Effects of Ambient Microbiota on the Gut Microbiota of Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Abstract

The gut microbiota (GM) compositions of aquatic animals are influenced by microorganisms in ambient water and sediment. However, the extent to which environmental microorganisms can affect shrimp GM composition is unknown. We analyzed the impact of water and sediment microorganisms on the GM of Macrobrachium rosenbergii at different growth stages. We collected water, sediment, and M. rosenbergii gut samples at the early, middle, and late stages of an M. rosenbergii culture and analyzed the microbiota composition. The shrimps’ body weight differed significantly between sampling stages. The shrimp GM composition differed significantly from that of the ambient water and sediment, and these differences were remarkably stronger than those between the shrimp GM at different sampling times and in different ponds. The proportion of sediment bacteria in the shrimp GM was approximately three times higher than that of water bacteria, which changed among ponds and over sampling time. These results provide important reference information for a deeper understanding of the impact of environmental microorganisms on the composition of shrimp GM. Moreover, the results also provide reference information for increasing the production of shrimp culture as well as ensuring a good health status of the culture.