Quantification and Comparative Analysis of Arachnid Microbiomes via 16S rRNA Sequencing (Pholcus phalangioides, Argyrodes argyrodes, Nephila senegalensis)

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Clifton, Ellie Mae (2025) Quantification and Comparative Analysis of Arachnid Microbiomes via 16S rRNA Sequencing (Pholcus phalangioides, Argyrodes argyrodes, Nephila senegalensis). MRes thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

This study presents a first analysis of the microbiome of the haplogyne spider Pholcus phalangioides alongside the characterisation of two ecologically and phylogenetically distinct species of entelegyne spider: Argyrodes argyrodes and Nephila senegalensis. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, the study examines the diversity and composition of microbial communities within these spiders, including the identification of endosymbionts, with a primary focus on describing community structure and identifying taxa shared both intraspecifically and interspecifically. Quantitative metabarcoding data from Pholcus phalangioides exemplify the feasibility of sequencing microbes from within this type of as yet unstudied species, which will provide a valuable comparison to the more fully characterised microbiomes of Argyrodes and Nephila.

This research aims to establish a baseline for understanding how microbial associations may vary with spider host ecology. While primarily exploratory, the findings offer foundational insights into the potential ecological and evolutionary roles of host–microbiome interactions in arachnids as a whole. In summary, this study found the microbial communities to vary significantly between individuals and species; Nephila are highly dominated by the bacteria Serratia, which therefore makes their microbiomes less diverse, and Argyrodes individuals, at an intraspecific level, have differing compositions of the endosymbiont Cardinium. Additionally, this study, for the first time, quantified the sequencing reads of Pholcus, which helps to identify successful methodologies for uncharacterised and previously unsequenced organisms.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (MRes)
Supervisors: Goodacre, Sara Louise
Wade, Chris
Keywords: Pholcus phalangioides; Spiders; Host–microbiome interactions; Microbial associations
Subjects: Q Science > QL Zoology
Faculties/Schools: UK Campuses > Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences > School of Life Sciences
Item ID: 82809
Depositing User: Clifton, Ellie
Date Deposited: 19 Jan 2026 11:04
Last Modified: 19 Jan 2026 11:04
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/82809

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