An investigation of the ecological relationship between a carboxymethylcellulase-producing bacterium and pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides / by Tonya G. Mitchell.
| Author/creator | Mitchell, Tonya G. author. |
| Other author | Stellwag, Edmund J. (Edmund Johannes), 1951- degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 1995. |
| Description | 53 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Summary | Pinfish, Lagodon rhomboides, are the numerically dominant fish species found in seagrass beds along the Southeast Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. As adults, these omnivorous fish consume huge quantities of cellulose in the leaves of seagrasses (Montgomery and Targett, 1992; Luczkovich and Stellwag, 1993), although they have not been shown to produce endogenous cellulases (Stickney and Shumway, 1974). Cellulase activity has been demonstrated in several species of fishes, including pinfish; however, attempts to isolate a cellulolytic microflora were unsuccessful (Stickney and Shumway, 1974; Lindsay and Harris. 1980; Weinstein, et al.. I982). Intestinal anaerobic bacteria capable of degrading carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) have been isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of pinfish (Luczkovich ;and Stellwag, 1993). which suggests that these bacteria may provide the enzymes necessary for the metabolism of cellulose to a nutritionally assimilable form. In order to determine the ecological and possible nutritional significance of the association between CMCase-producing bacteria and pinfish, it is necessary to determine the residence time of these CMCase-producing bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. A long-term association between a substantial number of cellulolytic bacteria and pinfish would suggest that these microbes represent an endosymbiotic microbiota. An understanding of the relationship between pinfish and the intestinal microbial community is necessary if we are to understand the likely role of this community in host nutrition. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate whether a long-term association exists between pinfish and CMCase-producing bacteria originally isolated from the intestinal track of a pinfish. The intestinal residence time of Clostridium 57-M-2R. was determined by analysis of gastrointestinal tract samples collected at selective intervals post inoculation from control and experimental pinfish. The results presented in this thesis suggest that cellulolytic Clostridium present in gut of pinfish are not endosymbionts. hut transient residents which are continuously recolonized in the gastrointestinal tract of pinfish.. |
| General note | Submitted to the faculty of the Department of Biology. |
| General note | Advisor: Edmund J. Stellwag |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 1995 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-50). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyner | University Archives | ASK AT SPECIAL COLLECTIONS DESK | ✔ Available | Request Material |
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |