Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-11-04eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae075
Jessica G Avalos, Cory D Champagne, Dan E Crocker, Jane I Khudyakov
{"title":"The plasma proteome reveals markers of recent and repeated stress in free-ranging seals.","authors":"Jessica G Avalos, Cory D Champagne, Dan E Crocker, Jane I Khudyakov","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae075","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animals in nature potentially experience multiple stressors, and those of anthropogenic origin are likely to be repeated or chronic. However, stress hormone levels are highly context-dependent and are not consistent predictors of chronic stress in wildlife. Profiling the downstream consequences of repeated stress responses, such as changes in metabolism or gene expression, may be more informative for predicting their individual-level health consequences and population-level impacts, which are key objectives for wildlife conservation. We previously found that in free-ranging juvenile elephant seals, the blubber transcriptome and proteome, but not cortisol levels, could distinguish between responses to single versus repeated stress axis stimulation. However, the blubber proteome response to stress was limited and mainly involved extra-cellular matrix proteins. In this study, we examined the plasma proteome response of four of the same animals to the repeated stress experiment, since multiple organs secrete proteins into the circulation, providing a readout of their activity and integration. We isolated plasma proteins, identified and quantified them using liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and compared their abundance between sampling times. We identified >200 proteins in plasma, of which 42 were altered in abundance, revealing complex protein dynamics in response to repeated stress challenges. These changes were delayed but sustained, suggesting that the plasma proteome may reflect longer term integration of multi-organ responses to recent, rather than immediate, challenges. Differentially abundant proteins included components of the osmoregulatory system, acute phase and complement proteins, organokines, apolipoproteins and hormone transport proteins, which coordinate physiological processes with significant implications for marine mammal health and may explain several aspects of marine mammal stress physiology, such as insulin resistance and high aldosterone levels. We identified several potentially novel biomarkers, such as AGT, HPX, TTR and APOA4, that may be useful for detecting recent and repeated stress exposure in marine mammals.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11533252/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142575202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-28eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae074
Leonardo A Venerus, Paolo Domenici, Stefano Marras, Lucas E Beltramino, Javier E Ciancio
{"title":"Repeatability of swimming activity of the Patagonian grouper <i>Acanthistius patachonicus</i> based on accelerometry.","authors":"Leonardo A Venerus, Paolo Domenici, Stefano Marras, Lucas E Beltramino, Javier E Ciancio","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae074","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The study of repeatability in behaviour and activity level can be used to evaluate inter-individual differences, which are fundamental to assess the resilience of populations to environmental variation. Previous work on repeatability in wild fish populations has largely been based on acoustic telemetry or mark-and-recapture and has revealed repeatable activity patterns over relatively long periods in a number of species. Although accelerometry is a promising tool for investigating the swimming activity of fish in the wild, little is known about the repeatability of accelerometry-based traits in wild fish. Here, we used external accelerometers to investigate the swimming activity of the Patagonian grouper <i>Acanthistius patachonicus</i>, a rocky-reef fish with high site fidelity, which ensures a high recapture rate of accelerometer tags. Accelerometry was used to investigate the short-term repeatability of a number of activity traits, including swimming, hovering, daily median tailbeat frequency, percentage of high tailbeat frequency and total number of tailbeats at different times of the year. We found that all of the variables are repeatable over the daily scale and four out of five variables are repeatable over weekly periods. Overall, our work suggests that these traits are individual-specific for the short time period investigated. In addition, the percentage of time spent in swimming and hovering was greater in the warm season compared to the cold season, suggesting higher activity levels related to higher temperatures. These results suggest that activity traits related to swimming are repeatable and likely related to the physiological state of each individual. Finally, our work shows that accelerometry can be considered a valuable tool to explore inter-individual differences with potential applications for assessing the resilience of wild populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11519044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-25eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae072
Pauline M L van Leeuwen, Gabriela F Mastromonaco, Nadia Mykytczuk, Albrecht I Schulte-Hostedde
