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Takahashi M, Førland B, Pastene LA, Skaug HJ. Geographical distribution of close kin in southern right whales on feeding grounds. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0301588. [PMID: 38662742 PMCID: PMC11045074 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0301588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
This study investigated the close kinship structure of southern right whales on feeding grounds during austral summer seasons. The study was based on biopsy samples of 171 individual whales, which were genotyped with 14 microsatellite DNA loci. Kinship was investigated by using the LOD (Log Odds) score, a relatedness index for a pair of genotypes. Based on a cut-off point of LODPO > 6, which was chosen to balance false positives and negatives, a total of 28 dyads were inferred. Among these, 25 were classified as parent-offspring pairs. Additional genetic (mitochondrial DNA haplotypes) and biological (estimated body length, sex) data were used to provide additional information on the inferred close kin pairs. The elapsed time between sampling varied from 0 (close kin detected in the same austral summer season) to 17 years. All the kin pairs occurred within the Antarctic Indo sector (85°-135°E) and no pair occurred between whales within and outside of this sector. Six pairs were between individuals in high (Antarctic) and lower latitudes. Results of the present analysis on kinship are consistent with the views that whales in the Indo sector of the Antarctic are related with the breeding ground in Southwest Australia, and that whales from this population can occupy different feeding grounds. The present study has the potential to contribute to the conservation of the southern right whales through the monitoring of important population parameters such as population sizes and growth rate, in addition to assist the interpretation of stock structure derived from standard population genetic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brage Førland
- Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Luis A. Pastene
- Institute of Cetacean Research, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Project R20F0009, Centro de Estudios del Cuaternario de Fuego, Patagonia y Antártica (CEQUA), Punta Arenas, Chile
| | - Hans J. Skaug
- Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Institute of Marine Research, Nordnes, Bergen, Norway
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Vermeulen E, Thavar T, Glarou M, Ganswindt A, Christiansen F. Decadal decline in maternal body condition of a Southern Ocean capital breeder. Sci Rep 2023; 13:3228. [PMID: 36828886 PMCID: PMC9958138 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-30238-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/26/2023] Open
Abstract
The changing physical properties of the Southern Ocean are known to impact the recruitment and survival of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba). For oceanic krill predators, the resulting reduced energy intake may lead to population-level effects likely preceded by an alteration in the animals' body condition. This is especially true for capital breeders that rely on stored energy for successful reproduction. One such Southern Ocean capital breeder, the southern right whale (Eubalaena australis), has been monitored over the past 43 years in their South African wintering ground. Changes in the population have been documented in the past decade, including a decreased reproductive rate and a shift in foraging strategy. To evaluate if a reduced foraging success is an underlying factor, we assessed the temporal variation in morphological body condition through aerial photogrammetry. Results showed a 23% reduction in maternal body condition, potentially contributing to the decreased reproductive rate of the population. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify a decadal reduction in the body condition of a capital breeder dependent on Southern Ocean productivity. Understanding the bioenergetic consequences of environmental change is vital to predicting species' resilience to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Els Vermeulen
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.
