The gut microbiome of freshwater Unionidae mussels is determined by host species and is selectively retained from filtered seston

Freshwater mussels are a species-rich group of aquatic invertebrates that are among the most endangered groups of fauna worldwide. As filter-feeders that are constantly exposed to new microbial inoculants, mussels represent an ideal system to investigate the effects of species or the environment on...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2019-11, Vol.14 (11), p.e0224796-e0224796
Main Authors: Weingarten, Eric A, Atkinson, Carla L, Jackson, Colin R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Aquatic organisms
Bacteria
Biodiversity
Biology and Life Sciences
Composition
Creeks & streams
Digestive system
Earth Sciences
Ecology and Environmental Sciences
Ecosystem biology
Ecosystems
Environmental effects
Feeders
Filtration
Fresh Water
Freshwater
Gastrointestinal Microbiome
Gene sequencing
Genes
Genomes
Intestinal microflora
Invertebrates
Medicine and Health Sciences
Metabolism
Microbiomes
Microbiota
Microbiota (Symbiotic organisms)
Microorganisms
Mollusks
Mussels
Nitrogen
Nitrogen fixation
Oysters
Phylogeny
Principal Component Analysis
Rivers
RNA
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
rRNA 16S
Seston
Species
Species Specificity
Studies
Taxa
Unionidae - genetics
Unionidae - microbiology
Variation
Water
Water circulation
Water column
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Summary:Freshwater mussels are a species-rich group of aquatic invertebrates that are among the most endangered groups of fauna worldwide. As filter-feeders that are constantly exposed to new microbial inoculants, mussels represent an ideal system to investigate the effects of species or the environment on gut microbiome composition. In this study, we examined if host species or site exerts a greater influence on microbiome composition. Individuals of four co-occurring freshwater mussel species, Cyclonaias asperata, Fusconaia cerina, Lampsilis ornata, and Obovaria unicolor were collected from six sites along a 50 km stretch of the Sipsey River in Alabama, USA. High throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that mussel gut bacterial microbiota were distinct from bacteria on seston suspended in the water column, and that the composition of the gut microbiota was influenced by both host species and site. Despite species and environmental variation, the most frequently detected sequences within the mussel microbiota were identified as members of the Clostridiales. Sequences identified as the nitrogen-fixing taxon Methylocystis sp. were also abundant in all mussel species, and sequences of both bacterial taxa were more abundant in mussels than in water. Site physicochemical conditions explained almost 45% of variation in seston bacterial communities but less than 8% of variation in the mussel bacterial microbiome. Together, these findings suggest selective retention of bacterial taxa by the freshwater mussel host, and that both species and the environment are important in determining mussel gut microbiome composition.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0224796