{"title":"Captivity conditions matter for the gut microbiota of an endangered obligate hibernator.","authors":"Pauline M L van Leeuwen, Gabriela F Mastromonaco, Nadia Mykytczuk, Albrecht I Schulte-Hostedde","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae072","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Conservation breeding programmes include translocations of animals across breeding facilities, both <i>in</i> and <i>ex situ</i>, and to/from their natural habitat. Newly reintroduced Vancouver Island marmots (VIMs) originating from the captive breeding programme are known to experience high winter mortality once reintroduced. Whilst high winter mortality rates amongst reintroduced VIM populations remain a concern of unknown causes, this health issue could potentially be linked to changes in gut microbiota prior to hibernation. Furthermore, captivity is known to impact the gut microbiota of mammals that could be crucial for hibernation. In this study, we explored the diversity of bacterial communities in the gut of captive marmots during the entire active season, both kept in captivity at <i>in situ</i> and <i>ex situ</i> facilities, as well as free-ranging marmots during the summer period. Gut microbial diversity was higher in marmots held in <i>ex situ</i> facilities, outside of their habitat range, compared to captive marmots held within their habitat range, and in the wild, and differences in composition were also observed. In the entire active season, animals kept in the <i>ex situ</i> facility had increased abundance in taxa known to be mucin degraders, sulphate producers and possible cross-feeders, whilst an increase in fibre degraders of <i>in situ</i> and free-ranging marmots is potentially linked to diet variation between facilities. These results confirm the interest to transfer animals held at zoos to an <i>in situ</i> facility before relocation and expand our understanding of microbiota variation according to hibernation cycles in the context of conservation biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11503477/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-22eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae066
Bethany L Williams, Lauren M Pintor, Jai Tiarks, Suzanne M Gray
{"title":"Multiple stressors disrupt sex hormones and fitness outcomes: effects of hypoxia and turbidity on an African cichlid fish.","authors":"Bethany L Williams, Lauren M Pintor, Jai Tiarks, Suzanne M Gray","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae066","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Freshwater organisms face a complex array of environmental stressors that can negatively affect endocrine function and subsequent fitness outcomes. Hypoxia and turbidity are two environmental stressors that are increasing due to human activities that could lead to endocrine disruption and reduced reproductive output. Our research addresses how hypoxia and elevated turbidity affect traits related to reproductive success, specifically sex hormone concentrations, investment in reproductive tissues and body size. We used wild fish from two populations (a river and a swamp) of an African cichlid, <i>Pseudocrenilabrus multicolor</i>, to produce offspring that were reared in a full factorial split brood rearing experiment (hypoxic/normoxic × clear/turbid). River and swamp populations represent divergent habitat types with respect to the stressors of interest, being well-oxygenated but turbid or hypoxic and clear, respectively. Overall, we found evidence for plastic responses to both stressors. Specifically, we found that there was an interactive effect of oxygen and turbidity on testosterone in males from both populations. Additionally, males of both populations reared under hypoxic conditions were significantly smaller in both mass and standard length than those raised under normoxic conditions and invested less in reproductive tissues (quantified as gonadosomatic index). Hypoxia and turbidity are experienced naturally by this species, and these environmental stressors did not affect the number of eggs laid by females when experienced in the absence of another stressor (i.e. normoxic/turbid or hypoxic/clear). However, there was an interactive effect of hypoxia and turbidity, as females reared and maintained under this treatment combination laid fewer eggs. This research underscores the importance of considering the possibility of stressor interactions when determining how anthropogenic stressors affect fitness outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11496714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142512966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-16eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae071
Jessica E Reemeyer, Dominique Rumball, Nicholas E Mandrak, Lauren J Chapman
{"title":"Seasonal variation in thermal tolerance and hypoxia tolerance of a threatened minnow and a non-imperilled congener: a cautionary tale for surrogate species in conservation.","authors":"Jessica E Reemeyer, Dominique Rumball, Nicholas E Mandrak, Lauren J Chapman","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Freshwater organisms face multiple threats to their ecosystems, including warming associated with climate change and low dissolved oxygen (environmental hypoxia), which are both increasing in frequency and extent in freshwater systems. Understanding tolerance thresholds for these environmental stressors as well as the plasticity of responses is the key for informing the conservation of imperilled species. Direct measurement of imperilled species can be difficult, and the use of surrogate (non-imperilled but closely related) species has been proposed as a remedy, but the degree to which surrogate data are representative of the imperilled species has not been widely validated. In this study, we measured physiological performance of two species: one federally listed as Threatened in Canada (Pugnose Shiner, <i>Miniellus anogenus</i>) and a non-imperilled congener (Blackchin Shiner, <i>Miniellus heterodon</i>). Hypoxia tolerance (critical oxygen tension and loss of equilibrium) and upper thermal tolerance (CT<sub>max</sub>) were measured streamside over a period of 5 months. We found that the Threatened Pugnose Shiner had lower tolerance to both elevated temperature and hypoxia than the non-imperilled Blackchin Shiner. The species also differed in their responses to environmental dissolved oxygen (DO). CT<sub>max</sub> of Pugnose Shiner had a positive relationship with DO such that CT<sub>max</sub> was lowered when environmental DO was low, whereas there was no effect of DO on CT<sub>max</sub> of Blackchin Shiner. Blackchin Shiner also showed plasticity of hypoxia tolerance in response to changes in environmental DO, while Pugnose Shiner showed little plasticity. We conclude that Pugnose Shiner may be more sensitive to heat waves and hypoxia associated with climate change. We also assert that researchers should be cautious when using surrogate species to inform tolerance limits of imperilled species and highlight the value of measuring imperilled species directly when possible.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11482009/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142480771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-09eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae070
Sven Sebastian Uhlmann, Esther Savina, Junita Karlsen, Bart Ampe
{"title":"Optimizing the prediction of discard survival of bottom-trawled plaice based on vitality indicators.","authors":"Sven Sebastian Uhlmann, Esther Savina, Junita Karlsen, Bart Ampe","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae070","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae070","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Predicting the discard survival of aquatic animals after fisheries capture using vitality indicators (i.e. individual scores or indices of physical condition) is a resource-efficient approach compared to estimating discard survival from captive observation. But such indicators do not always lead to accurate and robust predictions. Individual scores of reflex impairments and injuries are typically given the same weight when being aggregated into an index, while some reflexes or injuries may contribute to mortality more than others. This study established an analytical methodology and created an index based on differential contributions of individual reflexes and injuries to optimize the prediction of discard survival of bottom-trawled European plaice (<i>Pleuronectes platessa</i>). The optimization procedures were applied to a dataset from vitality assessment of 1122 undersized plaice caught during 16 commercial fishing trips and 58 gear deployments in Belgium and Denmark. As welfare indicators, we considered and evaluated against post-capture survival of plaice: original vs. optimized reflex impairment and injury (R&I) index, number of absent reflexes, number of present injuries, number of absent reflexes and present injuries, categorical vitality score and individual reflex and injury scores. These were used in eight candidate generalized linear models (one without any vitality indicator) as explanatory variables to predict survival, with or without biological, environmental, technical and operational covariates, either at the individual fish or trip level. Bruising to the head and body were the most relevant predictors. The optimized R&I index did not perform better than any other vitality indicator, and all the indicators performed poorly in predicting survival probability both at the fish and trip levels without information on air exposure and seawater temperature. This means that they cannot be considered to be independent measures. The categorical vitality score provided a viable alternative to the more labour-intensive, scoring method of reflex responsiveness. Use of reflexes as proxies may not be accurate when they are not independent of environmental, biological or technical variables.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11464240/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142401961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-08eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae068
Diana Perry, Elena Tamarit, Daniel Morgenroth, Albin Gräns, Joachim Sturve, Martin Gullström, Peter Thor, Håkan Wennhage
{"title":"The heat is on: sensitivity of goldsinny wrasse to global climate change.","authors":"Diana Perry, Elena Tamarit, Daniel Morgenroth, Albin Gräns, Joachim Sturve, Martin Gullström, Peter Thor, Håkan Wennhage","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unsustainable harvesting practices have drastically reduced fish populations globally and developments in aquaculture have increased. Unexpectedly, Atlantic salmon farming caused the opening of a new fishery in northern European countries, where previously unharvested mesopredatory species, like the goldsinny wrasse (<i>Ctenolabrus rupestris</i>), are captured for use as cleaner fish in pens along the coast and fjords. The goldsinny wrasse is widespread in coastal areas where it plays an ecologically important role as a predator of small invertebrates. Since climate change effects are particularly pronounced in coastal waters, it becomes urgent to understand how fish like the goldsinny will respond to global climate change, including the increasing frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs), ocean freshening (OF) and ocean acidification (OA). To address this, we conducted a multi-stressor experiment exposing adult goldsinny to each stressor individually, as well as to all three combined. The results indicated that the goldsinny is highly affected by MHWs and extremely sensitive to a multi-stressor environment, with 34% and 53% mortality, respectively. Additionally, exposure to a MHW event, OF and multi-stressor conditions affected fish metabolism, with the highest standard metabolic- and maximum metabolic-oxygen consumption rates observed for the MHW treatment. Increases in oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and percent oxidized glutathione (% GSSG) in the livers, indicative of oxidative stress, were also seen in the MHW, OF and multi-stressor treatments. As a single stressor, OA showed no significant impacts on the measured parameters. This information is important for conservation of coastal marine environments, given the species' important role in shallow-water habitats and for management of goldsinny or other mesopredatory fish harvested in coastal ecosystems. The sensitivity of the goldsinny wrasse to future stressors is of concern, and any potential reductions in abundance as a result of climate change may lead to cascade effects with ecosystem-wide consequences.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11459238/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142395289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-08eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae067
Blaine D Griffen, Lexanne Klimes, Laura S Fletcher, Nicole M Thometz
{"title":"Data needs for sea otter bioenergetics modeling.","authors":"Blaine D Griffen, Lexanne Klimes, Laura S Fletcher, Nicole M Thometz","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae067","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae067","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Sea otters are keystone predators whose recovery and expansion from historical exploitation throughout their range can serve to enhance local biodiversity, promote community stability, and buffer against habitat loss in nearshore marine systems. Bioenergetics models have become a useful tool in conservation and management efforts of marine mammals generally, yet no bioenergetics model exists for sea otters. Previous research provides abundant data that can be used to develop bioenergetics models for this species, yet important data gaps remain. Here we review the available data that could inform a bioenergetics model, and point to specific open questions that could be answered to more fully inform such an effort. These data gaps include quantifying energy intake through foraging by females with different aged pups in different quality habitats, the influence of body size on energy intake through foraging, and determining the level of fat storage that is possible in sea otters of different body sizes. The more completely we fill these data gaps, the more confidence we can have in the results and predictions produced by future bioenergetics modeling efforts for this species.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11465142/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142401960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-10-08eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae069
Gwangseok R Yoon, Arsheen Bozai, Cosima S Porteus
{"title":"Could future ocean acidification be affecting the energy budgets of marine fish?","authors":"Gwangseok R Yoon, Arsheen Bozai, Cosima S Porteus","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coae069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With the unprecedented environmental changes caused by climate change including ocean acidification, it has become crucial to understand the responses and adaptive capacity of fish to better predict directional changes in the ecological landscape of the future. We conducted a systematic literature review to examine if simulated ocean acidification (sOA) could influence growth and reproduction in fish within the dynamic energy budget theory framework. As such, we chose to examine metabolic rate, locomotion, food assimilation and growth in early life stages (i.e. larvae and juvenile) and adults. Our goal was to evaluate if acclimatization to sOA has any directional changes in these traits and to explore potential implications for energetic trade-offs in these for growth and reproduction. We found that sOA had negligible effects on energetic expenditure for maintenance and aerobic metabolism due to the robust physiological capacity regulating acid-base and ion perturbations but substantive effects on locomotion, food assimilation and growth. We demonstrated evidence that sOA significantly reduced growth performance of fish in early life stages, which may have resulted from reduced food intake and digestion efficiency. Also, our results showed that sOA may enhance reproduction with increased numbers of offspring although this may come at the cost of altered reproductive behaviours or offspring fitness. While these results indicate evidence for changes in energy budgets because of physiological acclimatization to sOA, the heterogeneity of results in the literature suggests that physiological and neural mechanisms need to be clearly elucidated in future studies. Lastly, most studies on sOA have been conducted on early life stages, which necessitates that more studies should be conducted on adults to understand reproductive success and thus better predict cohort and population dynamics under ongoing climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11459383/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142395288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Conservation PhysiologyPub Date : 2024-09-20eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coae064
Nicole I Stacy, Rachel Smith, Kathleen E Sullivan, Steven E Nelson, Elizabeth C Nolan, Ryan S De Voe, Blair E Witherington, Justin R Perrault
{"title":"Health assessment of nesting loggerhead sea turtles (<i>Caretta caretta</i>) in one of their largest rookeries (central eastern Florida coast, USA).","authors":"Nicole I Stacy, Rachel Smith, Kathleen E Sullivan, Steven E Nelson, Elizabeth C Nolan, Ryan S De Voe, Blair E Witherington, Justin R Perrault","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coae064","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coae064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reproduction is a physiologically demanding process for sea turtles. Health indicators, including morphometric indices and blood analytes, provide insight into overall health, physiology and organ function for breeding sea turtles as a way to assess population-level effects. The Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (ACNWR) on Florida's central eastern coast is critical nesting habitat for loggerhead sea turtles (<i>Caretta caretta</i>), but health variables from this location have not been documented. Objectives of the study were to (1) assess morphometrics and blood analyte data (including haematology, plasma biochemistry, protein electrophoresis, β-hydroxybutyrate, trace nutrients, vitamins and fatty acid profiles) from loggerheads nesting on or near the beaches of the ACNWR, (2) investigate correlations of body condition index (BCI) with blood analytes and (3) analyse temporal trends in morphometric and blood analyte data throughout the nesting season. Morphometric and/or blood analyte data are reported for 57 nesting loggerheads encountered between 2016 and 2019. Plasma copper and iron positively correlated with BCI. Mass tended to decline across nesting season, whereas BCI did not. Many blood analytes significantly increased or decreased across nesting season, reflecting the catabolic state and haemodynamic variations of nesting turtles. Twenty-three of 34 fatty acids declined across nesting season, which demonstrates the physiological demands of nesting turtles for vitellogenesis and reproductive activities, thus suggesting potential utility of fatty acids for the assessment of foraging status and phases of reproduction. The findings herein are relevant for future spatiotemporal and interspecies comparisons, investigating stressor effects and understanding the physiological demands in nesting sea turtles. This information provides comparative data for individual animals in rescue or managed care settings and for assessment of conservation strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.6,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11415931/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142300904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}