| | - Terriann Thavar
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Maria Glarou
- grid.14013.370000 0004 0640 0021Húsavík Research Centre, University of Iceland, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
| | - Andre Ganswindt
- grid.49697.350000 0001 2107 2298Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Fredrik Christiansen
- grid.7048.b0000 0001 1956 2722Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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3
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Carroll EL, Riekkola L, Andrews-Goff V, Baker CS, Constantine R, Cole R, Goetz K, Harcourt R, Lundquist D, Meyer C, Ogle M, O’Rorke R, Patenaude N, Russ R, Stuck E, van der Reis AL, Zerbini AN, Childerhouse S. New Zealand southern right whale (Eubalaena australis; Tohorā nō Aotearoa) behavioural phenology, demographic composition, and habitat use in Port Ross, Auckland Islands over three decades: 1998–2021. Polar Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-022-03076-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
AbstractChanges in habitat availability and prey abundance are predicted to adversely influence survival and reproduction of wildlife in the Southern Ocean. Some populations of southern right whale (SRW; Eubalaena australis) are showing dramatic changes in habitat use. Surveys were undertaken in the austral winters of 2020 and 2021 at the key nursery and socialising ground for New Zealand SRWs: Port Ross, Auckland Islands, with 548 encounters and 599 skin biopsy samples collected. Data from these two surveys spanned peak periods of use and were used to test the hypothesis there have been shifts in the phenology, demographic composition and behaviour of SRWs using the Auckland Islands over the past three decades. The behavioural phenology and demographic composition of SRW resembles that observed in the 1990s. In contrast, the proportion of groups containing cow-calf pairs increased from 20% in the 1998 survey to 50% in 2020/21. These changes are consistent with a growing population undergoing strong recruitment, not limited by food resources. Continued use of Port Ross by all SRW demographic classes confirms this as key habitat for SRW in New Zealand waters, and we support increased enforcement of existing management measures to reduce whale-vessel interactions in this remote subantarctic archipelago.
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Johnston DR, Rayment W, Dawson SM. Morphometrics and body condition of southern right whales on the calving grounds at Port Ross, Auckland Islands. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-021-00175-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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van den Berg GL, Vermeulen E, Valenzuela LO, Bérubé M, Ganswindt A, Gröcke DR, Hall G, Hulva P, Neveceralova P, Palsbøll PJ, Carroll EL. Decadal shift in foraging strategy of a migratory southern ocean predator. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 27:1052-1067. [PMID: 33319502 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Rapid anthropogenic environmental change is expected to impact a host of ecological parameters in Southern Ocean ecosystems. Of critical concern are the consequences of these changes on the range of species that show fidelity to migratory destinations, as philopatry is hypothesized to help or hinder adaptation to climate change depending on the circumstances. Many baleen whales show philopatry to feeding grounds and are also capital breeders that meet migratory and reproductive costs through seasonal energy intake. Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis, SRWs) are capital breeders that have a strong relationship between reproductive output and foraging success. The population dynamics of South Africa's population of SRWs are characterized by two distinct periods: the 1990s, a period of high calving rates; and the late 2010s, a period associated with lowered calving rates. Here we use analyses of stable carbon (δ13 C) and nitrogen (δ15 N) isotope values from SRW biopsy samples (n = 122) collected during these two distinct periods to investigate foraging ecology of the South African population of SRWs over a time period coincident with the demographic shift. We show that South African SRWs underwent a dramatic northward shift, and diversification, in foraging strategy from 1990s to 2010s. Bayesian mixing model results suggest that during the 1990s, South African SRWs foraged on prey isotopically similar to South Georgia/Islas Georgias del Sur krill. In contrast, in the 2010s, South African SRWs foraged on prey isotopically consistent with the waters of the Subtropical Convergence, Polar Front and Marion Island. We hypothesize that this shift represents a response to changes in preferred habitat or prey, for example, the decrease in abundance and southward range contraction of Antarctic krill. By linking reproductive decline to changing foraging strategies for the first time in SRWs, we show that altering foraging strategies may not be sufficient to adapt to a changing ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gideon L van den Berg
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Els Vermeulen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Luciano O Valenzuela
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Laboratorio de Ecología Evolutiva Humana (LEEH, Facultad de Ciencias Sociales, Unidad de Enseñanza Universitaria Quequén, UNCPBA, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
- Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Martine Bérubé
- Marine Evolution and Conservation Group, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA, USA
