Our new research, “Differential assembly of core and non-core host-microbe networkstructures along a land-use change gradient”, is now available on EcoEvoRxiv!

In this study, we applied a network-based approach to investigate the assembly processes shaping host-microbe interactions in wild black rats (Rattus rattus) across a land-use gradient in Madagascar. By using a moving prevalence threshold, we separated core and non-core microbes and compared the ecological drivers influencing their network structures. Our findings reveal that core and non-core microbial communities are shaped by distinct processes: non-core microbes were primarily governed by deterministic forces, linked to environmental variation across the gradient, while core microbes were structured mainly by stochastic processes. This approach offers a powerful framework for disentangling the complex interactions between hosts, microbes, and their environment.

Read the full preprint here: EcoEvoRxiv