Effects of anthropogenic stress on hosts and their microbiomes: Treated wastewater alters performance and gut microbiome of a key detritivore (Asellus aquaticus)

Abstract

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Tolerance to environmental pollution in the freshwater crustacean Asellus aquaticus: A role for the microbiome

“…The largest contributors to the observed differences between the control and MP treatment included, among many others, genera Rhizobium , Legionella , Flavobacterium , Corynebacterium and Streptomyces (Figure S5). These are typical environmental microbes with diverse metabolic repertoires, which were also recently retrieved in a survey of the A. aquaticus microbiome originating from the same population (Lafuente et al, 2023). The effect of MPs was observed not only in terms of bacterial community structure, but also bacterial diversity.…”

“…A. aquaticus has been described as a species with a great tolerance to environmental pollution, although the mechanisms by which it bioaccumulates and metabolises these toxins are not fully understood (O'Callaghan et al, 2019). There are documented cases with no detectable effects of organic pollution on survival and growth (Bundschuh et al, 2012; Ieromina et al, 2014), while other studies have demonstrated a significant reduction in A. aquaticus abundance (Bayona et al, 2015), changes in behaviour (De Lange et al, 2006) or changes in growth rate (Gardeström et al, 2016; Lafuente et al, 2023). The MP mixture of 17 different organic compounds, which mimicked the conditions at impacted sites in Swiss streams (Stamm et al, 2016), has been also applied to other freshwater animals, but it generally showed mixed results.…”

“…Based on the assumption that MPs can have a negative effect on isopod performance (Lafuente et al, 2023; Maltby, 1991), we quantified three host traits: survival, growth (i.e., body length increase), and food consumption. Survival was assessed by visual inspection of the juveniles every 48–72 h over a period of 21 days.…”

“…In this study, we examined the potential role of the microbiome in coping with environmental pollution in a freshwater isopod. Asellus aquaticus (Linnaeus 1758) (Asellota: Asellidae) is one of the most common freshwater detritivorous crustaceans widely distributed throughout Europe (Lafuente et al, 2023; Verovnik & Konec, 2019). As an extreme generalist, A. aquaticus can survive and reproduce in a wide range of ecologically different habitats and on different food sources (Lafuente et al, 2021; Verovnik et al, 2005).…”

“…The species tolerates a wide range of environmental pollutants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, endocrine‐disrupting compounds, radionuclide contaminants or nanoparticles (Maltby, 1991; O'Callaghan et al, 2019), and is able to accumulate heavy metals (Goodyear & McNeill, 1999). The gut microbiome is typically diverse and differs both at the individual and at the population level (Lafuente et al, 2023; Liao et al, 2023), with a considerable fraction of the gut microbes derived from environmental sources (Liao et al, 2023). We aimed to assess whether the bacterial component of the microbiome of A. aquaticus plays a role in coping with environmental pollution by so‐called micropollutants (MPs), including pesticides, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and industrial chemicals, using faecal microbial transplants and fitness quantification of naïve juveniles.…”