Meeting Abstract

P3-96    Sociality and the oral microbiome in prairie voles Sabol, AC*; Close, WL; Petrullo, L; Lambert, CT; Keane, B; Solomon, NG; Schloss, PD; Dantzer, B; University of Michigan; University of Michigan; University of Michigan; Miami University; Miami University; Miami University; University of Michigan; University of Michigan sabola@umich.edu

Sociality may come with many costs and benefits, including acquiring a diverse or beneficial microbiome which could improve health or lead to increased survival. However, most studies of sociality and the microbiome have studied primate species that live in groups. Further, most studies have focused solely on the gut microbiome, despite the presence of microbiota in a variety of parts of the body. We studied the relationship between social behavior and the oral microbiome in prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster) both in the laboratory and when they were free-living following release into semi-natural enclosures. We used an automated behavioral radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking system to quantify the number of social connections each individual vole had (unweighted degree) and the strength of each social connection between two individuals (association index). We collected weekly oral microbiome swabs and characterized them using 16S rRNA sequencing. We first examined how alpha diversity of oral microbiota changed from the laboratory to the field, representing a change in diet, environment, and social behavior. Next, we measured how alpha diversity of the oral microbiome were related to the number of social connections of an individual vole. Finally, we quantified how oral microbiome beta diversity (or dissimilarity between individuals) was related to the strength of the social connection between individuals, if the individuals produced offspring together, and between siblings and non-siblings. We discuss our results between sociality and the oral microbiome in the context of other studies focused on the gut microbiome.