Microbiome Shifts Associated With the Introduction of Wild Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs ( Limulus polyphemus ) Into a Touch-Tank Exhibit

The Atlantic horseshoe crab ( ) is a common marine aquarium species and model organism for research. There is potential monetary and conservation value in developing a stable captive population of horseshoe crabs, however, one major impediment to achieving captivity is a lack of knowledge regarding...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in microbiology 2020-07, Vol.11, p.1398
Main Authors: Friel, Ariel D, Neiswenter, Sean A, Seymour, Cale O, Bali, Lauren Rose, McNamara, Ginger, Leija, Fabian, Jewell, Jack, Hedlund, Brian P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
16S rRNA
aquarium
bacteria
captivity
holobiont
marine
Microbiology
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Summary:The Atlantic horseshoe crab ( ) is a common marine aquarium species and model organism for research. There is potential monetary and conservation value in developing a stable captive population of horseshoe crabs, however, one major impediment to achieving captivity is a lack of knowledge regarding captive diseases. We utilized 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to track changes in the microbiomes of four body locations in three wild-caught (tracked over 14 months in captivity) and three tank-acclimated (>2 years in captivity) adult in a touch tank at Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV. The wild population hosted diverse and distinct microbiomes on the carapace (260 ± 96 amplicon sequence variants or ASVs), cloaca (345 ± 77 ASVs), gills (309 ± 36 ASVs), and oral cavity (359 ± 37 ASVs), which were dominated by classes , , and . A rapid decline in richness across all body locations was observed within 1 month of captivity, with tank-acclimated (>2 years) animals having 60%) and (>20%), both of which are known opportunistic pathogens of aquatic animals and can express chitinases, providing a plausible mechanism for the development of the carapace lesion pathology observed in this and other studies. The cloaca of the tank-acclimated animals was slightly more diverse than the other body locations with , , , and dominating the community. These results provide an important baseline on the microbiomes of both wild and tank-acclimated horseshoe crabs and underscore the need to continue to investigate how native microbial populations may protect animals from pathogens.
ISSN:1664-302X
1664-302X
DOI:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01398