Marine mammal skin microbiotas are influenced by host phylogeny

Royal Society Open Science
Amy ApprillGordon Waring

Abstract

Skin-associated microorganisms have been shown to play a role in immune function and disease of humans, but are understudied in marine mammals, a diverse animal group that serve as sentinels of ocean health. We examined the microbiota associated with 75 epidermal samples opportunistically collected from nine species within four marine mammal families, including: Balaenopteridae (sei and fin whales), Phocidae (harbour seal), Physeteridae (sperm whales) and Delphinidae (bottlenose dolphins, pantropical spotted dolphins, rough-toothed dolphins, short-finned pilot whales and melon-headed whales). The skin was sampled from free-ranging animals in Hawai'i (Pacific Ocean) and off the east coast of the United States (Atlantic Ocean), and the composition of the bacterial community was examined using the sequencing of partial small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA genes. Skin microbiotas were significantly different among host species and taxonomic families, and microbial community distance was positively correlated with mitochondrial-based host genetic divergence. The oceanic location could play a role in skin microbiota variation, but skin from species sampled in both locations is necessary to determine this influence. These data suggest th...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jan 28, 2021·Animal Microbiome·Amy M Van CiseAmy Apprill
Mar 9, 2021·FEMS Microbiology Ecology·Abigail G KellerKristen E Whalen
Mar 23, 2021·FEMS Microbiology Ecology·Frederick ToroEduardo Castro-Nallar
May 29, 2021·Nature Reviews. Microbiology·Elizabeth K Mallott, Katherine R Amato

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
biopsy
PCR
Assay

Software Mentioned

mothur
PERMANOVA
FigTree
BEAST
Primer
SIMPER
BioMatters
Clustal W
QIIME
nMDS

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