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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01kk91fp732
Title: The relationship between the gut microbiome and immunity phenotypes in northern elephant seal pups (Mirounga anguistirostris)
Authors: Yu, Emily
Advisors: vonHoldt, Bridgett
Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Class Year: 2022
Abstract: Understanding the factors that contribute to disease states is important for conservation efforts. Recent studies have indicated the critical role that the gut microbiome plays in the manifestation of disease states. Here, northern elephant seal pups (Mirounga anguistirostris) offer a unique opportunity to explore host-pathogen-microbiome interactions. This study assessed gut microbiome differences between lungworm (Otostrongylus circumlitus) infected NES pups and uninfected NES pups. Both alpha and beta diversity metrics were conducted to identify factors driving differences in diversity. Taxonomic composition was classified and differential abundance testing was conducted on a feature and phylum level. There was conflicting evidence to support the hypothesis that infected pups would exhibit dysbiosis, defined as decreased microbial diversity and increased abundance of pathogenic bacteria. While infected pups had higher abundance of a pathogenic bacterium (b080), they exhibited greater median richness and evenness, had the same core microbiome as uninfected pups, and possessed a significance increase of a commensal bacterium (e82b) that is known to produce potentially beneficial metabolites for hosts. It was also hypothesized that beta diversity differences would primarily be driven by intrinsic factors, namely sex and age. This study showed that both extrinsic and intrinsic factors drove beta diversity differences and that surprisingly, an environmental factor (county of stranding) explained the greatest proportion of variance. Even though this study was unable to provide clear support for dysbiosis in infected pups, it is a significant contribution to the small body of work regarding the characterization of NES pup microbiomes and represents one of the first studies investigating the role of the microbiome in lungworm infected NES pups.
URI: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01kk91fp732
Type of Material: Princeton University Senior Theses
Language: en
Appears in Collections:Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 1992-2023

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