Gut Microbiota Response in Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) Subjected to a Plant-Based Nutritional Challenge

The gut plays a central role in fish nutrition, immunity, and overall health, making it key in aquaculture research. The microbiota, crucial to gut function, is increasingly studied as an indicator of health and nutritional status. This study characterized the gut microbiota of juvenile meagre (Argyrosomus regius) (initial weight 4.6 ± 0.4 g) fed for seven weeks on diets in which fishmeal (FM) and fish oil (FO) were replaced by increased proportions of plant-based ingredients, with the aim of identifying microbial profiles associated with nutritional challenge. Fish were fed a FM/FO control diet (CTRL; 55.1% FM, 11.3% FO), a low FM/FO diet (CD; 15% FM, 7% FO), or a very low FM/FO diet (ED; 5% FM, 5% FO). Next-generation sequencing analysis of gut mucosa and digesta revealed no significant differences in alpha or beta diversity among different dietary groups. Firmicutes dominated all samples, particularly Bacilli, Mycoplasmatales, Mycoplasmataceae, and Mycoplasma. Significant differences were only observed in low-abundance taxa (Thermoactinomycetales (p = 7.71 × 10-4), Thermoactinomycetaceae (p = 7.71 × 10-4), Kroppenstedtia (p = 1.70 × 10-3), and Pseudogracilibacillus (p = 0.039) in challenged groups. This study highlights the potential of low-abundance microbial groups as targets to establish gut health biomarkers in fish.