Collembola gut passage shapes microbial communities in faecal pellets but not viability of dietary algal cells

Microarthropods are known as vectors for soil microorganisms, predominantly fungi. This laboratory study uses the widespread unicellular green algae Chlorella vulgaris as model to assess the role of Collembola in algal dispersal and to determine the effects of gut passage on propagation. Living algal cells were observed in 70 % of the faecal pellets of Folsomia candida, Heteromurus nitidus and Protaphorura fimata. Moreover, marker fatty acids for green algae, i.e. 16:2 omega 6,9 and 16:3 omega 3,6,9, were consistently detected in the pellets. Compared to the algal diet, the high content of methyl-branched total lipid fatty acid (TLFA) with hydroxyl substitution indicated microbial colonisation during gut passage. The TLFA profile of faeces revealed no species-specific differences but similar changes in microbial communities over the duration of feeding, indicating comparable indigenous bacteria and colonisation mechanisms during gut passage. In sum, faecal pellets of soil microarthropods such as Collembola can act as a vector for both dietary algae and specific gut-associated microorganisms, with the latter likely involved in resource degradation inside and outside the gut habitat.