Small coastal dolphins endemic to south-eastern Australia have variously been assigned to described species Tursiops truncatus, T. aduncus or T. maugeanus; however the specific affinities of these ...animals is controversial and have recently been questioned. Historically 'the southern Australian Tursiops' was identified as unique and was formally named Tursiops maugeanus but was later synonymised with T. truncatus. Morphologically, these coastal dolphins share some characters with both aforementioned recognised Tursiops species, but they also possess unique characters not found in either. Recent mtDNA and microsatellite genetic evidence indicates deep evolutionary divergence between this dolphin and the two currently recognised Tursiops species. However, in accordance with the recommendations of the Workshop on Cetacean Systematics, and the Unified Species Concept the use of molecular evidence alone is inadequate for describing new species. Here we describe the macro-morphological, colouration and cranial characters of these animals, assess the available and new genetic data, and conclude that multiple lines of evidence clearly indicate a new species of dolphin. We demonstrate that the syntype material of T. maugeanus comprises two different species, one of which is the historical 'southern form of Tursiops' most similar to T. truncatus, and the other is representative of the new species and requires formal classification. These dolphins are here described as Tursiops australis sp. nov., with the common name of 'Burrunan Dolphin' following Australian aboriginal narrative. The recognition of T. australis sp. nov. is particularly significant given the endemism of this new species to a small geographic region of southern and south-eastern Australia, where only two small resident populations in close proximity to a major urban and agricultural centre are known, giving them a high conservation value and making them susceptible to numerous anthropogenic threats.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The Baltic Proper harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is currently listed as critically endangered (CR), with the Static Acoustic Monitoring of the Baltic Sea Harbor Porpoise (SAMBAH) project ...concluding that only ~500 individuals remain. This population has a distribution that spans the waters of nine countries, making regular abundance estimates and management action challenging. Given the continued decline of other depleted porpoises, namely the vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the question is often raised about whether management action would even have a positive impact, or whether it is too late for population recovery. When abundance estimates are sparse over time, monitoring programs at key sites are likely to serve as the best indication of population trends, and may provide an early indication of changes at the population level. We compared passive acoustic monitoring data from 12 stations that were utilized both in the SAMBAH project (2011–2013) and as a part of the Swedish National Monitoring Program (2017–2020) to determine trends in detection rates. There was a 29% increase in mean daily detection rate during May–October (over the breeding season) between the two study periods. At the three stations with the highest number of detections, log linear regression revealed a yearly increase of 2.4% between 2011 and 2019 (−4.4–9.6, 95% CI). This may be indicative of the beginnings of population recovery, or simply an indication that the decline has stalled. The rate of increase is still well below what is likely to be possible for porpoise populations, and unlikely to buffer against any potential increase in pressures in the future. We therefore call for urgent management action to remove threats and protect this CR population, the only resident cetacean in the Baltic region, in order to give it the best chance of recovery.
The Baltic Proper population of harbor porpoises is listed as Critically Endangered by both the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the Helsinki Commission. Information on the abundance and population trends of this population is lacking, yet this information is a requirement for eight countries reporting under the European Union Habitats Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. We show that the detection rates of this population have increased in recent years in Swedish waters, possibly indicating that the population may be showing the first signs of recovery, or a stall in decline. The rate of increase is still well below what is likely to be possible for porpoise populations, and we therefore call for urgent management action to remove threats and protect this critically endangered population, the only resident cetacean in the Baltic Region, in order to give it the best chance of recovery.
