Low-diversity bacterial microbiota in Southern Ocean representatives of lanternfish genera Electrona, Protomyctophum and Gymnoscopelus (family Myctophidae)
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URI: https://hdl.handle.net/10481/88089Metadatos
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2019Resumen
Myctophids are among the most abundant mesopelagic teleost fishes worldwide. They are
dominant in the Southern Ocean, an extreme environment where they are important both as
consumers of zooplankton as well as food items for larger predators. Various studies have
investigated myctophids diet, but no data is yet available regarding their associated microbiota, despite that the significance of bacterial communities to fish health and adaptation is
increasingly acknowledged. In order to document microbiota in key fish groups from the
Southern Ocean, the bacterial communities associated with the gut, fin, gills and light
organs of members of six species within the three myctophid genera Electrona, Protomyctophum and Gymnoscopelus were characterized using a 16S rRNA-based metabarcoding
approach. Gut communities display limited diversity of mostly fish-specific lineages likely
involved in food processing. Fin and skin communities display diversity levels and compositions resembling more those found in surrounding seawater. Community compositions are
similar between genera Electrona and Protomyctophum, that differ from those found in
Gymnoscopelus and in water. Low abundances of potentially light-emitting bacteria in light
organs support the hypothesis of host production of light. This first description of myctophidassociated microbiota, and among the first on fish from the Southern Ocean, emphasizes
the need to extend microbiome research beyond economically-important species, and start
addressing ecologically-relevant species.