GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES
Assessing the health state of wild marine mammals and their populations is challenging, and there is a growing need to develop reliable proxies for health determination. Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are influencing disease prevalence and virulence in the marine environment and ther...
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ftdukeunivdsp:oai:localhost:10161/11830 2023-11-12T04:07:47+01:00 GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES Bierlich, Kevin Charles (KC) Johnston, Dave 2016-04-21 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11830 en_US eng https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11830 marine mammals marine conservation skin microbiome health diagnostic tools marine climate change and disease Master's project 2016 ftdukeunivdsp 2023-10-17T09:45:56Z Assessing the health state of wild marine mammals and their populations is challenging, and there is a growing need to develop reliable proxies for health determination. Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are influencing disease prevalence and virulence in the marine environment and there is a need to improve tools and techniques for monitoring the health status of wild marine mammals that are listed as threatened or endangered. The skin is the largest mammalian organ and serves as the first line of defense between the host and their external environment. Most research has focused on human health and has found that the skin microbiome can serve as a protective mechanism by adding to the skin’s defense against colonization of potential pathogenic bacteria. The skin is relatively well-sampled in marine mammals and may serve as a useful proxy for health status, as demonstrated in humans. However, before skin microbiomes become useful health diagnostic tools for marine mammals, more information is needed about the factors influencing variability within the skin microbial community. I analyzed the skin microbiome of 72 apparently healthy humpback whales primarily from Antarctica, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Gulf of Maine. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses revealed two dominant families of bacteria (Moraxellaceae and Flavobacteriaceae) found on each individual whale. However, there were significant differences in the skin microbiomes amongst whales from different geographic areas, both globally as well as amongst regions within Antarctica. These findings provide support that there is a species-specific microbiome on humpback skin that varies according to geographic factors. This initial characterization of the healthy humpback skin microbiome in Antarctica is helpful for future health diagnostic efforts aimed especially at heath-compromised animals. This research ultimately aims to be the building blocks for exploring how the skin microbiome can be used as a diagnostic tool for ... Master Thesis Antarc* Antarctica Alaska Duke University Libraries: DukeSpace |
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Duke University Libraries: DukeSpace |
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English |
topic |
marine mammals marine conservation skin microbiome health diagnostic tools marine climate change and disease |
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marine mammals marine conservation skin microbiome health diagnostic tools marine climate change and disease Bierlich, Kevin Charles (KC) GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
topic_facet |
marine mammals marine conservation skin microbiome health diagnostic tools marine climate change and disease |
description |
Assessing the health state of wild marine mammals and their populations is challenging, and there is a growing need to develop reliable proxies for health determination. Climate change and other anthropogenic factors are influencing disease prevalence and virulence in the marine environment and there is a need to improve tools and techniques for monitoring the health status of wild marine mammals that are listed as threatened or endangered. The skin is the largest mammalian organ and serves as the first line of defense between the host and their external environment. Most research has focused on human health and has found that the skin microbiome can serve as a protective mechanism by adding to the skin’s defense against colonization of potential pathogenic bacteria. The skin is relatively well-sampled in marine mammals and may serve as a useful proxy for health status, as demonstrated in humans. However, before skin microbiomes become useful health diagnostic tools for marine mammals, more information is needed about the factors influencing variability within the skin microbial community. I analyzed the skin microbiome of 72 apparently healthy humpback whales primarily from Antarctica, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, American Samoa, and the Gulf of Maine. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses revealed two dominant families of bacteria (Moraxellaceae and Flavobacteriaceae) found on each individual whale. However, there were significant differences in the skin microbiomes amongst whales from different geographic areas, both globally as well as amongst regions within Antarctica. These findings provide support that there is a species-specific microbiome on humpback skin that varies according to geographic factors. This initial characterization of the healthy humpback skin microbiome in Antarctica is helpful for future health diagnostic efforts aimed especially at heath-compromised animals. This research ultimately aims to be the building blocks for exploring how the skin microbiome can be used as a diagnostic tool for ... |
author2 |
Johnston, Dave |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Bierlich, Kevin Charles (KC) |
author_facet |
Bierlich, Kevin Charles (KC) |
author_sort |
Bierlich, Kevin Charles (KC) |
title |
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
title_short |
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
title_full |
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
title_fullStr |
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
title_full_unstemmed |
GEOGRAPHIC INFLUENCES ON THE SKIN MICROBIOME OF HUMPBACK WHALES |
title_sort |
geographic influences on the skin microbiome of humpback whales |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11830 |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Alaska |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Alaska |
op_relation |
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/11830 |
_version_ |
1782328327078412288 |