White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)
IntroductionEstimated white blood cell (WBC) counts are a valuable tool for assessing individual and population health in wildlife and domestic animals due to their role in the response to environmental stressors and disease. These measures are infrequently used in the study of wild seabird species,...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1545905/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850135317850357760 |
|---|---|
| author | Kelsey Ryan Lindsay J. Adrean Lindsay J. Adrean Matt G. Betts Jonathan Dachenhaus Jennifer Johns Miranda Michlanski S. Kim Nelson Shannon Phelps James W. Rivers Daniel D. Roby Ethan Woodis Brianna R. Beechler |
| author_facet | Kelsey Ryan Lindsay J. Adrean Lindsay J. Adrean Matt G. Betts Jonathan Dachenhaus Jennifer Johns Miranda Michlanski S. Kim Nelson Shannon Phelps James W. Rivers Daniel D. Roby Ethan Woodis Brianna R. Beechler |
| author_sort | Kelsey Ryan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionEstimated white blood cell (WBC) counts are a valuable tool for assessing individual and population health in wildlife and domestic animals due to their role in the response to environmental stressors and disease. These measures are infrequently used in the study of wild seabird species, despite their utility when used alongside other common health assays - such as infectious disease testing, body condition, and population monitoring efforts. The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a seabird of conservation concern that is federally listed as threatened by the states of Oregon, Washington, and California, thus necessitating the evaluation of its physiological health.MethodsWe evaluated the utility of estimated WBC counts as measures of health, asking whether counts changed by measures of individual health (i.e., sex, L. marmoratii hemoparasite burden, body condition index, and nesting propensity) and population health (i.e., changes in counts by year). We used blood smears collected from over 350 murrelets captured along the Oregon Coast between April and June of 2017-2019 and 2021-2022 to estimate total WBC and differential counts.ResultsEstimated WBC counts were found to appear lower in years with more favorable ocean conditions, when nesting propensity was relatively high. Male murrelets, individuals less likely to nest, and individuals with greater L. marmoratii burden had significantly lower estimated WBC counts, whereas individuals with a lower body condition index had elevated estimated WBC counts.DiscussionThese results demonstrate the utility of estimated WBC counts to further assess health at the individual and population levels in the study of species of heightened conservation concern and should be considered as an addition to research plans. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6f9f09cd38ed4443b478a3468fd44ccc |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-6f9f09cd38ed4443b478a3468fd44ccc2025-08-20T02:31:27ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692025-05-011210.3389/fvets.2025.15459051545905White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus)Kelsey Ryan0Lindsay J. Adrean1Lindsay J. Adrean2Matt G. Betts3Jonathan Dachenhaus4Jennifer Johns5Miranda Michlanski6S. Kim Nelson7Shannon Phelps8James W. Rivers9Daniel D. Roby10Ethan Woodis11Brianna R. Beechler12Carlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesAmerican Bird Conservancy, The Plains, VA, United StatesDepartment of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Forest, Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesCarlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesCarlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesCarlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesDepartment of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesCarlson College of Veterinary Medicine, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, United StatesIntroductionEstimated white blood cell (WBC) counts are a valuable tool for assessing individual and population health in wildlife and domestic animals due to their role in the response to environmental stressors and disease. These measures are infrequently used in the study of wild seabird species, despite their utility when used alongside other common health assays - such as infectious disease testing, body condition, and population monitoring efforts. The Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) is a seabird of conservation concern that is federally listed as threatened by the states of Oregon, Washington, and California, thus necessitating the evaluation of its physiological health.MethodsWe evaluated the utility of estimated WBC counts as measures of health, asking whether counts changed by measures of individual health (i.e., sex, L. marmoratii hemoparasite burden, body condition index, and nesting propensity) and population health (i.e., changes in counts by year). We used blood smears collected from over 350 murrelets captured along the Oregon Coast between April and June of 2017-2019 and 2021-2022 to estimate total WBC and differential counts.ResultsEstimated WBC counts were found to appear lower in years with more favorable ocean conditions, when nesting propensity was relatively high. Male murrelets, individuals less likely to nest, and individuals with greater L. marmoratii burden had significantly lower estimated WBC counts, whereas individuals with a lower body condition index had elevated estimated WBC counts.DiscussionThese results demonstrate the utility of estimated WBC counts to further assess health at the individual and population levels in the study of species of heightened conservation concern and should be considered as an addition to research plans.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1545905/fullMarbled Murreletseabirdwildlifereference intervalwhite blood cell countpopulation health |
| spellingShingle | Kelsey Ryan Lindsay J. Adrean Lindsay J. Adrean Matt G. Betts Jonathan Dachenhaus Jennifer Johns Miranda Michlanski S. Kim Nelson Shannon Phelps James W. Rivers Daniel D. Roby Ethan Woodis Brianna R. Beechler White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) Frontiers in Veterinary Science Marbled Murrelet seabird wildlife reference interval white blood cell count population health |
| title | White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) |
| title_full | White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) |
| title_fullStr | White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) |
| title_full_unstemmed | White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) |
| title_short | White blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) |
| title_sort | white blood cell estimates correlate to measures of population and individual health in an endangered population of marbled murrelets brachyramphus marmoratus |
| topic | Marbled Murrelet seabird wildlife reference interval white blood cell count population health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2025.1545905/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kelseyryan whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT lindsayjadrean whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT lindsayjadrean whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT mattgbetts whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT jonathandachenhaus whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT jenniferjohns whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT mirandamichlanski whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT skimnelson whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT shannonphelps whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT jameswrivers whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT danieldroby whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT ethanwoodis whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus AT briannarbeechler whitebloodcellestimatescorrelatetomeasuresofpopulationandindividualhealthinanendangeredpopulationofmarbledmurreletsbrachyramphusmarmoratus |