256 research outputs found
Population consequences of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on pelagic cetaceans
This research was made possible by a grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative to the Consortium for Advanced Research on Marine Mammal Health Assessment (CARMMHA). T.A.M. acknowledges partial support by CEAUL (funded by FCTâFundação para a CiĂȘncia e a Tecnologia, Portugal, through project UIDB/00006/2020).The Deepwater Horizon disaster resulted in the release of 490000 m3 of oil into the northern Gulf of Mexico. We quantified population consequences for pelagic cetaceans, including sperm whales, beaked whales and 11 species of delphinids. We used existing spatial density models to establish pre-spill population size and distribution, and overlaid an oil footprint to estimate the proportion exposed to oil. This proportion ranged from 0.058 (Atlantic spotted dolphin, 95% CI = 0.041-0.078) to 0.377 (spinner dolphin, 95% CI = 0.217-0.555). We adapted a population dynamics model, developed for an estuarine population of bottlenose dolphins, to each pelagic species by scaling demographic parameters using literature-derived estimates of gestation duration. We used expert elicitation to translate knowledge from dedicated studies of oil effects on bottlenose dolphins to pelagic species and address how density dependence may affect reproduction. We quantified impact by comparing population trajectories under baseline and oil-impacted scenarios. The number of lost cetacean years (difference between trajectories, summed over years) ranged from 964 (short-finned pilot whale, 95% CI = 385-2291) to 32584 (oceanic bottlenose dolphin, 95% = CI 13377-71967). Maximum proportional population decrease ranged from 1.3% (Atlantic spotted dolphin 95% CI = 0.5-2.3) to 8.4% (spinner dolphin 95% CI = 3.2-17.7). Estimated time to recover to 95% of baseline was >10 yr for spinner dolphin (12 yr, 95% CI = 0-21) and sperm whale (11 yr, 95% CI = 0-21), while 7 taxonomic units remained within 95% of the baseline population size (time to recover, therefore, as per its definition, was 0). We investigated the sensitivity of results to alternative plausible inputs. Our methods are widely applicable for estimating population effects of stressors in the absence of direct measurements.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Survival, density, and abundance of common bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay (USA) following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
To assess potential impacts of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in April 2010, we conducted boat-based photo-identification surveys for common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, USA (~230 km2, located 167 km WNW of the spill center). Crews logged 838 h of survey effort along pre-defined routes on 10 occasions between late June 2010 and early May 2014. We applied a previously unpublished spatial version of the robust design capture-recapture model to estimate survival and density. This model used photo locations to estimate density in the absence of study area boundaries and to separate mortality from permanent emigration. To estimate abundance, we applied density estimates to saltwater (salinity > ~8 ppt) areas of the bay where telemetry data suggested that dolphins reside. Annual dolphin survival varied between 0.80 and 0.85 (95% CIs varied from 0.77 to 0.90) over 3 yr following the Deepwater Horizon spill. In 2 non-oiled bays (in Florida and North Carolina), historic survival averages approximately 0.95. From June to November 2010, abundance increased from 1300 (95% CI ± ~130) to 3100 (95% CI ± ~400), then declined and remained between ~1600 and ~2400 individuals until spring 2013. In fall 2013 and spring 2014, abundance increased again to approximately 3100 individuals. Dolphin abundance prior to the spill was unknown, but we hypothesize that some dolphins moved out of the sampled area, probably northward into marshes, prior to initiation of our surveys in late June 2010, and later immigrated back into the sampled area.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe
Snow property controls on modelled Ku-band altimeter estimates of first-year sea ice thickness: Case studies from the Canadian and Norwegian Arctic
Uncertainty in snow properties impacts the accuracy
of Arctic sea ice thickness estimates from radar altimetry. On firstyear sea ice (FYI), spatiotemporal variations in snow properties
can cause the Ku-band main radar scattering horizon to appear
above the snow/sea ice interface. This can increase the estimated
sea ice freeboard by several centimeters, leading to FYI thickness
overestimations. This study examines the expected changes in Kuband main scattering horizon and its impact on FYI thickness
estimates, with variations in snow temperature, salinity and
density derived from 10 naturally occurring Arctic FYI Cases
encompassing saline/non-saline, warm/cold, simple/complexly
layered snow (4 cm to 45 cm) overlying FYI (48 cm to 170 cm).
Using a semi-empirical modeling approach, snow properties from
these Cases are used to derive layer-wise brine volume and
dielectric constant estimates, to simulate the Ku-band main
scattering horizon and delays in radar propagation speed.
Differences between modeled and observed FYI thickness are
calculated to assess sources of error. Under both cold and warm
conditions, saline snow covers are shown to shift the main
scattering horizon above from the snow/sea ice interface, causing
thickness retrieval errors. Overestimates in FYI thicknesses of up
to 65% are found for warm, saline snow overlaying thin sea ice.
