Predator Presence Alters Intestinal Microbiota in Mussel

Intestinal microbes are essential participants in host vital activities. The composition of the microbiota is closely related to the environmental factors. Predator presence may impact on intestinal microbiota of prey. In the present study, stone crab Charybdis japonica was used as potential predator, an external stress on mussel Mytilus coruscus, to investigate the intestinal microbiota alteration in M. coruscus. We set up two forms of predator presence including free crab and trapped crab, with a blank treatment without crab. The composition of intestinal microbiota in mussels among different treatments showed significant differences by 16S rRNA techniques. The biodiversity increased with trapped crab presence, but decreased with free crab presence. Neisseria, the most abundant genus, fell with the presence of crabs. Besides, the Arcobacter, a kind of pathogenic bacteria, increased with free crab presence. Regarding PICRUTs analysis, Environmental Information Processing, Genetic Information Processing and Metabolism showed differences in crab presence treatments compared with the blank, with a bit higher in the presence of free crab than trapped crab. In conclusion, trapped crab effects activated the metabolism and immunity of the intestinal flora, but free crabs made mussels more susceptible to disease and mortality, corresponding to the decreased biodiversity and the increased Arcobacter in their intestine.