Publications by authors named "Thierry Kerneis"

Inulin affects nutrition and metabolism in many animals. Although inulin is widely used in the diet of teleosts, its mechanism of action is unknown. Here, we investigated the effect of inulin (2 %) on the intestinal microbiome and metabolism in rainbow trout () selected for growth and survival when fed a 100 % plant-based diet () and a control line ().

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Occupational enrichment emerges as a promising strategy for improving the welfare of farmed animals. This form of enrichment aims to stimulate cognitive abilities of animals by providing them with more opportunities to interact with and control their environment. Predictability of salient daily events, and in particular predictability of feeding, is currently one of the most studied occupational enrichment strategies and can take several forms.

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Within the context of a growing aquaculture production coupled with a plateau of the production in the main components of aquafeeds (fish oil and fishmeal), recent studies have typically focused on replacing these feedstuffs with terrestrial plant ingredients for cultured carnivorous aquatic species, such as rainbow trout (). Substitution rates without adverse effects have, however, reached their limit. One potential way forward would be to take advantage of the genetic variability that exists in the salmonid population.

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To meet the growing demand of fish feed for aquaculture, an increasing proportion of marine ingredients are being replaced by blends of plant products. However, the total replacement of marine ingredients in salmonid diets impairs fish performance. This is particularly true during the early fry stage and this stage is therefore considered of particular importance.

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The main aim of this study was to develop a new objective method for evaluating the impacts of different diets on the live fish skin using image-based features. In total, one-hundred and sixty rainbow trout () were fed either a fish-meal based diet (80 fish) or a 100% plant-based diet (80 fish) and photographed using consumer-grade digital camera. Twenty-three colour features and four texture features were extracted.

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Adaptive phenotypic plasticity is a key component of the ability of organisms to cope with changing environmental conditions. Fish have been shown to exhibit a substantial level of phenotypic plasticity in response to abiotic and biotic factors. In the present study, we investigate the link between environmental sensitivity assessed globally (revealed by phenotypic variation in body weight) and more targeted physiological and behavioral indicators that are generally used to assess the sensitivity of a fish to environmental stressors.

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In the context of limited marine resources, the exponential growth of aquaculture requires the substitution of fish oil and fishmeal, the traditional components of fish feeds by terrestrial plant ingredients. High levels of such substitution are known to negatively impact fish performance such as growth and survival in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) as in other salmonids. In this respect, genetic selection is a key enabler for improving those performances and hence for the further sustainable development of aquaculture.

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The study of inter-individual variability of personality in fish is a growing field of interest but the genetic basis of this complex trait is still poorly investigated due to the difficulty in controlling fish genetic origin and life history. When available, isogenic lines that allow performing independent tests on different individuals having identical genotype constitute a very relevant experimental material to disentangle the genetic and environmental components of behavioural individuality. We took advantage of heterozygous isogenic lines to investigate the personality in rainbow trout through the analysis of their reactions to different experimental situations.

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Genetic adaptation to dietary environments is a key process in the evolution of natural populations and is of great interest in animal breeding. In fish farming, the use of fish meal and fish oil has been widely challenged, leading to the rapidly increasing use of plant-based products in feed. However, high substitution rates impair fish health and growth in carnivorous species.

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