Fish Skin Microbiomes Are Highly Variable Among Individuals and Populations but Not Within Individuals.

ABSTRACT: Fish skin-associated microbial communities are highly variable among populations and species and can impact host fitness. Still, the sources of variation in microbiome composition, and particularly how they vary among and within host individuals, have rarely been investigated. To tackle this issue, we explored patterns of variation in fish skin microbiomes across different spatial scales. We conducted replicate sampling of dorsal and ventral body sites of perch (Perca fluviatilis) from two populations and characterized the variation of fish skin-associated microbial communities with 16S rRNA gene metabarcoding. Results showed a high similarity of microbiome samples taken from the left and right side of the same fish individuals, suggesting that fish skin microbiomes can be reliably

SUBMITTER: Berggren H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8813977 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature