An economical Custom-Built drone for assessing whale health

Pirotta, V; Smith, A; Ostrowski, M; Russell, D; Jonsen, ID; Grech, A; Harcourt, R

An economical Custom-Built drone for assessing whale health

Pirotta, V Smith, A Ostrowski, M

Russell, D Jonsen, ID Grech, A Harcourt, R

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Publisher:: Frontiers Media
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Frontiers in Marine Science, 2017, 4, (DEC), pp. 1-12
Issue Date:: 2017-12-21

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Pirotta, V
dc.contributor.author	Smith, A
dc.contributor.author	Ostrowski, M https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4357-3023
dc.contributor.author	Russell, D
dc.contributor.author	Jonsen, ID
dc.contributor.author	Grech, A
dc.contributor.author	Harcourt, R
dc.date.accessioned	2022-07-07T06:46:51Z
dc.date.available	2022-07-07T06:46:51Z
dc.date.issued	2017-12-21
dc.identifier.citation	Frontiers in Marine Science, 2017, 4, (DEC), pp. 1-12
dc.identifier.issn	2296-7745
dc.identifier.issn	2296-7745
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/158714
dc.description.abstract	Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have huge potential to improve the safety and efficiency of sample collection from wild animals under logistically challenging circumstances. Here we present a method for surveying population health that uses UAVs to sample respiratory vapor, 'whale blow,' exhaled by free-swimming humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and coupled this with amplification and sequencing of respiratory tract microbiota. We developed a low-cost multirotor UAV incorporating a sterile petri dish with a remotely operated 'blow' to sample whale blow with minimal disturbance to the whales. This design addressed several sampling challenges: accessibility; safety; cost, and critically, minimized the collection of atmospheric and seawater microbiota and other potential sources of sample contamination. We collected 59 samples of blow from northward migrating humpback whales off Sydney, Australia and used high throughput sequencing of bacterial ribosomal gene markers to identify putative respiratory tract microbiota. Model-based comparisons with seawater and drone-captured air demonstrated that our system minimized external sources of contamination and successfully captured sufficient material to identify whale blow-specific microbial taxa. Whale-specific taxa included species and genera previously associated with the respiratory tracts or oral cavities of mammals (e.g., Pseudomonas, Clostridia, Cardiobacterium), as well as species previously isolated from dolphin or killer whale blowholes (Corynebacteria, others). Many examples of exogenous marine species were identified, including Tenacibaculum and Psychrobacter spp. that have been associated with the skin microbiota of marine mammals and fish and may include pathogens. This information provides a baseline of respiratory tract microbiota profiles of contemporary whale health. Customized UAVs are a promising new tool for marine megafauna research and may have broad application in cost-effective monitoring and management of whale populations worldwide.
dc.language	English
dc.publisher	Frontiers Media
dc.relation.ispartof	Frontiers in Marine Science
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.3389/fmars.2017.00425
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	0405 Oceanography, 0602 Ecology
dc.title	An economical Custom-Built drone for assessing whale health
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	4
utslib.for	0405 Oceanography
utslib.for	0602 Ecology
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Strength - C3 - Climate Change Cluster
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
pubs.consider-herdc	false
dc.date.updated	2022-07-07T06:46:49Z
pubs.issue	DEC
pubs.publication-status	Published
pubs.volume	4
utslib.citation.issue	DEC

Abstract:

Drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have huge potential to improve the safety and efficiency of sample collection from wild animals under logistically challenging circumstances. Here we present a method for surveying population health that uses UAVs to sample respiratory vapor, 'whale blow,' exhaled by free-swimming humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), and coupled this with amplification and sequencing of respiratory tract microbiota. We developed a low-cost multirotor UAV incorporating a sterile petri dish with a remotely operated 'blow' to sample whale blow with minimal disturbance to the whales. This design addressed several sampling challenges: accessibility; safety; cost, and critically, minimized the collection of atmospheric and seawater microbiota and other potential sources of sample contamination. We collected 59 samples of blow from northward migrating humpback whales off Sydney, Australia and used high throughput sequencing of bacterial ribosomal gene markers to identify putative respiratory tract microbiota. Model-based comparisons with seawater and drone-captured air demonstrated that our system minimized external sources of contamination and successfully captured sufficient material to identify whale blow-specific microbial taxa. Whale-specific taxa included species and genera previously associated with the respiratory tracts or oral cavities of mammals (e.g., Pseudomonas, Clostridia, Cardiobacterium), as well as species previously isolated from dolphin or killer whale blowholes (Corynebacteria, others). Many examples of exogenous marine species were identified, including Tenacibaculum and Psychrobacter spp. that have been associated with the skin microbiota of marine mammals and fish and may include pathogens. This information provides a baseline of respiratory tract microbiota profiles of contemporary whale health. Customized UAVs are a promising new tool for marine megafauna research and may have broad application in cost-effective monitoring and management of whale populations worldwide.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/158714