Temporal patterns of bacterial communities in shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) culture systems loaded with oyster shells

Abstract Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) shell-loading in aquaculture systems can regulate water quality, a critical factor for Litopenaeus vannamei growth. However, the effects of oyster shell-loading on the bacterial community composition and their interactions during shrimp culture processes remain elusive. Here, 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was used to investigate the dynamics and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial communities in L. vannamei culture systems loaded with oyster shells. The results indicated that oyster shell-loading significantly improved both shrimp survival and water quality. Oyster shell-loading was found to cause a significant increase in the relative abundance of Alphaproteobacteria (P