Microbiomes may have considerable impact on animal fertility and reproduction

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It is an awkward idea, but a couple's ability to have kids may partly depend on who else is present. The reproductive tracts of males and females contain whole communities of micro-organisms. These microbes can have considerable impact on (animal) fertility and reproduction, as shown by Melissah Rowe, from the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), and co-authors this week with an extensive overview in Trends in Ecology & Evolution . It may even lead to new species. It appears to be such an intimate moment, with only the two of you... But you are not actually alone. In our reproductive tracts and in, on, and surrounding egg and sperm cells, lives a whole community of micro-organisms including bacteria, fungi and viruses. These microbiomes may influence our sexual health and fertility far more than we thought, sometimes in good ways and sometimes in bad ways. And this isn't just true for humans, but for all animals and even plants. We've all heard about the skin or gut microbiome and how these can affect our lives. Well, guess what, there's more! We have a reproductive microbiome as well." Melissah Rowe, evolutionary ecologist, from Netherlands Institute of Ecology Conflicting interests This is not just about sexually transmittable diseases. "Microbes appear to influence fertility, reproduction, and the evolution of animal species in so many ways," says Rowe. Sperm quality, mate choice, sexual health, success at producing offspring, the balance between female and male mating interests, general health, and even the origin of new species. "And yet, almost nobody is studying this, especially in non-human animals." The ecology and evolution of reproductive biology and behaviour in animals, especially birds, is Rowe's field of research. Recently, she has started as a scientist in the Department of Animal Ecology with the Netherlands Institute of Ecology. She is interested in the impact of the reproductive microbiome. Together with colleagues from the University of Oslo (Norway), Oxford and Exeter (United Kingdom), Rowe composed an overview of all available scientific data. Bacteria as jury