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

Authors

Ariel D. Friel, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Sean A. Neiswenter, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Cale O. Seymour, University of Neveda, Las VegasFollow
Lauren Rose Bali, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow
Ginger McNamara, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Fabian Leija, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Jack Jewell, Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay
Brian P. Hedlund, University of Nevada, Las VegasFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

7-14-2020

Publication Title

Frontiers in Microbiology

Volume

11

First page number:

1

Last page number:

16

Abstract

The Atlantic horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) 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 L. polyphemus 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 (737 amplicon sequence variants or ASVs), cloaca (1078 ASVs), gills (941 ASVs), and oral cavity (1193 ASVs), which were dominated by classes Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, and Alphaproteobacteria. 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 Pseudomonas (>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. 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.

Keywords

16S rRNA; Aquarium; Captivity; Bacteria; Marine; Holobiont

Disciplines

Environmental Microbiology and Microbial Ecology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

File Format

pdf

File Size

2.131 KB

Language

English

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Repository Citation

Friel, A. D., Neiswenter, S. A., Seymour, C. O., Bali, L. R., McNamara, G., Leija, F., Jewell, J., Hedlund, B. P. (2020). Microbiome Shifts Associated with the Introduction of Wild Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs (Limulus polyphemus) into a Touch-Tank Exhibit. Frontiers in Microbiology, 11 1-16.
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2020.01398