Abstract
BackgroundHost-specific microbiomes play an important role in individual health and ecology; in marine mammals, epidermal microbiomes may be a protective barrier between the host and its aqueous environment. Understanding these epidermal-associated microbial communities, and their ecological- or health-driven variability, is the first step toward developing health indices for rapid assessment of individual or population health. In Cook Inlet, Alaska, an endangered population of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) numbers fewer than 300 animals and continues to decline, despite more than a decade of conservation effort. Characterizing the epidermal microbiome of this species could provide insight into the ecology and health of this endangered population and allow the development of minimally invasive health indicators based on tissue samples.ResultsWe sequenced the hypervariable IV region of bacterial and archaeal SSU rRNA genes from epidermal tissue samples collected from endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales (n = 33) and the nearest neighboring population in Bristol Bay (n = 39) between 2012 and 2018. We examined the sequences using amplicon sequence variant (ASV)-based analyses, and no ASVs were associated with all individuals, indicating a greater degree of epidermal microbiome variability among beluga whales than in previously studied cetacean species and suggesting the absence of a species-specific core microbiome. Epidermal microbiome composition differed significantly between populations and across sampling years. Comparing the microbiomes of Bristol Bay individuals of known health status revealed 11 ASVs associated with potential pathogens that differed in abundance between healthy individuals and those with skin lesions or dermatitis. Molting and non-molting individuals also differed significantly in microbial diversity and the abundance of potential pathogen-associated ASVs, indicating the importance of molting in maintaining skin health.ConclusionsWe provide novel insights into the dynamics of Alaskan beluga whale epidermal microbial communities. A core epidermal microbiome was not identified across all animals. We characterize microbial dynamics related to population, sampling year and health state including level of skin molting. The results of this study provide a basis for future work to understand the role of the skin microbiome in beluga whale health and to develop health indices for management of the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whales, and cetaceans more broadly.
Highlights
Marine mammals are in constant contact with a diverse and abundant seawater microbial community [1], they host their own unique [2], temporally stable [3], and species-specific [4, 5] epidermal microbial communities
Their associated microbial communities frequently correlate with host health [10]; epidermal microbiomes are thought to be correlated with individual health and disease
Our aims are 1) to describe the core epidermal microbial community associated with Alaska beluga whales, providing insight into the beluga-specific microbiome, 2) to understand variability in epidermal microbial communities, and factors that may affect that variability, and 3) to examine links between beluga epidermal microbial communities and beluga health that may improve our understanding of population-level health and aid the conservation of endangered populations
Summary
Marine mammals are in constant contact with a diverse and abundant seawater microbial community [1], they host their own unique [2], temporally stable [3], and species-specific [4, 5] epidermal microbial communities These microbes may play an important role in or be indicators of marine mammal health and ecology [6, 7]. Host-specific microbiomes play an important role in individual health and ecology; in marine mammals, epidermal microbiomes may be a protective barrier between the host and its aqueous environment Understanding these epidermal-associated microbial communities, and their ecological- or health-driven variability, is the first step toward developing health indices for rapid assessment of individual or population health. Characterizing the epidermal microbiome of this species could provide insight into the ecology and health of this endangered population and allow the development of minimally invasive health indicators based on tissue samples
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