FOUNDATION EFFECT FROM PIONEER SPECIES AFTER PHYSICAL DISRUPTION OF THE FISH SKIN MICROBIOME OF GAMBUSIA AFFINIS

Date

2020-07-08

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Abstract

Multicellular organisms provide an important ecosystem for bacteria to live and thrive upon, and in return, they support the host in many aspects, like protection from pathogens and enhancing digestion. The microbiome has been found to have profound effects on host health. A complex problem to tackle is understanding how the microbial community fails to recover after a disruption, such as antibiotic-associated enterocolitis in patients. Temporary domination of the community after disruption by one pioneer species is commonly observed, but the impact of this is unclear. Application of ecological theories may lead to more accurate prediction of such negative side effects. In this study, the fish skin microbiome of Gambusia affinis was physically disrupted and three different pioneer species were seeded. A pioneer is the first organism dominant in abundance after a community disturbance during community succession. Community biochemical profiles were measured by 25 different tests and community composition was observed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. At 240 hours in recovery, community composition was different for all three treatments, suggesting a foundation effect for each of the pioneers. These results suggest pioneer species may act as foundation species by modulating the ecosystem, and thus affect the final recovery community structure. This suggests application of selected probiotics after disruption allow prevention of negative side effects by changing climax community composition.

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Keywords

Microbiome, Pioneer species, Foundation species, Disruption, Natural pioneer, Introduced pioneer, Succession, Microbial ecology, Resilience.

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