Plecs don’t eat wood

[black ghost]

Thought that would get your attention. Hope everyone is well.

The completion of a fascinating 14 year study of Loricariid digestion and gut microbes has concluded that ‘wood eating plecs’ do not actually digest wood, but consume soft (partly-digested my microbes) wood (and detritus) in order to digest the microbes and fungi that are on the wood breaking it down.

It’s far too technical for me, but the conclusions are not.

This means, obviously, that when we give our plecs a nice new clean piece of very hard wood to graze on, we are in effect giving them a tin of beans without a tin-opener.

Surprising stuff.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... zH57Lvc1z8

[fr499y]

I've always known it as wood aids digestion rather than them eating it

[black ghost]

I've always known it as wood aids digestion rather than them eating it

And I always ‘knew’ that as incorrect.

Edit... actually we were both wrong. It’s supplying them with food rather than aiding digestion.

[plankton]

If they're eating they must be digesting.....well, hopefully......

[black ghost]

If they're eating they must be digesting.....well, hopefully......

They don’t digest the wood, it passes right through them. Their gut microbes are not lignin- or cellulose-digesters.
Interestingly they found that each species of plec has different species of gut microbes, that are not directly related to the microbes in the surrounding environment. They’re passed on from parents to fry by the fry eating their parents’ poop (herbivores that have lost their gut microbes after capture for the aquarium trade eat the poop of other herbivores to replenish them). If we knew the identity of these microbes for all plec species we could identify the species just from it’s gut microbes.

[Gingerlove05]

If we knew the identity of these microbes for all plec species we could identify the species just from it’s gut microbes.

Wow! Thats mad to think.
Although identifying microbes might be a little difficult for the average keeper

[Ric]

Not having read the whole article - does that also mean different types of wood would carry different types of microbes? Therefore, a certain wood might be better suited for a certain species of plec; but if one wants to keep different plecs, they would need different types of wood present?

[Stephen]

This means, obviously, that when we give our plecs a nice new clean piece of very hard wood to graze on, we are in effect giving them a tin of beans without a tin-opener.

I found that line quite humorous.

Thanks for that


Stay safe & healthy everyone (and don't forget the tin opener)

[black ghost]

Not having read the whole article - does that also mean different types of wood would carry different types of microbes? Therefore, a certain wood might be better suited for a certain species of plec; but if one wants to keep different plecs, they would need different types of wood present?

I don’t think so. I think the biofilm of any given location would decompose all the woods and leaf litter etc that fell in, and that all biofilm is food for all plecs? The symbiosis between gut microbes and plecs obviously(?) began a long time ago, and they’ve presumably evolved into different species through being isolated inside the plecs guts...?