Abstract
The relative importance of host-specific selection or environmental factors in determining the composition of the intestinal microbiome in wild vertebrates remains poorly understood. Here, we use metagenomic shotgun sequencing of individual specimens to compare the intra- and interspecific variation of intestinal microbiome communities in two ecotypes (NEAC and NCC) of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) –that have distinct behavior and habitats– and three Gadidae species that occupy a range of ecological niches. Interestingly, we find significantly diverged microbiomes amongst the two Atlantic cod ecotypes. Interspecific patterns of variation are more variable, with significantly diverged communities for most species' comparisons, apart from the comparison between coastal cod (NCC) and Norway pout (Trisopterus esmarkii), whose community compositions are not significantly diverged. The absence of consistent species-specific microbiomes suggests that external environmental factors, such as temperature, diet or a combination there-off comprise major drivers of the intestinal community composition of codfishes.
Applied Environmental Microbiology
DOI: 10.1128/AEM.02788-19
Publication webpage.
Published online 17 January 2020
Even Sannes Riiser*, Thomas H. A. Haverkamp*, Srinidhi Varadharajan*, Ørnulf Borgan§, Kjetill S. Jakobsen*, Sissel Jentoft*, and Bastiaan Star*
* Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
§ Department of Mathematics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway