About this Research Topic
Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food production sectors, the current aquaculture accounts for about 46% of total global fisheries (FAO, 2020). To meet the increasing demand for aquafeeds while ensuring sustainable development of aquaculture, farmers tend to increase stocking density and feeding frequency, and use feeds containing high level of plant protein ingredients, which greatly impair the gut health of fish, especially marine carnivorous fish. Gut health has become one of the bottlenecks restricting the sustainable and healthy development of world aquaculture.
The gut of fish harbors a complex microbial community, which plays important roles, including the capacity to contribute to the gut mucosal immune development and function, provide resistance to infectious pathogens, and improve digestion and metabolism. Thus, the maintenance of gut microbial homeostasis is essential to the general health and growth performance of fish. In the past decades, probiotics, prebiotics and other functional feed additives have demonstrated positive impacts on gut microbiota, immunity and also growth performance. However, there are still limitations on the gut microbial composition and its relation with ambient environments and specific diseases, the functions of gut microbes and their interactions with host. The impacts of feed ingredients, especially plant protein ingredients on gut microbiota and possible mechanisms are still far from clear. In addition, the exploration of functional feed additives to improve gut microbial homeostasis and general health, and/or to relief side effects by high level of plant protein ingredients in maricultural animals deserve more attention.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of original research and review articles aimed at evaluating the gut microbial composition and its relation with ambient environments or diseases, the functions of gut microbes and its relation with host, the modulation of gut microbiota and general health by feed ingredients/additives in maricultural animals. More specifically, we invite submissions related, but not only limited, to:
- The microbial composition in the gut of maricultural animals, and its relation with environments.
- The roles of gut microbiota in dietary nutrients digestion and metabolism, the mechanisms based on -omics techniques are highly welcomed.
- The interactions between gut microbiota and specific diseases in maricultural animals.
- Cross-talk between gut microbes and host local and system immunity, molecular mechanisms underlying this are especially welcomed.
- The impact of feed ingredients, especially plant proteins ingredients on gut microbiota and general health of maricultural animals
- The effects of functional feed additives on gut microbiota, general health and productive performance.
The gut of fish harbors a complex microbial community, which plays important roles, including the capacity to contribute to the gut mucosal immune development and function, provide resistance to infectious pathogens, and improve digestion and metabolism. Thus, the maintenance of gut microbial homeostasis is essential to the general health and growth performance of fish. In the past decades, probiotics, prebiotics and other functional feed additives have demonstrated positive impacts on gut microbiota, immunity and also growth performance. However, there are still limitations on the gut microbial composition and its relation with ambient environments and specific diseases, the functions of gut microbes and their interactions with host. The impacts of feed ingredients, especially plant protein ingredients on gut microbiota and possible mechanisms are still far from clear. In addition, the exploration of functional feed additives to improve gut microbial homeostasis and general health, and/or to relief side effects by high level of plant protein ingredients in maricultural animals deserve more attention.
In this Research Topic, we welcome the submission of original research and review articles aimed at evaluating the gut microbial composition and its relation with ambient environments or diseases, the functions of gut microbes and its relation with host, the modulation of gut microbiota and general health by feed ingredients/additives in maricultural animals. More specifically, we invite submissions related, but not only limited, to:
- The microbial composition in the gut of maricultural animals, and its relation with environments.
- The roles of gut microbiota in dietary nutrients digestion and metabolism, the mechanisms based on -omics techniques are highly welcomed.
- The interactions between gut microbiota and specific diseases in maricultural animals.
- Cross-talk between gut microbes and host local and system immunity, molecular mechanisms underlying this are especially welcomed.
- The impact of feed ingredients, especially plant proteins ingredients on gut microbiota and general health of maricultural animals
- The effects of functional feed additives on gut microbiota, general health and productive performance.
Keywords: mariculture, gut microbiota, host-microbe interactions, feed ingredients, gut health
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
