@article{fdi:010096506,
  title = {{M}arine heatwaves, ocean warming and acidification reshape reef fish gut microbiomes},
  author = {{M}itchell, {A}. and {H}ayes, {C}. and {H}udson, {C}. {J}. and {C}onnell, {S}. {D}. and {H}arvey, {B}. and {A}gostini, {S}ylvain and {J}olly, {J}. and {R}avasi, {T}. and {B}ooth, {D}. {J}. and {N}agelkerken, {I}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{E}xtreme climatic events and gradual climate change are increasingly anticipated to interact and reshape ecological communities. {H}owever, the combined effects of ocean warming, acidification and marine heatwaves on host-associated microbial communities and their potential role in host adaptation remain poorly understood. {H}ere, we assessed shifts in gut microbiome communities and their associations with physiological performance in one tropical ({A}budefduf vaigiensis) and one subtropical ({M}icrocanthus strigatus) reef fish species, across three temperate reefs representing natural analogues of climate change: a present-day baseline ('cool reef'), a chronically warmed reef ('warm reef') and a reef experiencing combined warming and extreme acidification ('extreme reef'). {W}e also examined gut microbiome changes in {A}. vaigiensis before and during a severe marine heatwave. {A}. vaigiensis had lower gut microbiome evenness and diversity at the warm (43% and 44% decrease, respectively) and extreme (38% and 31% decrease) reefs compared to the cool reef, and its gut microbiome community shifted at the extreme reef with a 122% increase in abundance of opportunistic bacteria {V}ibrio. {A}. vaigiensis also had lower gut microbiome richness at the warm (42% decrease) and extreme (52% decrease) reefs during the heatwave compared to pre-heatwave individuals. {I}n contrast, {M}. strigatus showed higher microbiome evenness (99% increase) and diversity (98% increase) at the warm reef compared to the cool reef; however, these gains were lost at the extreme reef, with microbiome diversity and evenness returning to cool reef levels. {M}icrobiome changes in both species were generally not associated with their physiological performance (protein content, oxidative stress, antioxidant capacity or body condition). {O}ur findings suggest that marine heatwaves, ocean warming and acidification can reshape reef fish gut microbiomes, driving simplification in {A}budefduf vaigiensis but distinct restructuring in {M}icrocanthus strigatus. {W}e conclude that climate-driven microbiome reshuffling may alter host-microbiome relationships and functions in fishes in a future ocean.},
  keywords = {climate change ; extreme climate events ; gut microbiome ; marine ; heatwaves ; natural analogues ; ocean acidification ; ocean warming ; physiology ; reef fishes},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{M}olecular {E}cology},
  volume = {35},
  numero = {5},
  pages = {e70275 [14 p.]},
  ISSN = {0962-1083},
  year = {2026},
  DOI = {10.1111/mec.70275},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010096506},
}