Organ-specific microbiomes reveal strong bacterial compartmentalization in two tropical squid species.
- 1MARBEC, Marine Biodiversity, Exploitation and Conservation. University Montpellier, CNRS, IFREMER, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France.
- 2Aow Thai Marine Ecology Center, Love Wildlife Foundation, Bangkok, Thailand.
- 3Institute of Oceanography, VAST, 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam.
Abstract
Beyond the well-established symbiosis between the bobtail squid light organ and the bioluminescent bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, the microbiomes associated with other cephalopod tissues remain poorly characterized. Here, we examined bacterial communities associated with major organs (e.g. skin, gut, gills and nidamental gland) in two Southeast Asian squid species, Uroteuthis chinensis and Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Because host species and environmental/temporal factors were fully confounded in our sampling design, we focused on characterizing microbiome compartmentalization across organs rather than on disentangling their relative contributions. Bacterial communities were strongly structured by anatomical compartment, with each organ harboring a distinct microbiome. In U. chinensis, gill communities were dominated by Endozoicomonas, whereas the gut microbiome of S. lessoniana was dominated by Mycoplasma. Nidamental glands from both species were enriched in Ruegeria and Pikeienuella, while skin communities displayed marked interspecific differences: U. chinensis skin was enriched in Sphingomonadales and Vibrionales, whereas S. lessoniana exhibited a more diverse mix including Micrococcales, Hyphomicrobiales, and Flavobacteriales. Together, these results provide a first descriptive characterization of microbiome organization across major squid organs and establish a baseline for future studies investigating the ecological and functional roles of host-associated bacteria in cephalopods.
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BibTeX
@article{bettarel2026organspecific,
title = {{Organ-specific microbiomes reveal strong bacterial compartmentalization in two tropical squid species.}},
author = {Yvan Bettarel and Elsa Gadoin and Thierry Bouvier and Jean-Christophe Auguet and Sandrine Crochemore and Rahul Mehrotra and Vy Xuan Nguyen and Hoang Trung Du},
journal = {MicroLife},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/femsml/uqag037},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953723},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Organ-specific microbiomes reveal strong bacterial compartmentalization in two tropical squid species.
AU - Yvan Bettarel
AU - Elsa Gadoin
AU - Thierry Bouvier
AU - Jean-Christophe Auguet
AU - Sandrine Crochemore
AU - Rahul Mehrotra
AU - Vy Xuan Nguyen
AU - Hoang Trung Du
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - MicroLife
DO - 10.1093/femsml/uqag037
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42953723
AB - Beyond the well-established symbiosis between the bobtail squid light organ and the bioluminescent bacterium Aliivibrio fischeri, the microbiomes associated with other cephalopod tissues remain poorly characterized. Here, we examined bacterial communities associated with major organs (e.g. skin, gut, gills and nidamental gland) in two Southeast Asian squid species, Uroteuthis chinensis and Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Because host species and environmental/temporal factors were fully confounded in our sampling design, we focused on characterizing microbiome compartmentalization across organs rather than on disentangling their relative contributions. Bacterial communities were strongly structured by anatomical compartment, with each organ harboring a distinct microbiome. In U. chinensis, gill communities were dominated by Endozoicomonas, whereas the gut microbiome of S. lessoniana was dominated by Mycoplasma. Nidamental glands from both species were enriched in Ruegeria and Pikeienuella, while skin communities displayed marked interspecific differences: U. chinensis skin was enriched in Sphingomonadales and Vibrionales, whereas S. lessoniana exhibited a more diverse mix including Micrococcales, Hyphomicrobiales, and Flavobacteriales. Together, these results provide a first descriptive characterization of microbiome organization across major squid organs and establish a baseline for future studies investigating the ecological and functional roles of host-associated bacteria in cephalopods.
SN - 2633-6693
ER -