Integrated metabolome-metagenome analysis provides new insights into the impacts of sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicus) aestivation on marine sediment composition

To explore the impacts of sea cucumber aestivation on sediment composition, sediments were sampled from aestivation sites and non-aestivation sites of a commercial Apostichopus japonicus culture pond, and metabolome-metagenome integrated analysis was performed. The results showed that 1) there was no significant difference in the microbial composition of sediments between aestivation and non-aestivation sites, but the relative abundances of some bacterial species changed slightly (especially pathogenic and spoilage species); 2) altered average relative abundances of potential host bacteria of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were observed; 3) compared with non-aestivation site sediments, decreased average absolute abundances of two ARGs (tetW and floR) and increased average absolute abundance of one ARG (tetM) were observed in aestivation site sediments; and 4) a total of 74 significantly differentially expressed metabolites (SDMs) were identified in aestivation sites compared with non-aestivation sites. Four SDMs were closely correlated with antibacterial activity and bacterial physiology. All data observed in this study indicate that sea cucumber aestivation does not affect sediment microbial composition but does influence the relative abundances of some bacteria species; in addition, tetM might be considered a key indicator for monitoring and indicating ARG transfer or the sediment status of sea cucumber culture ponds during aestivation. In conclusion, the observations of this study enrich our knowledge of the impacts of the physiological behavior of marine ecosystem inhabitants on their ecosystem and provide novel insights for the management of aquaculture activities.