| | - Andre Ganswindt
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Darren R Gröcke
- Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry Laboratory (SIBL), Department of Earth Sciences, Durham University, Durham, UK
| | - Grant Hall
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Pavel Hulva
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Ostrava, Ostrava, Czech Republic
| | - Petra Neveceralova
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
- Ivanhoe Sea Safaris, Gansbaai, South Africa
- Dyer Island Conservation Trust, Great White House, Kleinbaai, South Africa
| | - Per J Palsbøll
- Marine Evolution and Conservation Group, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA, USA
| | - Emma L Carroll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Mackay AI, Bailleul F, Carroll EL, Andrews-Goff V, Baker CS, Bannister J, Boren L, Carlyon K, Donnelly DM, Double M, Goldsworthy SD, Harcourt R, Holman D, Lowther A, Parra GJ, Childerhouse SJ. Satellite derived offshore migratory movements of southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) from Australian and New Zealand wintering grounds. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231577. [PMID: 32380516 PMCID: PMC7205476 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2019] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) migrate between Austral-winter calving and socialising grounds to offshore mid- to high latitude Austral-summer feeding grounds. In Australasia, winter calving grounds used by southern right whales extend from Western Australia across southern Australia to the New Zealand sub-Antarctic Islands. During the Austral-summer these whales are thought to migrate away from coastal waters to feed, but the location of these feeding grounds is only inferred from historical whaling data. We present new information on the satellite derived offshore migratory movements of six southern right whales from Australasian wintering grounds. Two whales were tagged at the Auckland Islands, New Zealand, and the remaining four at Australian wintering grounds, one at Pirates Bay, Tasmania, and three at Head of Bight, South Australia. The six whales were tracked for an average of 78.5 days (range: 29 to 150) with average individual distance of 38 km per day (range: 20 to 61 km). The length of individually derived tracks ranged from 645–6,381 km. Three likely foraging grounds were identified: south-west Western Australia, the Subtropical Front, and Antarctic waters, with the Subtropical Front appearing to be a feeding ground for both New Zealand and Australian southern right whales. In contrast, the individual tagged in Tasmania, from a sub-population that is not showing evidence of post-whaling recovery, displayed a distinct movement pattern to much higher latitude waters, potentially reflecting a different foraging strategy. Variable population growth rates between wintering grounds in Australasia could reflect fidelity to different quality feeding grounds. Unlike some species of baleen whale populations that show movement along migratory corridors, the new satellite tracking data presented here indicate variability in the migratory pathways taken by southern right whales from Australia and New Zealand, as well as differences in potential Austral summer foraging grounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice I. Mackay
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Frédéric Bailleul
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Emma L. Carroll
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
| | - Virginia Andrews-Goff
- Australian Antarctic Division, Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia
| | - C. Scott Baker
- Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, Oregon, United States of America
| | - John Bannister
- Deceased, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool DC, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Laura Boren
- New Zealand Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - Krisa Carlyon
- Marine Conservation Program, Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | | | - Michael Double
- Australian Antarctic Division, Australian Marine Mammal Centre, Kingston, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Simon D. Goldsworthy
- South Australian Research and Development Institute, Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Robert Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dirk Holman
- Department of Environment & Water, Port Lincoln, South Australia, Australia
| | | | - Guido J. Parra
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Carroll EL, Bruford MW, DeWoody JA, Leroy G, Strand A, Waits L, Wang J. Genetic and genomic monitoring with minimally invasive sampling methods. Evol Appl 2018; 11:1094-1119. [PMID: 30026800 PMCID: PMC6050181 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2017] [Accepted: 01/02/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The decreasing cost and increasing scope and power of emerging genomic technologies are reshaping the field of molecular ecology. However, many modern genomic approaches (e.g., RAD-seq) require large amounts of high-quality template DNA. This poses a problem for an active branch of conservation biology: genetic monitoring using minimally invasive sampling (MIS) methods. Without handling or even observing an animal, MIS methods (e.g., collection of hair, skin, faeces) can provide genetic information on individuals or populations. Such samples typically yield low-quality and/or quantities of DNA, restricting the type of molecular methods that can be used. Despite this limitation, genetic monitoring using MIS is an effective tool for estimating population demographic