Modeling Probiotic-associated Growth Dynamics in Juvenile Red Drum

Area of Science:

• Aquaculture
• Fish nutrition
• Microbiology

Background:

• Probiotic use in aquaculture is growing for enhanced fish performance.
• Standard statistical methods may not fully capture time-dependent probiotic effects on fish growth.
• Red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) growth responses to probiotics administered via water were investigated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of different durations of probiotic supplementation on red drum growth.
• To compare standard statistical analyses with a mechanistic Bayesian growth model for assessing probiotic efficacy.
• To understand the time-dependent dynamics of probiotic effects on fish growth rates.

Main Methods:

• Juvenile red drum were subjected to three treatments: control, 28-day probiotic exposure, and 56-day probiotic exposure.
• Probiotic PrimaLac® was administered directly to tank water.
• Growth was assessed using conventional ANOVA and a mechanistic hierarchical Bayesian growth model.

Main Results:

• Both probiotic exposure durations improved growth compared to controls, but standard ANOVA could not differentiate between them.
• The Bayesian model revealed higher early growth rates and identified reduced growth in the 28-day treatment after supplementation ceased.
• The 56-day treatment demonstrated a more persistent positive growth response under continuous probiotic administration.

Conclusions:

• Mechanistic hierarchical Bayesian modeling offers a superior framework for analyzing time-dependent growth dynamics in aquaculture probiotics.
• Continuous probiotic supplementation (56 days) is more effective for sustained growth in red drum than short-term (28 days) exposure.
• Further research integrating microbiological analyses is needed to link probiotic mechanisms to observed growth effects.