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Halliday-Isaac AK, Jackson CR. Microeukaryotes Associated with Freshwater Mussels in Rivers of the Southeastern United States. Microorganisms 2024; 12:1835. [PMID: 39338509 PMCID: PMC11434547 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12091835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2024] [Revised: 08/20/2024] [Accepted: 09/03/2024] [Indexed: 09/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Microeukaryotes are a diverse and often overlooked group of microbes that are important in food webs and other ecological linkages. Little is known about microeukaryotes associated with aquatic invertebrates, although filter feeders such as mussels are likely to take in and potentially retain microeukaryotes in their gut while feeding. Microeukaryotes such as apicomplexans have been reported in marine mussel species, but no studies have examined the presence of these microorganisms in freshwater mussels or how they relate to mussel host species or environmental conditions. In this study, microbial community DNA was extracted from the gut tissue of over 300 freshwater mussels, representing 22 species collected from rivers in the southeastern USA. Microeukaryote DNA was detected using PCR amplification, followed by the sequencing of positive amplicons. Microeukaryotes were found in 167 individual mussels (53%) of those tested. Amplicons included dinoflagellates/algae that differed between mussel species and are likely food sources that were distinct from those found in water and sediment samples analyzed concurrently. A total of 5% of the positive amplicons were non-photosynthetic alveolates that could represent parasitic microeukaryotes. Understanding the distribution of microeukaryotes in the freshwater mussel gut microbiome could further our understanding of the ongoing decline of mussel populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Colin R. Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, Oxford, MS 38677, USA;
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2
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Goulder KD, Wong WH. Chemical Treatments on Invasive Bivalve, Corbicula fluminea. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1789. [PMID: 38929407 PMCID: PMC11201199 DOI: 10.3390/ani14121789] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The Asian clam Corbicula fluminea is a native aquatic species in Eastern Asia and Africa but has become one of the ecologically and economically harmful invasive species in aquatic ecosystems in Europe, North America, and South America. Due to their natural characteristics as a hermaphroditic species with a high fecundity and dispersal capacity, Asian clams are extremely difficult to eradicate once they have infiltrated a waterbody. This is an emerging issue for states in the Northeastern United States, as Asian clams expand their range farther North due to climate change. There has been extensive research conducted to develop chemical treatments for reactively controlling invasive mollusc populations and proactively preventing their further spread. However, treatments are mostly targeted toward biofouling bivalves in industrial settings. A comprehensive review of Asian clam chemical treatments used in natural open-water systems was performed to evaluate molluscicides and identify the toxicity ranges of emerging treatments that maximize Asian clam mortality and minimize the negative impact on water quality and non-target species. The potential chemical applications in Asian clam control and management are summarized in this report to assist resource managers and practitioners in invasive Asian clam management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie D. Goulder
- Division of Wetlands and Waterways, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
- Environmental Science and Policy, College of Science, Northeastern University, 360 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Wai Hing Wong
- Division of Wetlands and Waterways, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114, USA;
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3
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Griffin TW, Darsan MA, Collins HI, Holohan BA, Pierce ML, Ward JE. A multi-study analysis of gut microbiome data from the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) emphasises the impact of depuration on biological interpretation. Environ Microbiol 2023; 25:3435-3449. [PMID: 37941484 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.16537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a suspension feeder which has been used in gut-microbiome surveys. Although raw 16S sequence data are often publicly available, unifying secondary analyses are lacking. The present work analysed raw data from seven projects conducted by one group over 7 years. Although each project had different motivations, experimental designs and conclusions, all selected samples were from the guts of M. edulis collected from a single location in Long Island Sound. The goal of this analysis was to determine which independent factors (e.g., collection date, depuration status) were responsible for governing composition and diversity in the gut microbiomes. Results indicated that whether mussels had undergone depuration, defined here as voidance of faeces in a controlled, no-food period, was the primary factor that governed gut microbiome composition. Gut microbiomes from non-depurated mussels were mixtures of resident and transient communities and were influenced by temporal factors. Resident communities from depurated mussels were influenced by the final food source and length of time host mussels were held under laboratory conditions. These findings reinforce the paradigm that gut microbiota are divided into resident and transient components and suggest that depuration status should be taken into consideration when designing and interpreting future experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler W Griffin
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Mya A Darsan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Albany, Albany, New York, USA
- Department of Marine and Environmental Science, Northeastern University, Nahant, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Hannah I Collins
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Bridget A Holohan
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, USA
| | - Melissa L Pierce
- Discovery Partners Institute, Applied R&D, University of Illinois System, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - J Evan Ward
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of Connecticut, Groton, Connecticut, USA
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4
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Bucholz JR, Hopper GW, González IS, Kelley TE, Jackson CR, Garrick RC, Atkinson CL, Lozier JD. Community-wide correlations between species richness, abundance and population genomic diversity in a freshwater biodiversity hotspot. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5894-5912. [PMID: 37203688 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Understanding patterns of diversity across macro (e.g. species-level) and micro (e.g. molecular-level) scales can shed light on community function and stability by elucidating the abiotic and biotic drivers of diversity within ecological communities. We examined the relationships among taxonomic and genetic metrics of diversity in freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae), an ecologically important and species-rich group in the southeastern United States. Using quantitative community surveys and reduced-representation genome sequencing across 22 sites in seven rivers and two river basins, we surveyed 68 mussel species and sequenced 23 of these species to characterize intrapopulation genetic variation. We tested for the presence of species diversity-abundance correlations (i.e. the more-individuals hypothesis, MIH), species-genetic diversity correlations (SGDCs) and abundance-genetic diversity correlations (AGDCs) across all sites to evaluate relationships between different metrics of diversity. Sites with greater cumulative multispecies density (a standardized metric of abundance) had a greater number of species, consistent with the MIH hypothesis. Intrapopulation genetic diversity was strongly associated with the density of most species, indicating the presence of AGDCs. However, there was no consistent evidence for SGDCs. Although sites with greater overall densities of mussels had greater species richness, sites with higher genetic diversity did not always exhibit positive correlations with species richness, suggesting that there are spatial and evolutionary scales at which the processes influencing community-level diversity and intraspecific diversity differ. Our work reveals the importance of local abundance as indicator (and possibly a driver) of intrapopulation genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie R Bucholz
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Garrett W Hopper
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | | | - Taylor E Kelley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Colin R Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Mississippi, Mississippi, USA
| | - Ryan C Garrick
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, Mississippi, Mississippi, USA
| | - Carla L Atkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Lozier
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
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Houwenhuyse S, Callens M, Bulteel L, Decaestecker E. Comparison between the gut bacterial community of laboratory cultured and wild Daphnia. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad116. [PMID: 37740575 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 09/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The fitness of an organism is often impacted by the composition and biological activity of its associated bacterial community. Many factors, including host genetics, diet, and temperature can influence the bacterial community composition. Furthermore, these factors can differ strongly between natural and laboratory environments. Consequently, several studies have highlighted results from laboratory experiments investigating host-associated bacterial communities to be conflicting with those obtained under field conditions. Here, we compared the Daphnia magna gut bacterial communities in natural host populations with those of laboratory cultured hosts. We further analyzed changes in the gut bacterial communities after transferring hosts from natural populations to the laboratory on the short- and long-term. Results show that, in general, the gut bacterial communities from natural populations differ from those of laboratory cultures and that their composition and diversity changed one hour after being transferred to the laboratory. Over the following 14 days, the composition and diversity changed gradually. On the longer term (after two years of rearing hosts in the laboratory) the composition and diversity of the gut bacterial communities was strongly altered compared to the initial state. Our findings indicate that the gut bacterial communities of Daphnia magna in laboratory experiments is not representative for natural field conditions, and that caution should be taken when interpreting results from laboratory experiments for natural settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shira Houwenhuyse
