One Function, Many Faces: Functional Convergence in the Gut Microbiomes of European Marine and Freshwater Fish Unveiled by Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis

Intestinal microbiota populations are constantly shaped by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including diet, environment, and host genetics. As a result, understanding how to assess, monitor, and exploit microbiome-host interplay remains an active area of investigation, especially in aquaculture. In this study, we analyzed the taxonomic structure and functional potential of the intestinal microbiota of European sea bass and rainbow trout, incorporating gilthead sea bream as a final reference. The results showed that the identified core microbiota (40 taxa for sea bass and 20 for trout) held a central role in community organization, despite taxonomic variability, and exhibited a predominant number of positive connections (>60% for both species) with the rest of the microbial community in a Bayesian network. From a functional perspective, core-associated bacterial clusters (75% for sea bass and 81% for sea bream) accounted for the majority of predicted metabolic pathways (core contribution: >75% in sea bass and >87% in trout), particularly those involved in carbohydrate, amino acid, and vitamin metabolism. Comparative analysis across ecological phenotypes highlighted distinct microbial biomarkers, with genera such as <i>Vibrio</i>, <i>Pseudoalteromonas</i>, and <i>Paracoccus</i> enriched in saltwater species (<i>Dicentrarchus labrax</i> and <i>Sparus aurata</i>) and <i>Mycoplasma</i> and <i>Clostridium</i> in freshwater (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>). Overall, this study underscores the value of integrating taxonomic, functional, and network-based approaches as practical tools to monitor intestinal health status, assess welfare, and guide the development of more sustainable production strategies in aquaculture.