Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Genetics
Session: 3
Room: Exhibit Hall
Valentina Peña - SUNY Binghamton
Co-Author(s): Joseph Heras (PhD), CSU San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA
Wining and Dining Gut Microbiomes: Uncovering Dietary Diversity in Elongated FishesValentina PeñaAbstractHost phylogeny, habitat, and diet are recognized for their role in shaping the gastrointestinal microbial community, however the extent of their influence on the taxonomic composition of the gut microbiome remains poorly understood within marine ecosystems. We investigated how these factors can be altered by working with nine species of elongated fishes Anoplarchus insignisC, Anoplarchus purpurescensC, Apodicthys flavidusC, Lumpenus sagittaC, Phytichthys chirusO, Pholis laetaC, Pholis ornataC, Xiphister atropurpureusO, and Xiphister mucosusH (superscript letters indicates their natural diet: C=Carnivore, H=Herbivore, and O=Omnivore) across two families (Stichadae and Pholidae). A four week high-protein feeding trial was conducted in order to replace the natural diets of lab-reared individuals while simultaneously controlling for host habitat. Intestinal microbiota were identified with high-throughput DNA sequencing of 16s rRNA V3-V4 gene amplicons pooled from lab-reared individuals (n=28) and wild-caught individuals (n=44) that maintained their natural diets. Fish gut microbiome studies offer the opportunity to improve aquaculture operations worldwide with the enhancement of probiotics tailored for the health and survival of reared fishes.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): 2022 NSF REU-Blinks Program (University of Washington–Friday Harbor Labs), Grant #: DBI-2149705
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Joseph Heras, Joseph.Heras@csusb.edu
Role: Being this was an NSF REU supported independent research project, I worked very closely with my mentor Dr. Heras to complete the tasks required for this work. My responsibilities included capturing/collecting fish, rearing/maintaining live fishes, dissecting fish, gut microbiome DNA preps, and bioinformatic analysis.