The microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract of a range-shifting marine herbivorous fish

Authors

Jacquelyn Jones, Edith Cowan University
Joseph D. DiBattista, Curtin University of Technology
Michael Stat, Curtin University of Technology
Michael Bunce, Curtin University of Technology
Mary C. Boyce, Edith Cowan University
David Fairclough, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Michael J. Travers, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western AustraliaFollow
Megan J. Huggett, Edith Cowan University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-28-2018

Journal Title

Frontiers in Microbiology

ISSN

1664-302X

Keywords

fish gut microbiota, Siganidae, marine heat waves, short chain fatty acids (SCFA), marine herbivory

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Marine Biology | Organismal Biological Physiology

Abstract

Globally, marine species’ distributions are being modified due to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing evidence suggests a circum-global pattern of poleward extensions in the distributions of many tropical herbivorous species, including the ecologically important rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens. Adaptability of a species to such new environments may be heavily influenced by the composition of their gastrointestinal microbe fauna, which is fundamentally important to animal health. Siganus fuscescens thus provides an opportunity to assess the stability of gastrointestinal microbes under varying environmental conditions. The gastrointestinal microbial communities of S. fuscescens were characterized over 2,000 km of Australia’s western coast, from tropical to temperate waters, including near its current southern distributional limit. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene demonstrated that each population had a distinct hindgut microbial community, and yet, 20 OTUs occurred consistently in all samples. These OTUs were considered the ‘core microbiome’ and were highly abundant, composing between 31 and 54% of each population. Furthermore, levels of short chain fatty acids, an indicator of microbial fermentation activity, were similar among tropical and temperate locations. These data suggest that flexibility in the hindgut microbiome may play a role in enabling such herbivores to colonize new environments beyond their existing range.

Recommended Citation

Jones, J, DiBattista, J D, Stat, M, Bunce, M, Boyce, M C, Fairclough, D, Travers, M J, and Huggett, M J. (2018), The microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract of a range-shifting marine herbivorous fish. Frontiers in Microbiology, 9, 2000.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fja/228