Comparative nasal and anal microbiomes in sympatric ringed and harbour seals: insights into host adaptation and niche differentiation
4 affiliations
- 1Fisheries and Oceans Canada Central and Arctic Region 1 , Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- 2Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba 2 , Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- 3Animal Health and Nutrition Department 3 , Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
- 4Conservation and Research Department 4 , Assiniboine Park Zoo, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Abstract
Understanding the microbiomes of marine mammals is essential to explore their health, ecological roles and responses to environmental change. We investigated the nasal and anal microbiota of two sympatric subarctic seals, the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and the ringed seal (Pusa hispida), using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We analysed 34 samples (17 nasal and 17 anal), identifying 741 bacterial amplicon sequence variants. Microbial composition varied by anatomical site and host species. Anal samples were dominated by Firmicutes, while nasal samples were primarily composed of Proteobacteria, especially in harbour seals. At the genus level, Fusobacterium was markedly more abundant in ringed seals, whereas Psychrobacter and Suttonella were more common in harbour seals. Ringed seals showed higher richness in both anal and nasal microbiota. Nasal microbial composition differed significantly between species (PERMANOVA, R² = 0.23, p = 0.001). These patterns suggest distinct microbiome assemblies linked to host physiology and ecology. Our results highlight the importance of anatomical site and species identity in shaping microbial communities and provide initial data for understanding host–microbiome interactions in subarctic marine ecosystems. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to characterize wildlife-associated microbiomes and supports future work exploring their potential associations with health and disease outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{dominguezsanchez2026comparative,
title = {{Comparative nasal and anal microbiomes in sympatric ringed and harbour seals: insights into host adaptation and niche differentiation}},
author = {Carlos A. Domínguez-Sánchez and Olwyn C. Friesen and C-Jae C. Breiter and Katie R. N. Florko and Holly E. L. Gamblin and Andrea Nace and Stephen D. Petersen and Monica Pisani-Konert and Courtney R. Shuert and David J. Yurkowski and Steve H. Ferguson},
journal = {Royal Society Open Science},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1098/rsos.251653},
url = {https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/9/251653/483451/Comparative-nasal-and-anal-microbiomes-in},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Comparative nasal and anal microbiomes in sympatric ringed and harbour seals: insights into host adaptation and niche differentiation
AU - Carlos A. Domínguez-Sánchez
AU - Olwyn C. Friesen
AU - C-Jae C. Breiter
AU - Katie R. N. Florko
AU - Holly E. L. Gamblin
AU - Andrea Nace
AU - Stephen D. Petersen
AU - Monica Pisani-Konert
AU - Courtney R. Shuert
AU - David J. Yurkowski
AU - Steve H. Ferguson
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Royal Society Open Science
DO - 10.1098/rsos.251653
UR - https://royalsocietypublishing.org/rsos/article/13/9/251653/483451/Comparative-nasal-and-anal-microbiomes-in
AB - Understanding the microbiomes of marine mammals is essential to explore their health, ecological roles and responses to environmental change. We investigated the nasal and anal microbiota of two sympatric subarctic seals, the harbour seal (Phoca vitulina) and the ringed seal (Pusa hispida), using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We analysed 34 samples (17 nasal and 17 anal), identifying 741 bacterial amplicon sequence variants. Microbial composition varied by anatomical site and host species. Anal samples were dominated by Firmicutes, while nasal samples were primarily composed of Proteobacteria, especially in harbour seals. At the genus level, Fusobacterium was markedly more abundant in ringed seals, whereas Psychrobacter and Suttonella were more common in harbour seals. Ringed seals showed higher richness in both anal and nasal microbiota. Nasal microbial composition differed significantly between species (PERMANOVA, R² = 0.23, p = 0.001). These patterns suggest distinct microbiome assemblies linked to host physiology and ecology. Our results highlight the importance of anatomical site and species identity in shaping microbial communities and provide initial data for understanding host–microbiome interactions in subarctic marine ecosystems. This study contributes to ongoing efforts to characterize wildlife-associated microbiomes and supports future work exploring their potential associations with health and disease outcomes.
SN - 2054-5703
ER -