Hologenomic adaptations underlying the evolution of sanguivory in the common vampire bat

TLDR

Adaptation to specialized diets often requires modifications at both genomic and microbiome levels. The study applied a hologenomic approach to the common vampire bat to investigate the evolution of its blood‑feeding adaptation. The authors assembled a high‑quality reference genome and gut metagenome for the vampire bat and compared them with genomes and microbiomes of insectivorous, frugivorous, and carnivorous bats. The analyses revealed that the vampire bat’s genome contains integrated viral elements and that its gut microbiome is shaped by diet and phylogeny, with both harboring traits addressing nutritional and non‑nutritional challenges of blood feeding, underscoring the importance of a holistic host‑microbiota approach to understand sanguivory adaptations.

Abstract

Adaptation to specialized diets often requires modifications at both genomic and microbiome levels. We applied a hologenomic approach to the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), one of the only three obligate blood-feeding (sanguivorous) mammals, to study the evolution of its complex dietary adaptation. Specifically, we assembled its high-quality reference genome (scaffold N50 = 26.9 Mb, contig N50 = 36.6 kb) and gut metagenome, and compared them against those of insectivorous, frugivorous and carnivorous bats. Our analyses showed a particular common vampire bat genomic landscape regarding integrated viral elements, a dietary and phylogenetic influence on gut microbiome taxonomic and functional profiles, and that both genetic elements harbour key traits related to the nutritional (for example, vitamin and lipid shortage) and non-nutritional (for example, nitrogen waste and osmotic homeostasis) challenges of sanguivory. These findings highlight the value of a holistic study of both the host and its microbiota when attempting to decipher adaptations underlying radical dietary lifestyles.