Our simulations exhibited a distinct shift in the main scattering
horizon when the snow layer densities became greater than 440
kg/m3
, especially under warmer snow conditions. Our simulations
suggest a mean Ku-band propagation delay for snow of 39%,
which is higher than 25%, suggested in previous studies
RNAi revised - Target mRNA-dependent enhancement of gene silencing
The discovery of RNA interference (RNAi) gave rise to the development of new nucleic acid-based technologies as powerful investigational tools and potential therapeutics. Mechanistic key details of RNAi in humans need to be deciphered yet, before such approaches take root in biomedicine and molecular therapy. We developed and validated an in silico-based model of siRNA-mediated RNAi in human cells in order to link in vitro-derived pre-steady state kinetic data with a quantitative and time-resolved understanding of RNAi on the cellular level. The observation that product release by Argonaute 2 is accelerated in the presence of an excess of target RNA in vitro inspired us to suggest an associative mechanism for the RNA slicer reaction where incoming target mRNAs actively promote dissociation of cleaved mRNA fragments. This novel associative model is compatible with highmultiple turnover rates of RNAibased gene silencing in living cells and accounts for target mRNA concentration-dependent enhancement of the RNAi machinery
Healthy ageing and home: The perspectives of very old people in five European countries
This paper reports on in-depth research, using a grounded theory approach, to examine the ways in which very old people perceive healthy ageing in the context of living alone at home within urban settings in five European countries. This qualitative study was part of a cross-national project entitled ENABLE-AGE which examined the relationship between home and healthy ageing. Interviews explored the notion of healthy ageing, the meaning and importance of home, conceptualisations of independence and autonomy and links between healthy ageing and home. Data analysis identified five ways in which older people constructed healthy ageing: home and keeping active; managing lifestyles, health and illness; balancing social life; and balancing material and financial circumstances. Older people reflected on their everyday lives at home in terms of being engaged in purposeful, meaningful action and evaluated healthy ageing in relation to the symbolic and practical affordances of the home, contextualised within constructions of their national context. The research suggests that older people perceive healthy ageing as an active achievement, created through individual, personal effort and supported through social ties despite the health, financial and social decline associated with growing older. The physicality and spatiality of home provided the context for establishing and evaluating the notion of healthy ageing, whilst the experienced relationship between home, life history and identity created a meaningful space within which healthy ageing was negotiated
Selection on ancestral genetic variation fuels repeated ecotype formation in bottlenose dolphins
Population Genetics of Franciscana Dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei): Introducing a New Population from the Southern Edge of Their Distribution
Due to anthropogenic factors, the franciscana dolphin, Pontoporia blainvillei, is the most threatened small cetacean on the Atlantic coast of South America. Four Franciscana Management Areas have been proposed: Espiritu Santo to Rio de Janeiro (FMA I), SĂŁo Paulo to Santa Catarina (FMA II), Rio Grande do Sul to Uruguay (FMA III), and Argentina (FMA IV). Further genetic studies distinguished additional populations within these FMAs. We analyzed the population structure, phylogeography, and demographic history in the southernmost portion of the species range. From the analysis of mitochondrial DNA control region sequences, 5 novel haplotypes were found, totalizing 60 haplotypes for the entire distribution range. The haplotype network did not show an apparent phylogeographical signal for the southern FMAs. Two populations were identified: Monte Hermoso (MH) and Necochea (NC)+ClaromecĂł (CL)+RĂo Negro (RN). The low levels of genetic variability, the relative constant size over time, and the low levels of gene flow may indicate that MH has been colonized by a few maternal lineages and became isolated from geographically close populations. The apparent increase in NC+CL+RN size would be consistent with the higher genetic variability found, since genetic diversity is generally higher in older and expanding populations. Additionally, RN may have experienced a recent split from CL and NC; current high levels of gene flow may be occurring between the latter ones. FMA IV would comprise four franciscana dolphin populations: SamborombĂłn West+SamborombĂłn South, Cabo San Antonio+Buenos Aires East, NC+CL+Buenos Aires Southwest+RN and MH. Results achieved in this study need to be taken into account in order to ensure the long-term survival of the species.Fil: Gariboldi, MarĂa Constanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Universidad MaimĂłnides. Ărea de Investigaciones BiomĂ©dicas y BiotecnolĂłgicas. Centro de Estudios BiomĂ©dicos, BiotecnolĂłgicos, Ambientales y de DiagnĂłstico; ArgentinaFil: Tunez, Juan Ignacio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de LujĂĄn; ArgentinaFil: Dejean, Cristina Beatriz. Universidad MaimĂłnides. Ărea de Investigaciones BiomĂ©dicas y BiotecnolĂłgicas. Centro de Estudios BiomĂ©dicos, BiotecnolĂłgicos, Ambientales y de DiagnĂłstico; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de FilosofĂa y Letras. Instituto de Ciencias AntropolĂłgicas. SecciĂłn AntropologĂa BiolĂłgica; ArgentinaFil: Failla, Mauricio. FundaciĂłn Cethus; ArgentinaFil: Vitullo, Alfredo Daniel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Universidad MaimĂłnides. Ărea de Investigaciones BiomĂ©dicas y BiotecnolĂłgicas. Centro de Estudios BiomĂ©dicos, BiotecnolĂłgicos, Ambientales y de DiagnĂłstico; ArgentinaFil: Negri, Maria Fernanda. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; ArgentinaFil: Cappozzo, Humberto Luis. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas; Argentina. Universidad MaimĂłnides. Ărea de Investigaciones BiomĂ©dicas y BiotecnolĂłgicas. Centro de Estudios BiomĂ©dicos, BiotecnolĂłgicos, Ambientales y de DiagnĂłstico; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones CientĂficas y TĂ©cnicas. Oficina de CoordinaciĂłn Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales ; Argentin
Building genomic infrastructure: Sequencing platinum-standard reference-quality genomes of all cetacean species.
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