Effect of food domestication on the growth of Elopichthys bambusa

Abstract

Elopichthys bambusa is an economically important freshwater fish with high nutritional value. In this study, we compared domesticated and wild fish at the physiological, biochemical, histological, and molecular levels to better understand the changes that occur in farmed fish in order to provide ideas about how to optimize the artificial feed formulation used in aquaculture of this species. Water, ash, and crude protein contents did not differ significantly between the two groups. The methionine and glutamic acid contents were 20% and 13.4% higher in the domesticated group than that in the wild group, respectively. Twenty-three types of fatty acids were detected in the wild group compared to 11 in the domesticated group. The iron content in the domesticated group was higher than that in the wild group. The blood index values did not differ significantly between the two groups, except for alanine aminotransferase (ALT), total protein (TP), and globulin (GLO) contents. The ALT content in the wild group was significantly higher and the TP and GLO contents were significantly lower than those in the domesticated group. Histologically, significant differences in the numbers of folds, villi, and goblet cells were detected between the two groups. The expression of t1r1 and t1r3 in the intestines and gills of the domesticated group was significantly lower than that of the wild group. This study provides an important theoretical basis for the reproduction and breeding studies and the quality identification of domesticated Elopichthys bambusa. It will promote the development of large-scale farming of Elopichthys bambusa.