# Microbiota composition of Drosophila and their environments in Utah, USA, orchards

## TL;DR

This study examines the gut and environmental microbes of fruit flies collected from Utah orchards, showing how factors like fly species and environment influence microbial communities.

## Contribution

The study provides new insights into how fly species, sex, and environmental factors shape microbiota composition in wild Drosophila populations.

## Key findings

- Microbiota composition varies with fly species, sex, and starvation status.
- Environmental factors such as fruit and soil influence microbial communities.
- Collections across a latitudinal gradient reveal patterns of microbiota covariation.

## Abstract

We present a marker gene analysis of the microbiota of Drosophila and their fruit and soil environments, collected across a latitudinal gradient in Utah, USA. Collections varied according to fly species, sex, and starvation condition, providing a snapshot of the covariation of these variables with microbiota composition in the wild.