Table 1.
Modes of transmission of microbiota.
| Mode of Transmission | Examples |
|---|---|
| Vegetative reproduction (vertical) | Plants, worms, corals, sponges, sand dollars, bryozoans, starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers |
| Female germ cells: eggs, embryos and seeds (vertical) | Mitochondria, chloroplasts, aphid/Buchnera, Drosophila/Wolbachia, chicken embryo/microbiota, plant seeds/microbiota |
| Coprophagy (vertical & horizontal) |
Insects, rodents, iguanas, rabbits, pigs, horses, elephants, pandas, koalas, primates, termites |
| Regurgitation of food (vertical) | Birds, beetles |
| Physical contact starting at birth (vertical & horizontal) | Most organisms |
| Mother’s milk (vertical) | Mammals |
| Environmental (horizontal) | Squid/Vibrio fischeri, grasses/endophytes, fish/microbiota |