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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Orono, Maine » National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #340762
Research Project: Genetic Improvement Of Marine Fish and Shellfish

Location: National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center

Title: Differences in gut microbiota of distinct strains within two species of ictalurid catfish are not explained by estimated genetic distances among hosts

Author
item BLEDSOE, JACOB - University Of Idaho
item Waldbieser, Geoffrey - Geoff
item SWANSON, KELLY - University Of Illinois
item Peterson, Brian
item SMALL, BRIAN - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2017
Publication Date: 6/19/2017
Citation: Bledsoe, J.W., Waldbieser, G.C., Swanson, K.S., Peterson, B.C., Small, B.C. 2017. Differences in gut microbiota of distinct strains within two species of ictalurid catfish are not explained by estimated genetic distances among hosts. Meeting Abstract. 1.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus represent the greatest market share of U.S. aquaculture production, both in terms of total economic value and numbers produced. The blue catfish I. furcatus is also of great interest to U.S. aquaculture, because interspecific crosses (I. punctatus x I. furcatus) produce offspring with hybrid vigor and desirable phenotypes such as increased disease resistance and fillet yield. Ictalurid catfish have received much breeding attention, and multiple aquaculture strains with unique performance traits exist within both species, yet little is known about their intestinal microbiota. As such, we aimed to characterize and compare the gut microbiota of six strains of ictalurids (3 I. punctatus & 3 I. furcatus, n = 10 each) (nested design, strain within species) using 16S rRNA V4 sequencing to determine if gut microbiota are correlated with host genetics of strains within the two species. Fish were reared to 193 dph in indoor flow-through tanks, receiving the same diets up to sampling. In addition, host genetic data were gathered from separate individuals from each strain (n=20) in the form of 22 microsatellite loci. Results indicate that microbial alpha-diversity in the three strains of I. punctatus is greater than that of the I. furcatus strains. Differential abundance analysis of OTUs detected within strains of each species, using DESeq2, identified differences in important microbial taxa including: Aeromonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas. Despite those differences, no shifts in overall beta diversity between strains within species were detected by PERMANOVA and microbial beta-diversity metrics showed no correlations with host genetic distances (Slatkin's-Rst) according to Mantel tests. While microbiota and genetic distances were not correlated, differences in alpha-diversity and differentially abundant OTUs among species reared in the same environment indicate that host-genotype does have an influence on the gut microbiota assemblages in fish.