Title: | Nutrient pollution alters the gut microbiome of a territorial reef fish |
Author(s): | Degregori S; Casey JM; Barber PH; |
Address: | "Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. Electronic address: samdegregori@gmail.com. Department of Marine Science, University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute, 750 Channel View Drive, Port Aransas, TX 78373, USA. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA" |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112522 |
ISSN/ISBN: | 1879-3363 (Electronic) 0025-326X (Linking) |
Abstract: | "Human-induced nutrient pollution threatens coral reefs worldwide. Although eutrophication disrupts coral microbiomes, often leading to coral mortality, it is unknown whether eutrophication impacts the microbiomes of other coral reef organisms. Of particular interest are herbivorous fishes, whose algae consumption is critical in maintaining healthy corals. To examine the effects of eutrophication on fish gut microbiomes, we experimentally enriched territories of Stegastes nigricans, a predominantly herbivorous damselfish that farms turf algae. Using 16S RNA sequencing, we demonstrate that hindgut and foregut microbiomes have significantly higher alpha diversity in nutrient-enriched territories as compared to unenriched controls. S. nigricans gut microbiomes also exhibited significantly different compositions across treatments. In contrast, these changes were not observed in the microbiomes of the turf algae consumed by S. nigricans, indicating that the gut microbiome changes were autochthonous. Combined, our results provide a novel example of endogenous microbial shifts in wild vertebrates caused by simulated anthropogenic stress" |
Keywords: | Animals *Anthozoa Coral Reefs Fishes *Gastrointestinal Microbiome Humans Nutrients Fish Gut microbiome Nutrient enrichment South Pacific Stegastes nigricans; |
Notes: | "MedlineDegregori, Samuel Casey, Jordan M Barber, Paul H eng England 2021/06/08 Mar Pollut Bull. 2021 Aug; 169:112522. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112522. Epub 2021 Jun 4" |