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven- KU Leuven, Campus KULAK, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
- Laboratory of Microbiology, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Sciences, Gent University, Karel Lodewijk Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000, Gent, Belgium
| | - Martijn Callens
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven- KU Leuven, Campus KULAK, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
- Animal Sciences Unit - Aquatic Environment and Quality, Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Oostende 8400, Belgium
| | - Lore Bulteel
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven- KU Leuven, Campus KULAK, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Ellen Decaestecker
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, Department of Biology, University of Leuven- KU Leuven, Campus KULAK, E. Sabbelaan 53, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
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Vaughn SN, Atkinson CL, Johnson PD, Jackson CR. Characterizing the Gut Microbial Communities of Native and Invasive Freshwater Bivalves after Long-Term Sample Preservation. Microorganisms 2023; 11:2489. [PMID: 37894147 PMCID: PMC10609060 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms11102489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Freshwater mussels are important indicators of the overall health of their environment but have suffered declines that have been attributed to factors such as habitat degradation, a loss of fish hosts, climate change, and excessive nutrient inputs. The loss of mussel biodiversity can negatively impact freshwater ecosystems such that understanding the mussel's gut microbiome has been identified as a priority topic for developing conservation strategies. In this study, we determine whether ethanol-stored specimens of freshwater mussels can yield representative information about their gut microbiomes such that changes in the microbiome through time could potentially be determined from museum mussel collections. A short-term preservation experiment using the invasive clam Corbicula fluminea was used to validate the use of ethanol as a method for storing the bivalve microbiome, and the gut microbiomes of nine native mussel species that had been preserved in ethanol for between 2 and 9 years were assessed. We show that ethanol preservation is a valid storage method for bivalve specimens in terms of maintaining an effective sequencing depth and the richness of their gut bacterial assemblages and provide further insight into the gut microbiomes of the invasive clam C. fluminea and nine species of native mussels. From this, we identify a "core" genus of bacteria (Romboutsia) that is potentially common to all freshwater bivalve species studied. These findings support the potential use of ethanol-preserved museum specimens to examine patterns in the gut microbiomes of freshwater mussels over long periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie N. Vaughn
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA;
| | - Carla L. Atkinson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA;
| | - Paul D. Johnson
- Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, Marion, AL 36756, USA;
| | - Colin R. Jackson
- Department of Biology, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA;
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Knowles S, Dennis M, McElwain A, Leis E, Richard J. Pathology and infectious agents of unionid mussels: A primer for pathologists in disease surveillance and investigation of mortality events. Vet Pathol 2023; 60:510-528. [PMID: 37226493 DOI: 10.1177/03009858231171666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in the world, and more than 30 species have gone extinct in the last century. While habitat alteration and destruction have contributed to the declines, the role of disease in mortality events is unclear. In an effort to involve veterinary pathologists in disease surveillance and the investigation of freshwater mussel mortality events, we provide information on the conservation status of unionids, sample collection and processing techniques, and unique and confounding anatomical and physiological differences. We review the published accounts of pathology and infectious agents described in freshwater mussels including neoplasms, viruses, bacteria, fungi, fungal-like agents, ciliated protists, Aspidogastrea, Digenea, Nematoda, Acari, Diptera, and Odonata. Of the identified infectious agents, a single viral disease, Hyriopsis cumingii plague disease, that occurs only in cultured mussels is known to cause high mortality. Parasites including ciliates, trematodes, nematodes, mites, and insects may decrease host fitness, but are not known to cause mortality. Many of the published reports identify infectious agents at the light or ultrastructural microscopy level with no lesion or molecular characterization. Although metagenomic analyses provide sequence information for infectious agents, studies often fail to link the agents to tissue changes at the light or ultrastructural level or confirm their role in disease. Pathologists can bridge this gap between identification of infectious agents and confirmation of disease, participate in disease surveillance to ensure successful propagation programs necessary to restore decimated populations, and investigate mussel mortality events to document pathology and identify causality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Eric Leis
