Reef fish gut microbiome Raw sequence reads

To characterize the reef fish microbiome, we quantified gut 16S rRNA gene composition in 132 individuals from reefs off Australia and Belize. Host individuals spanned 11 families representing >26 species, six feeding strategies, and both larvae (pre-settlement stage) and adults. Microbiome composition was compared to that of the surrounding water column and across individuals to identify primary determinants of microbiome composition, microbiome differences associated with host larvae vs. adult stages, and core members of the gut microbiome shared across host or diet categories. This is the first survey analyzing reef fish microbiome composition across a broad range of host taxa. The results deepen our understanding of how fish ecology influences microbiome assembly, informing predictions of microbiome function as a mediator of fish health and nutrition, or as inocula for free-living microbial populations.