Exploring Dietary Composition in an Invasive Apple Snail From Different Habitats Combining With Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolomics

ABSTRACT Pomacea canaliculata is recognized as a globally invasive aquatic species. Analyses of intestinal microbiota, dietary composition, and metabolism of invasive species can enhance our understanding of their feeding strategies and physiological adaptation strategies to the environment. Intestinal content samples were collected from P. canaliculata inhabiting three distinct environments including a pond, a river, and a ditch. These samples were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis and multiple metabarcoding analyses, including eukaryotic 18S rRNA, mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI), and chloroplast rbcL genes. In addition, metabolomics analysis was conducted on the intestinal content samples to investigate metabolic change. The highest dietary diversity in P. canaliculata was observed in the ditch, and females exhibited a higher dietary diversity than males in the pond. The 18S rRNA gene has a high potential for identifying the dietary components of omnivorous species. The intestinal microbiota of P. canaliculata from different habitats displayed significant variations, attributed to differences in food resources and other environmental factors. Bacteria in the aquatic environment had minimal impact on the intestinal microbiota of P. canaliculata . Overall, P. canaliculata exhibited adaptive changes in physiological characteristics across different habitats, including alterations in diet, which, in turn, influence microbiota and metabolic pathways such as amino acid biosynthesis in the intestine. The present study investigated the physiological mechanisms that enable P. canaliculata to adapt to diverse habitats, considering various factors including diet, which is important for comprehending its invasive potential and the subsequent threats it poses to aquatic ecosystems.