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An automated device has been developed to measure aqueous dimethyl sulfide (DMSaq), its precursor dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and atmospheric gaseous dimethyl sulfide (DMSg). In addition to ...having a role in the oceanic atmosphere, DMS and DMSP have recently gained substantial interest within the biosciences and are suspected as chemoattractants for predators searching for prey. To provide the spatial resolution relevant for biogeochemical functions, fast and on-site analysis of these compounds is an important technique. The system described measures the dimethyl sulfur compounds by sequential vaporization of DMSaq and DMSP to their gas phase, which is then analyzed by chemiluminescence detection (SVG-CL). The device has five analysis modes (full, DMS, water, gas, and DMSP mode) that can be selected by the user depending on the required analyte or desired sampling rate. Seawater analyses were performed by the developed SVG-CL system and, simultaneously, by an ion molecule reaction-mass spectrometer and a gas chromatograph-flame photometric detector to verify quantitative analysis results. Results obtained by the new method/device agreed well with those by the other methods. Detection limits of the SVG-CL system are 0.02 ppbv and 0.04 nM for DMSg and DMSaq/DMSP, respectively, which are much better than those of the mass spectrometer. The SVG-CL system can be easily installed and operated on a boat. Spatial variability in DMS and DMSP off the coast of Japan were obtained, showing significant changes in the concentrations of the components at the brackish/saline water interface and at the channel between the closed and open seas.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM
Geriatric assessment (GA) is fundamental to optimising cancer care in older adults, yet implementing comprehensive GA tools in real-world clinical settings remains a challenge. This study aims to ...assess the feasibility and acceptability of integrating information from patient-derived photographs (PhotoVoice) into enhanced supportive care (ESC) for older adults with cancer. A feasibility randomised controlled trial will be conducted at a regional cancer care centre in Australia. Participants aged 70 and above will be randomised into two groups: PhotoVoice plus ESC or usual care (ESC) alone. In the PhotoVoice group, participants will provide four photographs for deduction of representations of different aspects of their lives using photo-elicitation techniques. ESC will be conducted for both groups, incorporating PhotoVoice analysis in the intervention group. PhotoVoice may improve patient-centred care outcomes, including enhanced communication, shared decision making, and identification of patient priorities and barriers. Findings will provide insights into implementing PhotoVoice in geriatric assessment and guide future trials in cancer among older adults.
The management and conservation of biodiversity relies on information on both the abundance of species and the potential impact of threats. Globally, one of the largest threats towards marine ...biodiversity is bycatch in fisheries. Under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), EU Member States are required to assess the status of species, such as the harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena ), in relation to their abundance and mortality due to bycatch every six years. The Vulnerable (HELCOM) Belt Sea population of harbour porpoise has been surveyed to determine its abundance six times using dedicated aerial or ship-based line-transect distance sampling surveys. Here, we estimated the first trend in population abundance over an 18 year period (2005-2022). Using the most recent abundance estimate, we computed a mortality limit applying the modified Potential Biological Removal (mPBR) method based on the regionally agreed conservation objective to restore or maintain 80% of carrying capacity over 100 years with an 80% probability. Over the past 18 years there has been a strong negative trend (-2.7% p.a.; 95% CI: -4.1%; + 1.3%) in abundance, with a 90.5% probability. The mortality limit was estimated to be 24 animals, which the current bycatch estimates (~900 porpoises/year from the commercial Danish and Swedish set net fishery fleets, with no data from Germany and other fishery types) exceed by far. The frequency and quality of data available on abundance for this population are higher than those available for the majority of marine species. Given the observed population decline and likely unsustainable levels of bycatch, the results presented here provide a strong basis to make informed, evidence-based management decisions for action for this population. Such action is needed urgently, before the dire situation of other porpoise species and populations around the globe is repeated.
Finding prey is essential to survival, with marine predators hypothesised to track chemicals such as dimethyl sulfide (DMS) while foraging. Many predators are attracted to artificially released DMS, ...and laboratory experiments have shown that zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton accelerates DMS release. However, whether natural DMS concentrations are useful for predators and correlated to areas of high prey biomass remains a fundamental knowledge gap. Here, we used concurrent hydroacoustic surveys and in situ DMS measurements to present evidence that zooplankton biomass is spatially correlated to natural DMS concentration in air and seawater. Using agent simulations, we also show that following gradients of DMS would lead zooplankton predators to areas of higher prey biomass than swimming randomly. Further understanding of the conditions and scales over which these gradients occur, and how they are used by predators, is essential to predicting the impact of future changes in the ocean on predator foraging success.
