MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES ON WALLEYE (SANDER VITREUS) EGGS
This study explores the bacterial communities on walleye (Sander vitreus) eggs immediately after fertilization during water-hardening and at the eyed stage of development. Water samples from the lake where fish were spawned were also collected. DNA was extracted from the microbes recovered from the egg surfaces and 16S rRNA genes sequenced to identify bacterial taxa. The results show that the lake water contained a diverse range of bacteria as well as diatoms from the genus Thalassiosira. However, at the water-hardening stage, the egg surface favored bacterial growth for Flavobacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, and Rhodobacteraceae. At the eyed stage of development, Comamonaseae and Rhodobacteriaceae decreased significantly, and Flavobacteriaceae (mainly Flavobacterium spp.) become dominant.