Microbes are trophic analogs of animals

Significance We report evidence that microbes are trophically equivalent to animals. When bacteria or fungi are fed the same diets as animals, the microbes register the same trophic position as animals. This discovery reframes how microbes can be viewed within food chains and facilitates the inclusion of the microbiome in functional diversity studies. To demonstrate the broad applicability of our approach, we investigated the ancient symbioses represented by leaf-cutter ant fungus gardens, revealing four discrete trophic levels within this community and providing evidence that fungi, not ants, are the dominant herbivores of the Neotropics. Altogether, we show that microbes can be integrated with plants and animals in a food chain, thereby unifying the macro- and microbiome in studies of trophic ecology.

Microbes are trophic analogs of animals Journal Articles