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Onalaska, WI
| | - Jordan Richard
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Abingdon, VA
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
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Schols R, Vanoverberghe I, Huyse T, Decaestecker E. Host-bacteriome transplants of the schistosome snail host Biomphalaria glabrata reflect species-specific associations. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2023; 99:fiad101. [PMID: 37632232 PMCID: PMC10481996 DOI: 10.1093/femsec/fiad101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Microbial symbionts can affect host phenotypes and, thereby, ecosystem functioning. The microbiome is increasingly being recognized as an important player in the tripartite interaction between parasitic flatworms, snail intermediate hosts, and the snail microbiome. In order to better understand these interactions, transplant experiments are needed, which rely on the development of a reliable and reproducible protocol to obtain microbiome-disturbed snails. Here, we report on the first successful snail bacteriome transplants, which indicate that Biomphalaria glabrata can accrue novel bacterial assemblies depending on the available environmental bacteria obtained from donor snails. Moreover, the phylogenetic relatedness of the donor host significantly affected recipients' survival probability, corroborating the phylosymbiosis pattern in freshwater snails. The transplant technique described here, complemented by field-based studies, could facilitate future research endeavors to investigate the role of specific bacteria or bacterial communities in parasitic flatworm resistance of B. glabrata and might ultimately pave the way for microbiome-mediated control of snail-borne diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruben Schols
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven, Campus Kortrijk, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Isabel Vanoverberghe
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven, Campus Kortrijk, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
| | - Tine Huyse
- Department of Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, 3080 Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Ellen Decaestecker
- Laboratory of Aquatic Biology, KU Leuven, Campus Kortrijk, 8500 Kortrijk, Belgium
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Kelley TE, Hopper GW, Sánchez González I, Bucholz JR, Atkinson CL. Identifying potential drivers of distribution patterns of invasive Corbicula fluminea relative to native freshwater mussels (Unionidae) across spatial scales. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8737. [PMID: 35342574 PMCID: PMC8933331 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This study aimed to identify the importance of ecological factors to distribution patterns of the invasive Clam (Corbicula fluminea) relative to native mussels (family: Unionidae) across seven rivers within the Mobile and Tennessee basins, Southeast United States. We quantitatively surveyed dense, diverse native mussel aggregations across 20 river reaches and estimated mussel density, biomass, and species richness along with density of invasive C. fluminea (hereafter Corbicula). We measured substrate particle size, velocity, and depth in quadrats where animals were collected. Additionally, we characterized reach scale environmental parameters including seston quantity and quality (% Carbon, % Nitrogen, % Phosphorous), water chemistry (ammonium [ NH 4 + ], soluble reactive phosphorous [SRP]), and watershed area and land cover. Using model selection, logistic regression, and multivariate analysis, we characterized habitat features and their association to invasive Corbicula within mussel beds. We found that Corbicula were more likely to occur and more abundant in quadrats with greater mussel biomass, larger substrate size, faster water velocity, and shallower water depth. At the reach scale, Corbicula densities increased where particle sizes were larger. Mussel richness, density, and biomass increased with watershed area. Water column NH 4 + increased at reaches with more urban land cover. No land cover variables influenced Corbicula populations or mussel communities. The strong overlapping distribution of Corbicula and mussels support the hypothesis that Corbicula are not necessarily limited by habitat factors and may be passengers of change in rivers where mussels have declined due to habitat degradation. Whether Corbicula is facilitated by mussels or negatively interacts with mussels in these systems remains to be seen. Focused experiments that manipulate patch scale variables would improve our understanding of the role of species interactions (e.g., competition, predation, facilitation) or physical habitat factors in influencing spatial overlap between Corbicula and native mussels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor E. Kelley
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | - Garrett W. Hopper
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | | | - Jamie R. Bucholz
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
| | - Carla L. Atkinson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlabamaTuscaloosaAlabamaUSA
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