Age‐related changes in the gut microbiota of wild House Sparrow nestlings

Abstract

Here, we document the development of the House Sparrow Passer domesticus gut microbiota for the benefit of future ecological and evolutionary studies in this widely used avian system. We collected and inventoried luminal and mucosal samples from the distal guts of nestling House Sparrows between 3 and 12 days of age, and also collected similar samples from adult birds. Luminal bacterial community membership and structure differed significantly between nestlings and adults. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria in the lumen decreased around day 9, whereas the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased, demonstrating age‐related changes in the microbiota of House Sparrows.