Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species
Our knowledge regarding the role of the microbiome in fish health has been steadily increasing in the last decade, especially for species of commercial interest. Conversely, relatively few studies focus on the microbiomes of wild fish, especially apex predators like sharks, due to lower economic int...
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MDPI AG
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/3/557 |
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| author | Francesco Montemagno Chiara Romano Deborah Bastoni Angelina Cordone Olga De Castro Sergio Stefanni Emilio Sperone Donato Giovannelli |
| author_facet | Francesco Montemagno Chiara Romano Deborah Bastoni Angelina Cordone Olga De Castro Sergio Stefanni Emilio Sperone Donato Giovannelli |
| author_sort | Francesco Montemagno |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Our knowledge regarding the role of the microbiome in fish health has been steadily increasing in the last decade, especially for species of commercial interest. Conversely, relatively few studies focus on the microbiomes of wild fish, especially apex predators like sharks, due to lower economic interest and greater difficulty in obtaining samples. Studies investigating microbiome differences between diverse anatomical locations of sharks are limited, and the majority of the available studies are focused on the microbial diversity present on shark teeth, with the aim of preventing infections due to bites of these animals or evaluating the presence of certain pathogens in healthy or diseased specimens. Here, we investigated the skin, mouth, gills, and cloaca microbiomes of five individuals of two phylogenetically distant species of sharks (<i>Prionace glauca</i> and <i>Somniosus rostratus</i>) to obtain a better understanding of the diversity regarding the microbiomes of these animals, how they change throughout different body parts, and how much they are influenced and determined by the ecology and evolutionary relationship between host and microbiome. To confirm the taxonomy of the sharks under study, we barcoded the specimens by sequencing the mtDNA COI from a biopsy of their skin. Microbial diversity based on the 16S rRNA gene reveals that partially overlapping microbiomes inhabit different body parts of each shark species, while the communities are distinct between the two species. Our results suggest that sharks’ microbiome species-specific differences are controlled by the ecology of the shark species. This is the first study comparatively analyzing the microbiome diversity of different anatomical locations in two shark species of the Mediterranean Sea. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:59:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ae69e86efc0e4502ab100949983f78e1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T17:59:40Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-ae69e86efc0e4502ab100949983f78e12024-03-27T13:55:49ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072024-03-0112355710.3390/microorganisms12030557Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark SpeciesFrancesco Montemagno0Chiara Romano1Deborah Bastoni2Angelina Cordone3Olga De Castro4Sergio Stefanni5Emilio Sperone6Donato Giovannelli7Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyStazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80122 Naples, ItalyDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, ItalyDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, 80126 Naples, ItalyOur knowledge regarding the role of the microbiome in fish health has been steadily increasing in the last decade, especially for species of commercial interest. Conversely, relatively few studies focus on the microbiomes of wild fish, especially apex predators like sharks, due to lower economic interest and greater difficulty in obtaining samples. Studies investigating microbiome differences between diverse anatomical locations of sharks are limited, and the majority of the available studies are focused on the microbial diversity present on shark teeth, with the aim of preventing infections due to bites of these animals or evaluating the presence of certain pathogens in healthy or diseased specimens. Here, we investigated the skin, mouth, gills, and cloaca microbiomes of five individuals of two phylogenetically distant species of sharks (<i>Prionace glauca</i> and <i>Somniosus rostratus</i>) to obtain a better understanding of the diversity regarding the microbiomes of these animals, how they change throughout different body parts, and how much they are influenced and determined by the ecology and evolutionary relationship between host and microbiome. To confirm the taxonomy of the sharks under study, we barcoded the specimens by sequencing the mtDNA COI from a biopsy of their skin. Microbial diversity based on the 16S rRNA gene reveals that partially overlapping microbiomes inhabit different body parts of each shark species, while the communities are distinct between the two species. Our results suggest that sharks’ microbiome species-specific differences are controlled by the ecology of the shark species. This is the first study comparatively analyzing the microbiome diversity of different anatomical locations in two shark species of the Mediterranean Sea.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/3/557microbiomesharkMediterranean Sea<i>Somniosus rostratus</i><i>Prionace glauca</i> |
| spellingShingle | Francesco Montemagno Chiara Romano Deborah Bastoni Angelina Cordone Olga De Castro Sergio Stefanni Emilio Sperone Donato Giovannelli Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species Microorganisms microbiome shark Mediterranean Sea <i>Somniosus rostratus</i> <i>Prionace glauca</i> |
| title | Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species |
| title_full | Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species |
| title_fullStr | Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species |
| title_full_unstemmed | Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species |
| title_short | Shark Microbiome Analysis Demonstrates Unique Microbial Communities in Two Distinct Mediterranean Sea Shark Species |
| title_sort | shark microbiome analysis demonstrates unique microbial communities in two distinct mediterranean sea shark species |
| topic | microbiome shark Mediterranean Sea <i>Somniosus rostratus</i> <i>Prionace glauca</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/12/3/557 |
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