ABSTRACT
Although the gut and the brain vastly differ in physiological function, they have been interlinked in a variety of different neurological and behavioral disorders. The bacteria that comprise the gut microbiome communicate and influence the function of various physiological processes within the body including nervous system function. However, the effects of social experience in the context of dominance and chronic stress on gut microbiome remain poorly understood. Here, we examined whether social experience impacts the host zebrafish (Danio rerio) gut microbiome. We studied how social dominance during the first two weeks of social interactions changed the composition of zebrafish gut microbiome by comparing gut bacterial composition, diversity and relative abundance among socially dominant, submissive, social isolates, and control group-housed communal fish. Using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we report that social dominance significantly affects host gut bacterial community composition but not bacterial diversity. At the genus-level, Aeromonas and unclassified Enterobacteriaceae relative abundance decreased in dominant individuals while commensal bacteria (e.g., Exiguobacterium and Cetobacterium) increased in relative abundance. Conversely, the relative abundance of Psychrobacter and Acinetobacter was increased in subordinates, isolates, and communal fish compared to control group-housed fish. The shift in commensal and pathogenic bacteria highlights the impact of social experience and the accompanying stress on gut microbiome with potentially similar effects in other social organisms.
IMPORTANCE Disruptions in the gut microbiome negatively impact various systems in the body. Recently, the gut microbiome has been associated with neurological deficits in both behavioral and neurodegenerative disorders. Given the increasing prevalence in diagnosis of both neurological disease and behavioral disorders, researching the link between social behaviors and the gut microbiome is critical to better understand how the gut and the brain communicate during healthy and diseased states. Our research findings demonstrate the effects of social dominance and chronic stress on host gut microbiome composition. By identifying variations in bacterial relative abundance based on social experience and associated stress, a broader understanding of pathogenic (e.g., Enterobacteriaceae, Aeromonas) versus commensal communities (e.g., Exiguobacterium, Cetobacterium) and related host physiology can be inferred.
