Water chlorination and environmental factors are associated with dolphin skin microbiome diversity and composition
- 1Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
- 2The Dolphin Company
- 3Dolphin Quest
Abstract
Dolphin skin microbiome is constantly exposed to a microorganism-rich medium and represents the first line of defense from environmental stressors and potential pathogens. While some bacteria cause skin diseases and ulcerating wounds, high water temperature, salinity, and pH seem to lower dolphin wound rates and promote accelerated scar healing. Despite its importance in host health, interactions of dolphin skin microbiome with physical and chemical characteristics of habitats remain poorly understood. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we characterized and compared the skin bacteria communities of 87 common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and 4 rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) living in chlorinated tanks, enclosed lagoons, or open bays. Dolphins living in enclosed lagoons and open bays had skin microbiomes dominated by Enhydrobacter , a bacteria genus found on cetacean skin that occurred at low relative abundance in dolphins in chlorinated tanks. The skin microbiome of dolphins in chlorinated tanks was the most diverse and showed a significant increase of Staphylococcus relative abundance and prevalence when compared to enclosed lagoons and open bay specimens. Among dolphins sampled in open bays across seasons, summer conditions (higher temperature and pH) were associated with up to 10-fold lower Mycobacterium relative abundance, as well as a significant decrease of Streptococcus prevalence, genera associated with slow healing of cutaneous wounds in dolphins. Our results reveal novel insights into the association of physical/chemical environmental factors with dolphin skin microbiome composition. We highlight how the relative abundance and prevalence of potentially opportunistic bacteria on dolphins may vary across human-managed and wild habitats, providing crucial information for the improvement of dolphin husbandry practices and conservation.
Related
- Does host diversity beget microbiome diversity? Effects of zooplankton diversity and composition on environmental and host-associated microbes
- Phylogenetic coherence in microbiome composition across environmental gradients
- Characterizing the composition and diversity of the vaginal microbiome in ovarian cancer
- Evolutionary relatedness is a partially reliable predictor of host-associated microbiome composition
- Environmental variables associated with Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi diversity in Ohio soybean agricultural systems.
BibTeX
@article{fiori2026water,
title = {{Water chlorination and environmental factors are associated with dolphin skin microbiome diversity and composition}},
author = {Lorenzo Fiori and Yajuan Lin and Shuai Gu and Guillermo J. Sánchez-Contreras and Krysta Walker and Dara N. Orbach},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1934395},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1934395/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Water chlorination and environmental factors are associated with dolphin skin microbiome diversity and composition
AU - Lorenzo Fiori
AU - Yajuan Lin
AU - Shuai Gu
AU - Guillermo J. Sánchez-Contreras
AU - Krysta Walker
AU - Dara N. Orbach
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1934395
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1934395/full
AB - Dolphin skin microbiome is constantly exposed to a microorganism-rich medium and represents the first line of defense from environmental stressors and potential pathogens. While some bacteria cause skin diseases and ulcerating wounds, high water temperature, salinity, and pH seem to lower dolphin wound rates and promote accelerated scar healing. Despite its importance in host health, interactions of dolphin skin microbiome with physical and chemical characteristics of habitats remain poorly understood. Using 16S rRNA metabarcoding, we characterized and compared the skin bacteria communities of 87 common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) and 4 rough-toothed dolphins ( Steno bredanensis ) living in chlorinated tanks, enclosed lagoons, or open bays. Dolphins living in enclosed lagoons and open bays had skin microbiomes dominated by Enhydrobacter , a bacteria genus found on cetacean skin that occurred at low relative abundance in dolphins in chlorinated tanks. The skin microbiome of dolphins in chlorinated tanks was the most diverse and showed a significant increase of Staphylococcus relative abundance and prevalence when compared to enclosed lagoons and open bay specimens. Among dolphins sampled in open bays across seasons, summer conditions (higher temperature and pH) were associated with up to 10-fold lower Mycobacterium relative abundance, as well as a significant decrease of Streptococcus prevalence, genera associated with slow healing of cutaneous wounds in dolphins. Our results reveal novel insights into the association of physical/chemical environmental factors with dolphin skin microbiome composition. We highlight how the relative abundance and prevalence of potentially opportunistic bacteria on dolphins may vary across human-managed and wild habitats, providing crucial information for the improvement of dolphin husbandry practices and conservation.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -