MICMAQ

The importance of the interactions between gut microbial communities (microbiome or microbiota) and host health is increasingly recognized, particularly in mamalians. However, the potential effects of environmental parameters on the structure and function of this microbiome are poorly known in aquatic organisms. The MicMAq project will propose a multidisciplinary approach combining ecology (IRSTEA), ecotoxicology (EPOC) and molecular biology to study the response of the microbiome associated within the gut of the critically endangered European eel Anguillaanguillato environmental stressors.

The first objective of the project is to study wild eels from four contrasted sites in the Gironde Estuary in term of physicochemistry and micropollution. Analytical chemistry technics will be used to characterize the contamination level in fish tissues while the most recent high throughput DNA sequencing technology will be used to determine the composition and the metabolic functions of the microbiome and its alterations. Second, MicMaq will evaluate the impact of eels restocking program on their microbiome structure as well as the potential role of the functional gene repertoire provided by the bacterial partners in the adaptation of eels to new environments. This project will ultimately allow the identification of key drivers of microbiome composition amongst a large range of variables including water physicochemistry, presence of trace metals and organic pollutants, life history and diet quality.