Disciplines
Immunopathology | Zoology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
The immune system is composed of various organs, systems, and other components with one of the most important being white blood cells. White blood cells are commonly separated into two scientific varieties, granulocytes and agranulocytes, which can be differentiated by the presence or absence of granules in the cytoplasm once stained on a slide. There are three granulocytes and two agranulocytes, each with a distinct function and shape. The ratio of these may impact the effectiveness of this portion of the immune system, and multiple factors could play a role in this ratio, an example being the size of an individual. So, how does the size of a mother keelback snake affect the white blood cell count in their hatchlings? Previous studies in several different animals have investigated this question finding there may be a change in the makeup of white blood cells due to the increased surface area of larger individuals, the unique environments, the variation in diets, and numerous other variables unrelated to mass. The secondary data utilized in this study was originally collected by researchers at University of Sydney in 2016. They collected blood samples from 246 offspring of 49 mother keelback snakes. The dataset was condensed and modified for this report to include nine variables: the offspring's maternal ID, ID, sex, length, mass, percentage of granulocytes, percentage of agranulocytes, and the maternal mass ranking from largest to smallest. The current report observes the shift in the ratio of granulocytes to agranulocytes in relation to the maternal mass rank. This information could improve the studying and understanding of reptilian diseases and immune threats. Results from this study may be used to study the immune system of reptiles and many other animals along with advancing future conservation efforts.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CCSE - Data Science and Analytics
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Kevin Gittner
Included in
White Blood Cell Make Up in Kellback Snake Offspring of Varying Maternal Size
The immune system is composed of various organs, systems, and other components with one of the most important being white blood cells. White blood cells are commonly separated into two scientific varieties, granulocytes and agranulocytes, which can be differentiated by the presence or absence of granules in the cytoplasm once stained on a slide. There are three granulocytes and two agranulocytes, each with a distinct function and shape. The ratio of these may impact the effectiveness of this portion of the immune system, and multiple factors could play a role in this ratio, an example being the size of an individual. So, how does the size of a mother keelback snake affect the white blood cell count in their hatchlings? Previous studies in several different animals have investigated this question finding there may be a change in the makeup of white blood cells due to the increased surface area of larger individuals, the unique environments, the variation in diets, and numerous other variables unrelated to mass. The secondary data utilized in this study was originally collected by researchers at University of Sydney in 2016. They collected blood samples from 246 offspring of 49 mother keelback snakes. The dataset was condensed and modified for this report to include nine variables: the offspring's maternal ID, ID, sex, length, mass, percentage of granulocytes, percentage of agranulocytes, and the maternal mass ranking from largest to smallest. The current report observes the shift in the ratio of granulocytes to agranulocytes in relation to the maternal mass rank. This information could improve the studying and understanding of reptilian diseases and immune threats. Results from this study may be used to study the immune system of reptiles and many other animals along with advancing future conservation efforts.