Respiratory microbiomes reflect whale health

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Microbiome research
• Conservation science

Background:

• Baleen whales are vital to marine ecosystems but assessing their health is challenging.
• Non-invasive methods, like drone-collected respiratory samples, offer new health assessment possibilities.
• North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are critically endangered, necessitating effective health monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic potential of respiratory exhalant microbiota for assessing North Atlantic right whale health.
• To correlate microbial profiles with multiple health metrics, including body condition.
• To identify specific bacterial taxa associated with different health statuses.

Main Methods:

• Collected 103 respiratory exhalant samples from 85 North Atlantic right whales using drones (2016-2024).
• Characterized the bacterial and archaeal microbiome via amplicon sequencing.
• Assessed whale health using a body condition index from drone imagery, photo-identification data, and a vital rates model.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated significant relationships between respiratory microbiota and whale health metrics using penalized regression.
• Identified distinct bacterial taxa associated with body condition differences between thin and robust male whales.
• Observed potential pathogens (Clostridium, Peptoniphilus) in thin whales and lipid-associated taxa (Sediminispirochaeta, Candidatus Gracilibacteria) in robust whales.

Conclusions:

• Respiratory exhalant microbiota can be a valuable component of non-invasive, multi-metric health assessment models for whales.
• Further research is needed to understand the functional roles of these bacteria in whale health and disease.
• This approach supports improved health assessment and management strategies for endangered whale populations.