AUTHOR=Sun Hang , Chen Fangyi , Hao Hua , Wang Ke-Jian 

TITLE=Multi-dimensional investigation and distribution characteristics analysis of gut microbiota of different marine fish in Fujian Province of China

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.918191

DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2022.918191

ISSN=1664-302X

ABSTRACT=The gut microbiota plays an important role in animal health and behavior. In marine fish, the composition of the gut microbiota is affected by many complex factors, such as diet, species and regional factors. Since more than one hundred fish species have been cultured in fish farms along the 3324 kilometers coastline of Fujian Province in South China, we chose this region to study the gut microbiota composition of marine commercial fishes because sufficient different species, diets and regional factors were observed. We investigated the distribution characteristics of the gut microbiota of 7 cultured species (Epinephelus akaara, Epinephelus coioides, Epinephelus lanceolatus♂ x Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀, Siganus fuscescens, Pagrus major, Lateolabrax japonicas, and Acanthopagrus schlegelii) living in the same aquatic region and one species (E. akaara) living separately in 5 regions separated by latitude. The impacts of diet, region and species factors on fish gut microbiota were also evaluated. Diversity and multivariate analyses showed that patterns of the microbiota were significantly different in different fish species within the same habitat and E. akaara with 5 latitude regions. Mantel analysis showed that AN, SiO32-, DO and NO2- were the principal factors affecting the microbial community of E. akaara in the 5 habitats. Additionally, similar distribution characteristics occurred in different gut parts of different fishes, with an increasing trend of Proteobacteria and Vibrionaceae abundance and a decreasing trend of Firmicutes and Bacillaceae abundance from the foregut to the hindgut. Vibrionaceae was the most abundant family in the content. This study highlights that a persistent core microbiota was established in marine commercial fishes spanning multiple scales. The factors with the greatest effect on fish gut microbiota may be (i) host genetics and (ii) geographic factors rather than the microbiota in the diet and water environment. These core microbes regularly colonized from the foregut to the hindgut, which was driven by their underlying functions, and they were well adapted to the gut environment.  This study could complement basic data on the composition of marine commercial fishes and facilitate relatively complete investigations, which would be beneficial for the healthy and sustainable development of aquaculture