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Data from: Host phylogeny and microbiome composition predict gut nematode community composition within a diverse assemblage of African herbivores

Abraham, Joel1; Leventis, Reed1; Titcomb, Georgia2; Dobson, Andrew1; Moeller, Andrew1; Graham, Andrea1

Published Jul 09, 2026 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.sxksn03k0

Data files

Abstract

Gut nematodes influence animal health and fitness, with effects shaped by their abundance and community composition. While closely related host species tend to harbor similar nematodes, the relative roles of host ecology and phylogeny in structuring nematode communities remain unclear. Here, we assess how host holobiont traits—body size, diet, space use, potentially pathogenic gut microbes, and overall gut microbiome composition—predict gut nematode abundance and composition, while controlling for host phylogenetic relatedness. We jointly analyze DNA metabarcoding data on nematodes, microbiomes, and diets from 17 free-ranging African herbivore species. Host phylogeny and microbiome composition were the strongest predictors of nematode community structure. Physical proximity and diet also contributed, though to lesser extents, whereas body size did not. Nematode abundance correlated positively with richness of putative pathogenic bacteria, which in turn increased with diet richness. Nematode presence/absence covaried with microbiome and diet composition, and we identified pairwise associations between nematodes, putative pathogenic bacteria, and diet plants. Our findings illustrate that host ecology and phylogeny jointly influence gut nematode communities. In particular, the gut microbiome is a key predictor of nematode communities, even after accounting for host phylogeny, emphasizing the ecological interconnectedness of these gut constituents.