Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science and Mathematics, Mindanao State University - Iligan Institute of Technology, Iligan, Philippines.
Department of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Cavite State University - Main Campus, Cavite, Philippines.
Physiol Genomics. 2024 Aug 1;56(8):590-595. doi: 10.1152/physiolgenomics.00039.2024. Epub 2024 Jul 8.
Gaining insight into the diversity, structure, and metabolic functions of microbial communities is essential for understanding their roles in host health and ecosystem dynamics. However, research on the seahorse-associated microbiome remains limited, despite these threatened fish facing increasing human pressures worldwide. Here, we explored the microbial diversity and metabolic functions of the skin and gut of the tiger tail seahorse () and its surrounding environment using shotgun metagenomics and bioinformatics. Members of the Pseudomonadota phylum were dominant in the skin microbiome, whereas Bacteroidota was dominant in the gut. Bacillota, Actinomycetota, and Planctomycetota were also detected in the seahorse-associated microbiome. Statistical analysis revealed significant differences ( < 0.01) in species diversity between skin and gut microbiomes, with members belonging to the family being dominant on the skin and the family in the gut. Moreover, the surrounding environment (water or sediment) did not have a direct effect on the seahorse microbiome composition. The skin microbiome exhibited a higher abundance of functional genes related to energy, lipid, and amino acid metabolism as well as terpenoids and polyketides metabolism, xenobiotics biodegradation, and metabolism compared with the gut. Despite differences among classes, the total abundance of bacteriocins was similar in both gut and skin microbiomes, which is significant in shaping microbial communities due to their antimicrobial properties. A better knowledge of seahorse microbiomes benefits conservation and sustainable aquaculture efforts, offering insights into habitat protection, disease management, and optimizing aquaculture environments, thereby promoting seahorse health and welfare while minimizing environmental impact and enhancing aquaculture sustainability. To the best of our knowledge, this study represents the first comprehensive examination of the taxonomic and functional patterns of the skin and gut microbiome in the tiger tail seahorse. These findings have the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of the seahorse-associated microbiome, thereby contributing to the prediction and control of bacterial infections in seahorses, which are a leading cause of high mass mortality rates in seahorse aquaculture and other fish species.
深入了解微生物群落的多样性、结构和代谢功能对于理解它们在宿主健康和生态系统动态中的作用至关重要。然而，尽管这些受到威胁的鱼类在全球范围内面临着越来越多的人类压力，海马相关微生物组的研究仍然有限。在这里，我们使用高通量宏基因组学和生物信息学技术探索了虎尾海马的皮肤和肠道微生物多样性和代谢功能及其周围环境。假单胞菌门的成员在皮肤微生物组中占优势，而拟杆菌门在肠道中占优势。在海马相关微生物组中还检测到芽孢杆菌门、放线菌门和浮霉菌门。统计分析显示，皮肤和肠道微生物组的物种多样性存在显著差异（<0.01），属的成员在皮肤上占优势，而属的成员在肠道中占优势。此外，周围环境（水或沉积物）对海马微生物组组成没有直接影响。皮肤微生物组表现出更高丰度的与能量、脂质和氨基酸代谢以及萜类化合物和聚酮化合物代谢、外来生物降解和代谢相关的功能基因，而肠道微生物组则表现出更高丰度的与碳水化合物代谢相关的功能基因。尽管在类群之间存在差异，但肠道和皮肤微生物组中的细菌素总丰度相似，由于其抗菌特性，这对塑造微生物群落具有重要意义。更好地了解海马微生物组有助于保护和可持续水产养殖努力，为保护栖息地、管理疾病和优化水产养殖环境提供了深入的了解，从而促进了海马的健康和福利，同时最大限度地减少了对环境的影响，提高了水产养殖的可持续性。据我们所知，这项研究代表了对虎尾海马皮肤和肠道微生物组的分类和功能模式的首次全面研究。这些发现有可能显著提高我们对海马相关微生物组的理解，从而有助于预测和控制海马的细菌感染，这是海马水产养殖和其他鱼类物种中高死亡率的主要原因。
