Investigating the Ability of Growth Models to Predict In Situ Vibrio spp. Abundances

Abstract

Vibrio spp. have an important role in biogeochemical cycles; some species are disease agents for aquatic animals and/or humans. Predicting population dynamics of Vibrio spp. in natural environments is crucial to predicting how the future conditions will affect the dynamics of these bacteria. The majority of existing Vibrio spp. population growth models were developed in controlled environments, and their applicability to natural environments is unknown. We collected all available functional models from the literature, and distilled them into 28 variants using unified nomenclature. Next, we assessed their ability to predict Vibrio spp. abundance using two new and five already published longitudinal datasets on Vibrio abundance in four different habitat types. Results demonstrate that, while the models were able to predict Vibrio spp. abundance to an extent, the predictions were not reliable. Models often underperformed, especially in environments under significant anthropogenic influence such as aquaculture and urban coastal habitats. We discuss implications and limitations of our analysis, and suggest research priorities; in particular, we advocate for measuring and modeling organic matter.

Characterization of Vibrio Populations from Cultured European Seabass and the Surrounding Marine Environment with Emphasis on V. anguillarum

“…The ubiquitous Vibrio are among the most abundant bacteria in marine aquatic environments worldwide [4,5] and exhibit seasonal population fluctuations [6]. The occurrence of Vibrio in the marine environment depends not only on parameters such as temperature, salinity, and pH [5,7] but also on organic matter enrichment, where their role is in the decomposition of organic matter [8].…”

Temporal dynamics of bacterial populations in recirculating aquaculture systems for sea urchin production

“…Studies have shown that the abundance of Vibrio bacteria in recirculating aquaculture systems can fluctuate over time, with peaks in abundance coinciding with increasing temperature or lowering pH. By maintaining a healthy and diverse bacterial community, it is possible to reduce the risk of disease outbreaks and minimize the need for antibiotics (Elston et al, 2008;Purgar et al, 2022). Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the bacterial counts in the seawater of A. dufresnii RAS to establish bacterial patterns, the main factors affecting those patterns, and safety thresholds.…”

Microbial Communities in Changing Aquatic Environments

“…These are, for example, temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved oxygen concentration, availability of nutrients, organic matter, light, and pressure [4,9]. Particular attention is paid to opportunistic pathogens such as Vibrio [10,11], Legionella [12], Listeria [13], etc., which can multiply in altering surroundings and develop multiple resistances. Due to the weakening of immunity in the population, more and more people are affected.…”