Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health.
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo científico |
| Language: | en |
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The ISME journal
2025
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| _version_ | 1868266127725953024 |
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| author | Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy |
| author_facet | Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy |
| collection | PubMed - marine biology |
| contents | Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health. Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy Animals Microbiota Whales Bacteria Male Female Archaea Respiratory System As important members of the marine ecosystem, baleen whales are frequently managed and protected, but methodology to assess their health remains limited. Recent technological advances, such as the use of drones, support the non-invasive collection of promising health-associated data, including respiratory exhalant microbiota. Here, we considered five health metrics paired with respiratory exhalant samples to examine the utility of characterizing respiratory microorganisms for health diagnostics of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), one of the most endangered baleen whale species. In 2016-2024, we used drones to collect 103 exhalant samples from 85 individuals to examine the associated microbiome, using amplicon sequencing methods targeting bacteria and archaea. The health status of sampled whales was characterized using an index of body condition derived from full-body vertical drone images, three qualitative assessments obtained from photo-identification imagery, and an existing health and vital rates model. Using an elastic net penalized regression approach, we demonstrate significant relationships between these health metrics and respiratory-associated microorganisms. Bacterial taxa that significantly contributed to the model for the body condition index differed between the thinnest and most robust males in the dataset. The thin whale harbored taxa belonging to the same genus as mammalian pathogens, Clostridium and Peptoniphilus, whereas the robust whale harbored taxa commonly observed in lipid-rich environments, Sediminispirochaeta and Candidatus Gracilibacteria. These differences warrant further investigation into the mechanisms by which bacteria contribute to whale health. Our findings demonstrate the utility of non-invasive multi-metric health models that include respiratory exhalant microbiota for whale health assessment and management. |
| format | Artículo científico |
| id | pubmed_41231387 |
| institution | PubMed |
| language | en |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publisher | The ISME journal |
| record_format | pubmed |
| spellingShingle | Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health. Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy Animals Microbiota Whales Bacteria Male Female Archaea Respiratory System Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health. Miller, Carolyn A Pirotta, Enrico Grim, Sharon Moore, Michael J Durban, John W Tyack, Peter L Fearnbach, Holly Leander, Samantha G M Knowlton, Amy R Warren, Amy M Zani, Monica A Asmutis-Silvia, Regina Pettis, Heather M Apprill, Amy Animals Microbiota Whales Bacteria Male Female Archaea Respiratory System As important members of the marine ecosystem, baleen whales are frequently managed and protected, but methodology to assess their health remains limited. Recent technological advances, such as the use of drones, support the non-invasive collection of promising health-associated data, including respiratory exhalant microbiota. Here, we considered five health metrics paired with respiratory exhalant samples to examine the utility of characterizing respiratory microorganisms for health diagnostics of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis), one of the most endangered baleen whale species. In 2016-2024, we used drones to collect 103 exhalant samples from 85 individuals to examine the associated microbiome, using amplicon sequencing methods targeting bacteria and archaea. The health status of sampled whales was characterized using an index of body condition derived from full-body vertical drone images, three qualitative assessments obtained from photo-identification imagery, and an existing health and vital rates model. Using an elastic net penalized regression approach, we demonstrate significant relationships between these health metrics and respiratory-associated microorganisms. Bacterial taxa that significantly contributed to the model for the body condition index differed between the thinnest and most robust males in the dataset. The thin whale harbored taxa belonging to the same genus as mammalian pathogens, Clostridium and Peptoniphilus, whereas the robust whale harbored taxa commonly observed in lipid-rich environments, Sediminispirochaeta and Candidatus Gracilibacteria. These differences warrant further investigation into the mechanisms by which bacteria contribute to whale health. Our findings demonstrate the utility of non-invasive multi-metric health models that include respiratory exhalant microbiota for whale health assessment and management. |
| title | Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health. |
| topic | Animals Microbiota Whales Bacteria Male Female Archaea Respiratory System |
| url | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41231387/ |