Genomic analysis of intestinal bacteria involved in digestive function in herbivorous fish.

Focusing on herbivorous fish, which do not have stomachs, we investigated the types of bacteria living in their intestines. We discovered that they have many types of intestinal bacteria to break down the algae they use as food. We were also able to discover an interesting phenomenon: the Vibrio species of intestinal bacteria do not invade each other’s territory.

Associate Professor Masaaki Yoshida of the Oki Marine Biological Station, Shimane University, a JAMBIO member, was in charge of genome data analysis for this study. As joint research, Professor Makoto Kawamukai and Mr. Takuma Tabe (then a graduate student) of the same Faculty of Life and Environmental Science were in charge of bacterial culture, and Associate Professor Hideo Akiyoshi (then, now retired) was in charge of fish collection, breeding, and morphological analysis. This joint research, which takes advantage of the unique features of Shimane University’s Faculty of Life and Environmental Science, was published online in Scientific Reports, an English-language journal, on March 17, 2022.

Gut microbiota analysis of Blenniidae fishes including an algae‐eating fish and clear boundary formation among isolated Vibrio strains
Sci Rep 12, 4642 (2022).
URL：https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08511-7