Intestinal microbiota of Atlantic salmon freshwater parr and seawater post-smolts. Atlantic salmon gut metagenome

Atlantic salmon undergo dramatic physiological changes as they migrate from freshwater to the marine environment. Osmoregulatory adaptation is the most crucial change, necessitating functional adaptations of the gills, kidney and intestine. Additionally, novel pathogens, microbes and dietary items are encountered in the saltwater environment, which suggests major changes in the intestinal microbiota following movement to saltwater.This study compared the intestinal microbiota harboured in the distal digesta of Atlantic salmon freshwater fish kept in a commercial Scottish freshwater hatchery with that of their full-siblings after seawater acclimatisation by a 16S rRNA targeted high throughput sequencing approach. The results will help to enhance our understanding of how physiological changes within the host parallel to habitat change can affect the microbial community harboured in the intestine.