1
|
Koper L, Koretsky IA, Rahmat SJ. The tympanic region of the skull in extant pinnipeds: A pilot study of auditory morphological disparity using linear morphometric principal component analysis. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:3021-3040. [PMID: 38332639 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Pinnipeds are unique semiaquatic taxa possessing adaptations to hear efficiently both in water and on land. Research over the past century is extremely limited on the auditory apparatus morphology of pinnipeds, which include the Families Phocidae (true seals), Otariidae (sea lions/fur seals), and Odobenidae (walruses). Our extensive literature review revealed inaccurate terminology of this region, with details corresponding only to terrestrial taxa, and a severe lack of information due to very few current studies. This demonstrates the need for evaluation and comparison of the auditory morphologies of modern terrestrial and semiaquatic carnivorans in relation to hearing. This initial study compares tympanic bullar morphologies of Phocidae to other pinnipeds and representatives of terrestrial carnivoran families. Morphological correlations of the basicranial auditory region were also compared within phocid subfamilies. Eleven skull measurements and about eleven calculated ratios were included in multiple principal component analyses to determine what areas of the auditory apparatus had the most significant morphological variation. This is the first study using this methodology, especially in reference to the hearing adaptations of pinnipeds, specifically in phocids. Results demonstrate distinct trends in phocid bullar morphology relative to other pinnipeds. Analyses reveal that: (1) phocids generally have different bullar morphology than otariids and odobenids; (2) Neomonachus schauinslandi (Hawaiian monk seal) and Neomonachus tropicalis (Caribbean monk seal) have unique morphology compared to phocids and other pinnipeds. Future work with increased number of specimens will further substantiate these findings and both ontogenetic and sexual variations will be examined.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsey Koper
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Irina A Koretsky
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Sulman J Rahmat
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Howard University, Washington, DC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ciccone C, Kante F, Folkow LP, Hazlerigg DG, West AC, Wood SH. Circadian coupling of mitochondria in a deep-diving mammal. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246990. [PMID: 38495024 PMCID: PMC11058691 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Regulation of mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is essential to match energy supply to changing cellular energy demands, and to cope with periods of hypoxia. Recent work implicates the circadian molecular clock in control of mitochondrial function and hypoxia sensing. Because diving mammals experience intermittent episodes of severe hypoxia, with diel patterning in dive depth and duration, it is interesting to consider circadian-mitochondrial interaction in this group. Here, we demonstrate that the hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), a deep-diving Arctic pinniped, shows strong daily patterning of diving behaviour in the wild. Cultures of hooded seal skin fibroblasts exhibit robust circadian oscillation of the core clock genes per2 and arntl. In liver tissue collected from captive hooded seals, expression of arntl was some 4-fold higher in the middle of the night than in the middle of the day. To explore the clock-mitochondria relationship, we measured the mitochondrial oxygen consumption in synchronized hooded seal skin fibroblasts and found a circadian variation in mitochondrial activity, with higher coupling efficiency of complex I coinciding with the trough of arntl expression. These results open the way for further studies of circadian-hypoxia interactions in pinnipeds during diving.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Ciccone
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| | - Fayiri Kante
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| | - Lars P. Folkow
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| | - David G. Hazlerigg
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| | - Alexander C. West
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| | - Shona H. Wood
- Arctic Seasonal Timekeeping Initiative (ASTI), Arctic Chronobiology and Physiology Research Group, Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø NO-9037, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Vacquié-Garcia J, Spitz J, Hammill M, Stenson GB, Kovacs KM, Lydersen C, Chimienti M, Renaud M, Méndez Fernandez P, Jeanniard du Dot T. Foraging habits of Northwest Atlantic hooded seals over the past 30 years: Future habitat suitability under global warming. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17186. [PMID: 38450925 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024]
Abstract