The movement of marine animals feeding at the sea surface is restricted by wave drag and a reduction in propulsive efficiency. Many rorqual whale species lunge feed at the surface, yet existing ...methodologies for detecting lunges in accelerometer data have not been applied to surface‐feeding behavior. Our study aimed to develop a method to detect surface‐feeding behavior in accelerometer data and in doing so, determine whether wave drag influences the detection of surface‐feeding behavior. A new acceleration parameter is described that considers the forward acceleration of the animal relative to its pitch. The new parameter, along with information on the deceleration and pitch angle, was then used in an automatic lunge detecting algorithm followed by a visual classification method that detected approximately 70% of the lunges observed during focal follow sampling. The forward acceleration of lunges decreased significantly with increasing proximity to the surface. This lower acceleration at the surface may influence the ability to detect lunge feeding behavior close to the surface. Future research should attempt to determine the cause of this relationship, which may be the influence of changes in the forces acting on the whale or behavioral flexibility by the whale.
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The Mohave tui chub (Siphateles bicolor mohavensis) is an endangered cyprinid fish endemic to the Mojave Desert region of southeastern California, USA. Here, we describe the complete 16,607 base pair ...(bp) mitochondrial genome of S. b. mohavensis. The mitogenome has a nucleotide base composition of A (29.08%), T (26.91%), G (17.58%), and C (26.43%), and encodes 13 protein subunits, 22 tRNAs, a 12S rRNA of 956 bp and 16S rRNA of 1691 bp, and a 929 bp D-loop control region, each located in the conserved mtDNA structure typical for cyprinid fishes. All protein-coding genes have initiation codons of ATG or GTG, and only the ND1, CO1, ATPase8, NDL4, ND4, ND5, and ND6 genes have complete stop codons. Phylogenetic analyses confirmed the relationship of S. b. mohavensis to several genera of cyprinids (e.g. Gila, Acrocheilus) also endemic to western North America. This characterized mitogenome may help inform management practices for S. b. mohavensis by facilitating future studies on how allopatric populations of this imperiled species are evolving across refuge habitats.
The recovery of overexploited populations is likely to reveal behaviours that may have been present prior to harvest but are only now reappearing as the population size increases. The east Australian ...humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) population (group V, stock E1) has recovered well from past exploitation and is now estimated to be close to the pre‐whaling population size.
Humpback whales were thought to follow a ‘feast and famine’ model historically, feeding intensively in high‐latitude feeding grounds and then fasting while migrating and in calving grounds; however, there is growing evidence that animals may feed outside of known foraging grounds.
This short article reports on the first photographically documented evidence of bubble‐net feeding by humpback whales in Australian coastal waters (n = 10 groups observed) and provides the first evidence of a second site in the southern hemisphere for the formation of ‘super‐groups’ (n = 6 super‐groups at discrete locations).
The formation of super‐groups may be linked to changes in the type or density of prey available, either along the migratory route or in the feeding grounds of the previous summer. It is also possible that the increased population size following recovery make large group sizes while feeding more common. These findings strongly support evidence that feeding behaviour is not restricted to high‐latitude foraging grounds in the Southern Ocean, and that prey consumption prior to leaving the coastal waters of Australia may be a significant component of the migratory ecology of this population.
Understanding how environmental variation influences the extent to which humpback whales depend on foraging opportunities along their migratory route, and where feeding occurs, will help to predict how future changes in the ocean will influence whale populations. This will also allow for more effective management measures to reduce the impact of threats during this important period of energy consumption.
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Shipping is one of the largest industries globally, with well-known negative impacts on the marine environment. Despite the known negative short-term (minutes to hours) impact of shipping on ...individual animal behavioural responses, very little is understood about the long-term (months to years) impact on marine species presence and area use. This study took advantage of a planned rerouting of a major shipping lane leading into the Baltic Sea, to investigate the impact on the presence and foraging behaviour of a marine species known to be sensitive to underwater noise, the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). Passive acoustic monitoring data were collected from 15 stations over two years. Against predictions, no clear change occurred in monthly presence or foraging behaviour of the porpoises, despite the observed changes in noise and vessel traffic. However, long-term heightened noise levels may still impact communication, echolocation, or stress levels of individuals, and needs further investigation.
•Elevated shipping noise and vessel traffic did not influence porpoise occurrence.•No change was observed in either detection rate or foraging behaviour of porpoises.•Porpoises continued to use preferred habitat despite changes in underwater noise.•Long-term impacts on communication, echolocation, or stress remain unknown.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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