parameters and monitoring genetic diversity in natural populations. Genetic monitoring is likely to become more important in the future as many natural populations are undergoing anthropogenically driven declines, which are unlikely to abate without intensive adaptive management efforts that often include MIS approaches. Here, we profile the expanding suite of genomic methods and platforms compatible with producing genotypes from MIS, considering factors such as development costs and error rates. We evaluate how powerful new approaches will enhance our ability to investigate questions typically answered using genetic monitoring, such as estimating abundance, genetic structure and relatedness. As the field is in a period of unusually rapid transition, we also highlight the importance of legacy data sets and recommend how to address the challenges of moving between traditional and next-generation genetic monitoring platforms. Finally, we consider how genetic monitoring could move beyond genotypes in the future. For example, assessing microbiomes or epigenetic markers could provide a greater understanding of the relationship between individuals and their environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Carroll
- Scottish Oceans Institute and Sea Mammal Research UnitUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| | - Mike W. Bruford
- Cardiff School of Biosciences and Sustainable Places Research InstituteCardiff UniversityCardiff, WalesUK
| | - J. Andrew DeWoody
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources and Department of Biological SciencesPurdue UniversityWest LafayetteINUSA
| | - Gregoire Leroy
- Animal Production and Health DivisionFood and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsRomeItaly
| | - Alan Strand
- Grice Marine LaboratoryDepartment of BiologyCollege of CharlestonCharlestonSCUSA
| | - Lisette Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Jinliang Wang
- Institute of ZoologyZoological Society of LondonLondonUK
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Incorporating non-equilibrium dynamics into demographic history inferences of a migratory marine species. Heredity (Edinb) 2018; 122:53-68. [PMID: 29720718 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-018-0077-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2018] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 03/17/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding how dispersal and gene flow link geographically separated the populations over evolutionary history is challenging, particularly in migratory marine species. In southern right whales (SRWs, Eubalaena australis), patterns of genetic diversity are likely influenced by the glacial climate cycle and recent history of whaling. Here we use a dataset of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (n = 1327) and nuclear markers (17 microsatellite loci, n = 222) from major wintering grounds to investigate circumpolar population structure, historical demography and effective population size. Analyses of nuclear genetic variation identify two population clusters that correspond to the South Atlantic and Indo-Pacific ocean basins that have similar effective breeder estimates. In contrast, all wintering grounds show significant differentiation for mtDNA, but no sex-biased dispersal was detected using the microsatellite genotypes. An approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) approach with microsatellite markers compared the scenarios with gene flow through time, or isolation and secondary contact between ocean basins, while modelling declines in abundance linked to whaling. Secondary-contact scenarios yield the highest posterior probabilities, implying that populations in different ocean basins were largely isolated and came into secondary contact within the last 25,000 years, but the role of whaling in changes in genetic diversity and gene flow over recent generations could not be resolved. We hypothesise that these findings are driven by factors that promote isolation, such as female philopatry, and factors that could promote dispersal, such as oceanographic changes. These findings highlight the application of ABC approaches to infer the connectivity in mobile species with complex population histories and, currently, low levels of differentiation.
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Baylis SM, Sunnucks P, Clarke R. A model for first‐estimates of species‐specific, age‐specific mortality from centralized band‐recovery databases. Ecosphere 2018. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shane M. Baylis
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria 3800 Australia
| | - Paul Sunnucks
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria 3800 Australia
| | - Rohan Clarke
- School of Biological Sciences Monash University Clayton Victoria 3800 Australia
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Arso Civil M, Cheney B, Quick NJ, Thompson PM, Hammond PS. A new approach to estimate fecundity rate from inter‐birth intervals. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mònica Arso Civil
- Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Barbara Cheney
- Lighthouse Field Station Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Cromarty IV11 8YL UK
| | - Nicola J. Quick
- Duke University Marine Laboratory Nicholas School of the Environment Beaufort North Carolina 28516 USA
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Lighthouse Field Station Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences University of Aberdeen Cromarty IV11 8YL UK
| | - Philip S. Hammond
- Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
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