Effects of Artificial Compound Feed for Live Fish Feed on Growth Performance, Nutrient Composition, Digestive Performance, and Gut Microbiota of Giant Salamander (Andrias davidianus)

Abstract

This study explored the effects of replacing live fish feed with artificial compound feed on the growth performance, nutritional composition, digestive performance, and gut microbiota of Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus). The experiment was divided into three groups, each with three biological replicates. The salamander juveniles were fed artificial compound feed (S), live fish (H), and frozen fish (D) for 184 days. Results showed no significant differences in growth performance among the three groups (p > 0.05). The water content in the S group was significantly higher than that in the H group (p 0.05). The analysis of amino acid composition found no significant differences among the three groups of Chinese giant salamanders (p > 0.05). The analysis of fatty acid composition revealed that the feed group had significantly lower levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids compared with the other two groups (p 0.05). There were also no significant differences in the remaining antioxidant indicators in the intestine and liver among the three groups of salamanders (p > 0.05). The S group had significantly higher Pielou_e and Shannon indices (p

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