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Review
. 2025 Mar 25;15(7):934.
doi: 10.3390/ani15070934.

Research Status and Prospect of Amphibian Symbiotic Microbiota

Ziyi Wang  1 , Yuting Wang  1 , Zhirong He  1 , Siyu Wu  1 , Suyue Wang  1 , Na Zhao  1 , Wei Zhu  2 , Jianping Jiang  2 , Supen Wang  1
Affiliations
Review

Research Status and Prospect of Amphibian Symbiotic Microbiota

Ziyi Wang et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Amphibians are the most severely threatened vertebrate group in terms of biodiversity. The microbiota that coexist in a mutualistic relationship with amphibians play a crucial role in shaping their health status, reproductive efficiency, and environmental adaptability. Understanding the relationship between amphibians and microbiota is vital for elucidating the causes of amphibian diseases and developing effective prevention and control techniques, which in turn is significant for enhancing the effectiveness of amphibian diversity conservation. The main findings of this article are as follows: Firstly, it provides an overview of the systematic assessment and analysis methods regarding the importance of amphibians and their symbiotic microbiota, detailing the primary research techniques currently employed. Secondly, it discusses the impacts of environmental and biological factors on the characteristics of amphibian symbiotic microbial communities, including dimensions such as altitude, temperature fluctuations, and host dietary habits. Finally, the future directions of research on amphibian symbiotic microbiota are examined, with five recommendations presented: (1) Establish a comprehensive sample library and database of amphibians and their symbiotic microbiota to create a solid foundation for scientific research. (2) Explore the coevolutionary paths between amphibians and symbiotic microbiota to clarify the dynamic evolutionary patterns and principles of their interactions. (3) Strengthen research on specific areas of amphibians, especially the microbial communities in the oral cavity and cloaca. (4) Enhance research on the symbiotic microbiota of the Gymnophiona. (5) Strengthen international cooperation to build cross-border research platforms and jointly promote the rapid development of global amphibian symbiotic microbiology. This article summarizes the current research progress on the interaction between amphibians and their symbiotic microbiota (not necessarily mutualistic). It discusses the conservation of amphibian biodiversity from the perspective of their symbiotic microbial communities and provides a forward-looking analysis of future research directions. It aims to provide rich background information for understanding the complexity of this symbiotic system, while also having significant value in enhancing the effectiveness of amphibian biodiversity conservation.

Keywords: amphibians; biodiversity; gut microbiota; skin microbiota; symbiotic microbiota.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanisms of environmental and host factors shaping amphibian–bacterial symbiosis.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(a) Distribution map of research on different groups of amphibians from 2004 to 2024; (b) distribution map of research on symbiotic microbiota in amphibians from 2004 to 2024.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of articles on amphibian symbiotic microbiota from 2004 to 2024.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Outline of the research framework for symbiotic microbiota in amphibians.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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