Jacksonville, AL – JSU’s Brett Buckner shared that Bee Gray enjoys birds of any kind – but the birds with an exclusive place in their hearts make the majority of people yell, ” Eeeeewwww!”
“I’ve been a sucker for vultures. I’m not able to resist from it.” Gray said. Gray who has recently graduated with the title of Master of Science in biology from JSU. “They do not get the respect they need to get. Many people believe they’re gross However, in reality they clean up our surroundings. They’re helping make the world a better one and can be a major benefit to us.”
Gray’s ability to spot beauty within the more shabby areas of nature led him to a collaboration together with the Dr. Ashley Turner, assistant professor of biology. Together, they wrote a research grant that was awarded to the Alabama Ornithological Society to support Gray’s thesis in Turner’s lab for research.
Gray’s thesis’s title included “Characterization of Antimicrobial Properties in the excrement and functional microbiome of black vultures ( Coragyps atratus).”
“Basically we wanted to know the reason why vultures pee upon their legs” Dr. Turner explained. “Bee’s hypothesis was asking, “Do vultures use their poop to serve as hand cleanser? Are they getting some benefit from this? All while they’re in carrion, that rotting meat which puts them into contact with these vile microbes. Are they using this method to maintain cleanliness?”
It was not a stretch in light of the fact that Gray was already aware of about Vultures.
“Vultures can carry out what’s called Urohidrosis,” Gray explained. “Basically they pee on their legs. It is a way to cool them down, much like sweat. This made me think whether there was another reason for it as well.”
Gray suggested the idea to the Dr. Turner, who is geneticist, and the project was born. The proposal for the grant was written during the Christmas break, and then they submitted it in spring.
“It was that fast,” Dr. Turner declared. “It was Bee’s concept, and I was aware that I was in the right place with contacts and the knowledge, to steer and guide it.”
The pair were presented with a check for $1,000 from the Alabama Ornithological Society. “I was so happy,” Gray said. “It was definitely the high level of my master’s studies.” The study of vultures wasn’t anything that Dr. Turner ever expected to accomplish.
“I’m an individual who is ever open for new thoughts,” Turner said, “so when we began discussing the project, I wasn’t worried about the fact that I’d never dealt with the vultures. I was completely focussed on my research question, and being with Bee and kind of imagining that I could aid in carrying this project through. The excrement of a vulture wasn’t an issue as I was focused on the topic.”
The Dr. Turner leads a team of students at The Worm Hole Research Lab at the campus, using tiny roundworms C. C. elegans as an experimental system to study the function of genes and their evolution as well as the molecular causes of diseases. She also has experimented with rats, mice as well as flies, zebra fish and other zoological species.
“But I’ve never worked with an animal on the open, which means it was a bit different to me” the actress said. “That’s likely the reason I was so excited and open about the experience.”
Before beginning to collect natural samples Gray advised Dr. Turner some advice.
“Bee advised me, while we were conducting surveys out outdoors, be cautious and not to frighten Vultures, or they’ll be able to vomit onto your body,” Turner said. “Their vomit is extremely acidic. It is able to burn.”
The first time they set a deer carcass out on a tarp in the forest, however Vultures did not appear.
“The Tarp scared them away,” Bee said. “Animals particularly vultures are more intelligent than we believe they are and they were aware that there was something amiss.”
Thus, Gray And the Dr. Turner collaborated with the Birmingham Zoo which allowed them to take samples from three black vultures.
“We just waited until the vultures did their things,” Gray said. “Then we would then scoop the frog up. The zoo assisted us by bringing us samples, too.”
The samples were then sent to UAB to assist in the development of the microorganism community, which are also called microbiomes.
“When we examined the microbiomes that reside in the vulture’s excrement” Gray said, “we observed that it could to stop the growth of some kinds of bacteria. Now that we know the excrement of vultures has anti-microbial properties, further studies could be conducted to combat ESKAPE pathogens. They are a class of pathogens that are known to cause various infections in hospitals as well as other pathogens that are common.”
The future of research could result in the creation more effective antibiotics. Gray adds that studying vultures can help us learn more about the roles they play in their surroundings as carrion eaters.
With a master’s degree, and successfully presented her thesis, Gray has accepted an adjunct teaching role at JSU and is planning to pursue an Ph.D. later in the near future.
“I’m sure that I’ll be researching the vultures,” Gray said. “They need more love.”
