RT journal article
T1 Variability of faecal microbiota and antibiotic resistance genes in flocks of migratory gulls and comparison with the surrounding environment
A1 Jarma, Dayana Ayelen
A1 Sacristán-Soriano, Oriol
A1 Borrego, Carles M.
A1 Hortas Rodríguez-Pacual, Francisco
A1 Peralta-Sánchez, Juan Manuel
A1 Balcázar, José Luis
A1 Sánchez Ordoñez, Marta Isabel
A1 Green, Andy J.
A1 Alonso, Esteban
A1 Sánchez-Melsió, Alexandre
A1 Sánchez Ordóñez, Mata Isabel
A2 Biología
K1 Antibiotic resistance genes
K1 Faecal microbiota
K1 Lesser black-backed gull
K1 Mobile genetic elements
K1 Movement ecology
K1 Spatial variation
AB Gulls commonly rely on human-generated waste as their primary food source, contributing to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes, both locally and globally. Our understanding of this process remains incomplete, particularly in relation to its potential interaction with surrounding soil and water. We studied the lesser black-backed gull, Larus fuscus, as a model to examine the spatial variation of faecal bacterial communities, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and its relationship with the surrounding water and soil. We conducted sampling campaigns within a connectivity network of different flocks of gulls moving across functional units (FUs), each of which represents a module of highly interconnected patches of habitats used for roosting and feeding. The FUs vary in habitat use, with some gulls using more polluted sites (notably landfills), while others prefer more natural environments (e.g., wetlands or beaches). Faecal bacterial communities in gulls from flocks that visit and spend more time in landfills exhibited higher richness and diversity. The faecal microbiota showed a high compositional overlap with bacterial communities in soil. The overlap was greater when compared to landfill (11%) than to wetland soils (6%), and much lower when compared to bacterial communities in surrounding water (2% and 1% for landfill and wetland water, respectively). The relative abundance of ARGs and MGEs were similar between FUs, with variations observed only for specific families of ARGs and MGEs. When exploring the faecal carriage of ARGs and MGEs in bird faeces relative to soil and water compartments, gull faeces were enriched in ARGs classified as High-Risk. Our results shed light on the complex dynamics of antibiotic resistance spread in wild bird populations, providing insights into the interactions among gull movement and feeding behavior, habitat characteristics, and the dissemination of antibiotic resistance determinants across environmental reservoirs.
PB Elsevier Ltd
SN 1873-6424
YR 2024
FD 2024
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35451
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10498/35451
LA eng
DS Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Cádiz
RD 13-nov-2026