Intestinal microbiota composition is altered according to nutritional biorhythms in the leopard coral grouper (Plectropomus leopardus).

Aquaculture is currently a major source of fish and has the potential to become a major source of protein in the future. These demands require efficient aquaculture. The intestinal microbiota plays an integral role that benefits the host, providing nutrition and modulating the immune system. Although our understanding of microbiota in fish gut has increased, comprehensive studies examining fish microbiota and host metabolism remain limited. Here, we investigated the microbiota and host metabolism in the coral leopard grouper, which is traded in Asian markets as a superior fish and has begun to be produced via aquaculture. We initially examined the structural changes of the gut microbiota using next-generation sequencing and found that the composition of microbiota changed between fasting and feeding conditions. The dominant phyla were Proteobacteria in fasting and Firmicutes in feeding; interchanging the dominant bacteria required 12 hours. Moreover, microbiota diversity was higher under feeding conditions than under fasting conditions. Multivariate analysis revealed that Proteobacteria are the key bacteria in fasting and Firmicutes and Fusobacteria are the key bacteria in feeding. Subsequently, we estimated microbiota functional capacity. Microbiota functional structure was relatively stable throughout the experiment; however, individual function activity changed according to feeding conditions. Taken together, these findings indicate that the gut microbiota could be a key factor to understanding fish feeding conditions and play a role in interactions with host metabolism. In addition, the composition of microbiota in ambient seawater directly affects the fish; therefore, it is important to monitor the microbiota in rearing tanks and seawater circulating systems.

Altered behaviour and reduced survival of juvenile olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, infected by an invasive monogenean, Neoheterobothrium hirame.

Neoheterobothriumhirame is a blood feeding monogenean of olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. The parasite was first reported in the mid-1990s from the Sea of Japan and became epidemic within cultured and wild flounder populations after several years. Infected fish often suffer from severe anaemia and thus the parasite is thought to have played an important role in the recent depletion of flounder populations in some areas of Japan. However, the causal mechanism underlying the parasite epidemic and decreases in host populations is unclear because apparently N. hirame infection is not fatal to the host. Here, we tested the hypothesis that N. hirame indirectly reduces the survival of wild juvenile flounder by altering their behaviour and making them more susceptible to predation. We conducted a series of experiments to compare behaviours and predation susceptibility between experimentally infected juvenile P. olivaceus and uninfected fish. Results showed that N. hirame infection increases the activity level, alters diel activity and has negative effects on burrowing performance and swimming endurance. When juvenile flounder cohabitated with predators, the survival rate of infected juveniles was approximately 25% less than that of uninfected fish. We believe this is the first empirical evidence linking N. hirame infection to death of the host through predation. Consequences of N. hirame-induced behavioural change for the survival of juvenile flounder in the wild are discussed. We conclude that recent outbreaks of N. hirame are likely to have been a key factor in the decline of flounder populations in Japan.