# The Microbiome of an Invasive Spider: Reduced Bacterial Richness, but no Indication of Microbial-Mediated Dispersal Behaviour

## TL;DR

This study finds that an invasive spider in Europe has a reduced bacterial richness but no microbial influence on its dispersal behavior.

## Contribution

The paper reveals that the invasive spider Mermessus trilobatus lacks microbial agents known to influence dispersal in other species.

## Key findings

- Microbial richness was lower in high-dispersive spiders compared to low-dispersive ones.
- No known dispersal- or reproduction-mediating endosymbionts were found in the European population.
- The absence of endosymbionts suggests a genetic basis for the spider's dispersal behavior.

## Abstract

Mermessus
trilobatus, an invasive North American linyphiid spider, has expanded its invasion range up to 1400 km in Europe, accelerating its dispersal speed in less than 40 years. The high heritability of dispersal behaviour and the spatial sorting of high and low dispersers indicate a genetic basis of dispersal behaviour. However, microbial endosymbionts can moderate dispersal behaviour in related species (Rickettsia in Erigone atra). Hence, dispersal behaviour in M. trilobatus might also be dictated by the activity of dispersal-mediating endosymbionts. Here, we investigated the microbiome of invasive M. trilobatus spiders extracted from (1) high- and low-dispersive individuals and (2) spiders originating from locations close to the edge and core of the expansion. We examine the microbiomes for the presence of potential dispersal- and reproduction-mediating bacterial strains and compare the microbial assemblages of spiders based on their dispersal behaviour and locations of origin. The composition of microbial assemblages was similar among spiders of different geographic origins and dispersal behaviour. However, microbial richness was lower in high- than in low-dispersive individuals. Surprisingly, none of the known dispersal- or reproduction-altering endosymbionts of arthropods was identified in any tested spider. This contrasts with published results from North America, where M. trilobatus is a known host of Rickettsia and Wolbachia. Thus, the invasive European population appears to have lost its associated endosymbionts. As endosymbionts can reduce spider mobility, it is possible that their absence facilitates the spread of the invasive spider population. The absence of endosymbionts among the analysed individuals substantiates the role of genetic mechanisms behind the variable dispersal behaviour of invasive M. trilobatus in Europe.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00248-025-02565-6.