Impact of gut microbiome modulation on nesting house sparrow physiology

AOS Student Research Grant Seminar

Presenter: Kristen Rosamond, Ph.D. candidate, University of Missouri-St. Louis; AOS 2023 Josselyn Van Tyne Memorial Research Grant winner

The gut microbiome undergoes succession in early life and plays a key role in shaping host immunity, and perturbations during this time period can have lasting consequences for physiological function. Here, I aimed to experimentally disrupt the gut microbiome of wild house sparrow nestlings using probiotics or antibiotics, followed by an immune challenge to explore whether such manipulations impact host physiology. I will present preliminary results placing these dynamics in an ecological context, where the effects of such perturbations in wild animals remain poorly understood.

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