The Arctic is a global warming 'hot-spot' that is experiencing rapid increases in air and ocean temperatures and concomitant decreases in sea ice cover. These environmental changes are having major consequences on Arctic ecosystems. All Arctic endemic marine mammals are highly dependent on ice-associated ecosystems for at least part of their life cycle and thus are sensitive to the changes occurring in their habitats. Understanding the biological consequences of changes in these environments is essential for ecosystem management and conservation. However, our ability to study climate change impacts on Arctic marine mammals is generally limited by the lack of sufficiently long data time series. In this study, we took advantage of a unique dataset on hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) movements (and serum samples) that spans more than 30 years in the Northwest Atlantic to (i) investigate foraging (distribution and habitat use) and dietary (trophic level of prey and location) habits over the last three decades and (ii) predict future locations of suitable habitat given a projected global warming scenario. We found that, despite a change in isotopic signatures that might suggest prey changes over the 30-year period, hooded seals from the Northwest Atlantic appeared to target similar oceanographic characteristics throughout the study period. However, over decades, they have moved northward to find food. Somewhat surprisingly, foraging habits differed between seals breeding in the Gulf of St Lawrence vs those breeding at the "Front" (off Newfoundland). Seals from the Gulf favoured colder waters while Front seals favoured warmer waters. We predict that foraging habitats for hooded seals will continue to shift northwards and that Front seals are likely to have the greatest resilience. This study shows how hooded seals are responding to rapid environmental change and provides an indication of future trends for the species-information essential for effective ecosystem management and conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jade Vacquié-Garcia
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Jérôme Spitz
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
- Observatoire Pelagis, UAR 3462 La Rochelle Université - CNRS, La Rochelle, France
| | - Mike Hammill
- Institut Maurice Lamontagne, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Mont-Joli, Québec, Canada
| | - Garry B Stenson
- Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Kit M Kovacs
- Fram Centre, Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø, Norway
| | | | - Marianna Chimienti
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Mathylde Renaud
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | | | - Tiphaine Jeanniard du Dot
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372 CNRS - La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Toro‐Valdivieso C, Toro F, Stubbs S, Castro‐Nallar E, Blacklaws B. Patterns of the fecal microbiota in the Juan Fernández fur seal (Arctocephalus philippii). Microbiologyopen 2021; 10:e1215. [PMID: 34459554 PMCID: PMC8302013 DOI: 10.1002/mbo3.1215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As apex predators, pinnipeds are considered to be useful bioindicators of marine and coastal environments. Endemic to a small archipelago in the South Pacific, the Juan Fernandez fur seal (JFFS) is one of the less-studied members of the pinniped family Otariidae. This study aimed to characterize the fecal microbiome of the JFFS for the first time, to establish a baseline for future studies of host-microbial-environment interactions and monitoring programs. During two consecutive reproductive seasons, 57 fecal samples were collected from seven different JFFS colonies within the Juan Fernandez Archipelago, Chile. Bacterial composition and abundance were characterized by sequencing the V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. The overall microbiome composition was dominated by five phyla: Firmicutes (40% ±24), Fusobacteria (30% ±17), Bacteroidetes (22% ±10), Proteobacteria (6% ±4), and Actinobacteria (2% ±3). Alpha diversity was higher in Tierras Blancas. However, location was not found to be a dominant driver of microbial composition. Interestingly, the strongest signal in the data was a negative association between the genera Peptoclostridium and Fusobacterium, which explained 29.7% of the total microbial composition variability between samples. The genus Peptoclostridium has not been reported in other pinniped studies, and its role here is unclear, with interpretation challenging due to a lack of information regarding microbiome functionality in marine mammals. As a first insight into the JFFS fecal microbiome, these results contribute towards our understanding of the natural microbial diversity and composition in free-ranging pinnipeds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Frederick Toro
- Facultad de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
- Escuela de Medicina VeterinariaFacultad de Recursos Naturales y Medicina VeterinariaUniversidad Santo TomásViña del MarChile
- ONG PanthalassaRed de Estudios de Vertebrados Marinos en ChileSantiagoChile
- Ph.D. Program in Conservation MedicineFacultad de Ecología y Recursos NaturalesUniversidad Andrés BelloSantiagoChile
| | - Samuel Stubbs
- Department of Infectious Disease EpidemiologyLondon School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineLondonUK
| | - Eduardo Castro‐Nallar
- Center for Bioinformatics and Integrative BiologyUniversidad Andres BelloSantiagoChile
| | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Frouin-Mouy H, Mouy X, Berchok CL, Blackwell SB, Stafford KM. Acoustic occurrence and behavior of ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. Polar Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-019-02462-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
|
6
|
Vacquie-Garcia J, Lydersen C, Biuw M, Haug T, Fedak MA, Kovacs KM. Hooded seal Cystophora cristata foraging areas in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean-Investigated using three complementary methods. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0187889. [PMID: 29211797 PMCID: PMC5718402 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0187889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Identifying environmental characteristics that define the ecological niche of a species is essential to understanding how changes in physical conditions might affect its distribution and other aspects of its ecology. The present study used satellite relay data loggers (SRDLs) to study habitat use by Northeast Atlantic hooded seals (N = 20; 9 adult females, 3 adult males, and 8 juveniles). Three different methods were used in combination to achieve maximum insight regarding key foraging areas for hooded seals in this region, which have decline by 85% in recent decades: 1) first passage time (FPT); 2) vertical transit rate and; 3) change in dive drift rate. Generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) were applied to each method to determine whether specific habitat characteristics were associated with foraging. Separate models were run for the post-molting and the post-breeding seasons; sex and age classes were included in the GAMMs. All three methods highlighted a few common geographic areas as being important foraging zones; however, there were also some different areas identified by the different methods, which highlights the importance of using multiple indexes when analyzing tracking and diving data to study foraging behavior. Foraging occurred most commonly in relatively shallow areas with high Sea Surface Temperatures (SST), corresponding to continental shelf areas with Atlantic Water masses. All age and sex classes overlapped spatially to some extent, but the different age and sex groups showed differences in the bathymetry of their foraging areas as well as in their vertical use of the water column. When foraging, pups dove in the upper part of the water column in relatively deep areas. Adult females foraged relatively shallowly in deep water areas too, though in shallower areas than pups. Adult males foraged close to the bottom in shallower areas.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Martin Biuw
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
- Institute of Marine Research, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Tore Haug
- Institute of Marine Research, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Mike A. Fedak
- Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kit M. Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, Tromsø, Norway
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Gomez C, Lawson J, Kouwenberg AL, Moors-Murphy H, Buren A, Fuentes-Yaco C, Marotte E, Wiersma YF, Wimmer T. Predicted distribution of whales at risk: identifying priority areas to enhance cetacean monitoring in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2017. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
|
8
|
Enoksen S, Haug T, Lindstrøm U, Nilssen KT. Recent summer diet of hooded Cystophora cristata and harp Pagophilus groenlandicus seals in the drift ice of the Greenland Sea. Polar Biol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-016-2002-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
9
|
Drift diving by hooded seals (Cystophora cristata) in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103072. [PMID: 25051251 PMCID: PMC4106908 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2013] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Many pinniped species perform a specific dive type, referred to as a 'drift dive', where they drift passively through the water column. This dive type has been suggested to function as a resting/sleeping or food processing dive, and can be used as an indication of feeding success by calculating the daily change in vertical drift rates over time, which reflects the relative fluctuations in buoyancy of the animal as the proportion of lipids in the body change. Northwest Atlantic hooded seals perform drift dives at regular intervals throughout their annual migration across the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. We found that the daily change in drift rate varied with geographic location and the time of year and that this differed between sexes. Positive changes in buoyancy (reflecting increased lipid stores) were evident throughout their migration range and although overlapping somewhat, they were not statistically associated with high use areas as indicated by First Passage Time (FPT). Differences in the seasonal fluctuations of buoyancy between males and females suggest that they experience a difference in patterns of energy gain and loss during winter and spring, associated with breeding. The fluctuations in buoyancy around the moulting period were similar between sexes.
Collapse
|