Bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure and interrelationships of deep-sea shrimp intestine and the surrounding sediment

Abstract

Invertebrate shrimp are one of the dominant benthic macrofaunae in the deep-sea environment. The microbiota of shrimp intestine can contribute to the adaptation of their host. The impact of surrounding sediment on intestinal microbiota has been observed in cultured shrimp species, but needs to be further investigated in deep-sea shrimp. The characterization of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure and their interrelationships is also limited. In this study, wild-type deep-sea shrimp and the surrounding sediment were sampled. Shrimp individuals incubated in a sediment-absent environment were also used in this study. Microbial community structure of the shrimp intestine and sediment was investigated through amplicon sequencing targeting bacterial 16S rRNA genes, archaeal 16S rRNA genes, and fungal ITS genes. The results demonstrate distinct differences in community structure between shrimp intestine and the surrounding sediment and between surface and deep (5 mbsf) sediment. The composition of the intestinal microbiota in shrimp living without sediment was different from that of wild-type shrimp, indicating that the presence or absence of sediment could influence the shrimp intestinal microbiota. Carbohydrate metabolism, energy metabolism (carbon fixation, methane metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, and sulfur metabolism), amino acid metabolism, and xenobiotic biodegradation were the most commonly predicted microbial functionalities and they interacted closely with one another. Overall, this study provided comprehensive insights into bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structure of deep-sea shrimp intestine as well as potential ecological interactions with the surrounding sediment. This study could update our understanding of the microbiota characteristics in shrimp and sediment in deep-sea ecosystems.