Annie Deck at Oceanic Institute.
Annie Deck, who earned a Master of Science in Marine Science from Hawaiʻi Pacific University, served as lead author of a newly published study examining how the gut microbiome, the community of microorganisms that lives in the digestive tract, develops in larval yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens). The study, "Succession of the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens) microbiome from hatch to settlement in a recirculating aquaculture system," was published in PeerJ on Sept. 21, 2026.
Brianna Hauser, a current Master of Science in Marine Science student at HPU who conducted the research as an undergraduate student, is a co-author. Olivia Nigro, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, served as the study's senior author.
Conducted in partnership with the Oceanic Institute of HPU's Finfish Department, the research followed a cohort of yellow tang from hatch through the juvenile stage in a recirculating aquaculture system. Researchers analyzed microbial communities associated with the fish, their feed, and their rearing water at key developmental stages and found that the yellow tang gut microbiome changes significantly throughout early development. The study also found that diet changes coincided with notable shifts in the fish's microbial communities.
“Fish development is about much more than what we can see externally,” Nigro said. “The microbial community associated with an animal is also changing as it develops and interacts with its environment. Understanding how those communities become established gives us another piece of the puzzle as we work to understand the biology of these animals and improve aquaculture practices.”
Lead author of recently published yellow tang research, Annie Deck, conducts research at Oceanic Institute.
The study builds on advances in yellow tang aquaculture at the Oceanic Institute and highlights opportunities for HPU students to participate in research from undergraduate projects through graduate study and peer-reviewed publication.
“One of the things I find most rewarding about this project is that students were not simply assisting with someone else’s research; they were helping drive the science,” Nigro said. “Brianna began working on this project as an undergraduate and is now continuing her graduate education at HPU, while Annie took the work she began as a master’s student all the way through to publication. That kind of continuity gives students the opportunity to experience the full scientific process.”
