Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus

Life
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Abstract

The endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus, has been actively managed to prevent population declines, including stocking of hatchery-raised fish. The gut microbiome plays an innate role in an organism’s absorption of nutrients by increasing nutrient availability and can provide new insights for Pallid Sturgeon management. In this study, the Pallid Sturgeon’s microbiome is dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria. It was also determined that the gut bacterial diversity in hatchery-raised Pallid Sturgeon was not significantly different from wild Pallid Sturgeon, supporting that hatchery-raised Pallid Sturgeon are transitioning effectively to wild diets. There is also a high degree of intraspecific variation in the bacterial and eukaryotic sequences amongst individual Pallid Sturgeon microbiomes, suggesting the Pallid Sturgeon may be omnivorous. This study demonstrated that genetic markers may be used to effectively describe the dietary requirements for wild Pallid Sturgeon and provides the first genetic evidence that Pallid Sturgeons are effectively transitioning from hatchery-raised environments to the wild.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Using the gut microbiome to assess stocking efforts of the endangered Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus
Series title Life
DOI 10.3390/life13020309
Volume 13
Issue 2
Year Published 2023
Language English
Publisher MDPI
Contributing office(s) Coop Res Unit Atlanta, Ecosystems Mission Area
Description 309, 15 p.
Country United States
State Missouri
Other Geospatial Missouri River
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