[All-postdocs] HYBRID Bioseminar Lei Ma

[Ana M Velez]

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Biology Department Seminar
Thursday, February 24, 2022 - 12:00 Noon

Lei Ma
WHOI-MIT Joint Program student

Atlantic Killifish and Their Gut Microbiota

The Atlantic killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, is an abundant estuarine fish broadly distributed along the eastern coast of the U.S. Known for their hardiness to industrial pollution, populations of killifish have repeatedly evolved tolerance to levels of aromatic hydrocarbon exposure that would otherwise be lethal. This tolerance, which is heritable across at least two generations, is linked to reduced activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) signaling pathway. In other animals such as zebrafish and mice, the AHR has been shown to influence the gut microbiome, particularly when activated by the model toxic pollutant 3,3',4,4',5-pendachlorobiphenyl (PCB-126). While there exists extensive literature on killifish ecophysiology and evolution, little is known about the natural microbiome of these fish, and there have been few studies examining the downstream effects of their rapid adaptations on their microbiota. In order to understand host and environmental effects on killifish gut microbiota, we sampled two populations of wild fish - New Bedford Harbor (NBH) and Scorton Creek (SC) - as well as lab reared F2 generation fish originating from each of these wild populations. NBH fish are known to have evolved tolerance to aromatic hydrocarbons while SC fish are considered sensitive to aromatic hydrocarbon exposure. For each fish, we used 16S rRNA-based amplicon sequencing to assess the microbial composition of the gut microbiome. Our results revealed the high plasticity of killifish gut microbiota and the value of assessing both wild and captive fish.

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