of urbanization for organismal performance and ecosystem health.