Influence of sex on intestinal microbiota of Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei

Abstract

Penaeus vannamei is a high-value aquaculture species. However, with the expansion in farming area and the rise in stocking density, the disease problems of P. vannamei have grown increasingly severe. Given the pivotal role of intestinal microbiota in regulating host health, including digestion, immune function, and metabolic homeostasis, understanding microbial dynamics is critical for disease control. Notably, although pronounced sexual dimorphism exists in P. vannamei, gender-specific microbiota variations remain uncharacterized. This study intends to evaluate the impact of gender variations on the intestinal microbiota of P. vannamei, using the 2bRAD-M technique. The results showed that the average growth rate of female shrimp was significantly higher than that of male shrimp. The Chao 1 index and Simpson index of female shrimp were greater than those of male shrimp. β-diversity research suggested that the female group samples might contain more microbial variety. At the phylum level, the microbial composition of the female and male shrimp groups is similar, with Pseudomonadota, Bacillota_A, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Planctomycetota being the dominating phyla. At the species level, the female group is predominantly formed of Phaeobacter italicus, NSJ_50_sp014385105, Pseudoalteromonas spongiae, and Xanthomarina gelatinilytica, while the male group contains a larger abundance of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio cholerae. These data indicated that female P. vannamei not only display faster growth rates, but also possess a more complex and diverse intestinal microbiota, which may contribute to their higher disease resistance compared to male ones.