Conservation Physiology最新文献

{"title":"Metabolic costs of submerged activity in three species of Arctic seals.","authors":"Madeline Meranda, Nicole M Thometz, David A S Rosen, Colleen Reichmuth","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coag017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Arctic seals live in dynamic environments characterized by the seasonal advancement and retreat of sea ice. These amphibious marine mammals rely on sea ice as a haul-out substrate for rest and key life-history events, but they spend the majority of their time in the water. Current and predicted sea ice loss highlights the importance of estimating the costs of in-water activities when modelling the energy budgets of free-ranging seals under changing conditions. Yet, activity-specific costs are not available for many affected species. We used open-flow respirometry to measure and compare resting metabolic rates with the energetic costs of submerged diving and swimming in spotted (<i>Phoca largha</i>; <i>n</i> = 3), ringed (<i>Pusa hispida</i>; <i>n</i> = 1) and bearded seals (<i>Erignathus barbatus</i>; <i>n</i> = 1). Individuals were trained to voluntarily complete a sustained stationary breath hold under water or a continuous submerged swim before surfacing in a metabolic dome to measure rate of oxygen consumption. Metabolic rates decreased 11-24% relative to resting metabolic rate for the spotted and ringed seals while diving for 3, 5, or 7 min and did not change with increasing duration. The bearded seal did not show a similar decrease in diving metabolism. All individuals exhibited notable energetic increases to support exercise underwater while swimming at preferred speeds for 2-3 min. Metabolic costs were 243% and 114% above resting levels for spotted and ringed seals, but only 60% greater for the bearded seal. These results reveal the conflicting physiological responses of metabolic suppression while submerged (i.e. dive response) with the oxygen requirements of active swimming (i.e. exercise response) in Arctic seals and highlight the unique physiology of the bearded seal. The cost of submerged activities can now be considered in quantitative models of ice seal energy budgets, improving understanding of how physiological differences influence species-specific tolerance or vulnerability to rapidly changing Arctic conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag017"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13056718/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147647482","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}

{"title":"Drivers of body condition in South American sea lion pups along a latitudinal gradient.","authors":"Alicia I Guerrero, Carola Vivanco, Guido Pavez, Pablo Sabat, Karin Maldonado, M Fernanda Barilari, Renato A Quiñones, Pablo Carrasco, Frederick Toro, Josefina Gutiérrez, Maritza Sepúlveda","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag018","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coag018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Body condition is a key proxy of fitness in pinnipeds, reflecting nutritional status and maternal investment. In the South American sea lion (<i>Otaria flavescens</i>), pup growth and survival depend on maternal foraging success, making pup condition a sensitive indicator of local environments. We quantified spatial and interannual variation in pup body condition across five Chilean breeding colonies spanning 21-53°S during the austral summers of 2024 and 2025. We captured 157 live pups (95 males, 62 females), measured morphometrics and calculated a body condition index (BCI = mass/length). To account for seasonal effects, BCI values were standardized to allow comparisons across sites and years. We tested the effects of sex, year, locality and satellite-derived net primary productivity (NPP). Male pups consistently showed higher standardized BCI than females. Locality was the strongest predictor: Isla Marta (southern limit) exhibited significantly higher values than all other sites, followed by Isla Metalqui. Cobquecura, Isla Choros and Punta Lobos showed lower or intermediate values. Year alone had no effect, but a significant locality × year interaction indicated interannual variability in northern colonies, particularly Punta Lobos. NPP was not retained in top-ranked models, suggesting broad-scale productivity does not directly predict pup condition at this resolution. The pronounced latitudinal gradient, with larger, better-conditioned pups at higher latitudes, is consistent with expectations under Bergmann's rule, which refers to the tendency of animals to be larger in colder climates and smaller in warmer ones. These results underscore the combined influence of local ecological conditions, maternal effects and intrinsic sex differences on pup condition and reinforce the value of South American sea lion pups as sentinels of ecosystem variability along the Chilean coast.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag018"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13034030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147596241","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}

{"title":"A multidisciplinary assessment of endocrine and morphometric correlates of lactation physiology in southern right whales.","authors":"Loraine Shuttleworth, Andre Ganswindt, Els Vermeulen","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag014","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coag014","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reproduction in long-lived, iteroparous mammals requires careful allocation of energetic resources. This is especially true in capital breeding species such as the southern right whale (<i>Eubalaena australis</i>), where reproductive success depends on body condition, as accumulated reserves must fuel the high energetic demands, especially during lactation. Understanding the physiological mechanisms underpinning maternal energy balance is therefore critical for assessing reproductive capacity and maternal investment strategies. This study combined body condition metrics derived from aerial photogrammetry with endocrine correlates (glucocorticoids and triiodothyronine; hormones associated with energy mobilisation and regulation of metabolism) measured in blubber biopsies to establish baseline measures of metabolic function in lactating southern right whales over the calving season (July-September). Analyses revealed a positive correlation between glucocorticoids and triiodothyronine, strongest in lactating females. A clear decline in both hormones was observed toward the end of the calving season, consistent with reduced maternal metabolic activity and corresponding to slowed calf growth rates. No significant differences in hormone concentrations were detected between demographic groups (<i>n</i> = 15 lactating females, <i>n</i> = 8 unaccompanied adults), nor maternal (<i>n</i> = 9 good condition, <i>n</i> = 3 poor condition) or calf body condition categories (<i>n</i> = 5 good condition, <i>n</i> = 7 poor condition), although this may relate to the study's limited sample size. By linking endocrine profiles with body condition, this study provides novel physiological context for understanding maternal investment strategies in southern right whales. The findings highlight how intra-seasonal energetic demands are hormonally mediated during lactation and demonstrate the feasibility of integrating photogrammetry with endocrine monitoring in free-swimming baleen whales. Establishing these physiological baselines is critical for detecting early indicators of reproductive stress and for informing conservation strategies in recovering populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag014"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13030908/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576652","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}

{"title":"Panda profiles: integrating personality, cognition, and physiology for conservation success.","authors":"Yuhang Li, Cong Yu, Jing Liao, Yuxin Jiang, Tianjiao Liu, Lijun Luo, Shuai Yang, Bo Yang, Xiang Xu, Tao Deng, Desheng Li, Jianghong Ran","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag019","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coag019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The alarming decline in biodiversity necessitates a comprehensive understanding of animal adaptations to environmental changes. Behavioural syndromes, which encompass consistent patterns of behaviour across various contexts, play a crucial role in animal adaptation and survival. In this study, we investigated behavioural syndromes in giant pandas (<i>Ailuropoda melanoleuca</i>), a keystone species in global conservation efforts. Using a comprehensive array of behavioural assays, we assessed the cognitive functions and personality traits of giant pandas, linking these traits to physiological stress indicators-faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations-and established behavioural syndromes across both captive and wild settings. Our findings delineate proactive-reactive coping styles, demonstrating that proactive individuals exhibit lower baseline fGCM concentrations and enhanced exploratory behaviours, thereby suggesting superior stress resilience. Additionally, we identified clear lateralization in behaviour and found that left-handedness and stronger lateralization were indicative of a more reactive personality, underscoring the functional differences between brain hemispheres in controlling emotions and behaviours. Field studies extended these insights to wild populations, suggesting that fGCM concentrations may exhibit contrasting relationships with human disturbance at intra-individual and inter-individual levels in pandas. This study is the first to integrate personality traits, cognitive abilities, and hormonal baselines in giant pandas. Building on these integrative findings, we propose a conservation framework that embeds individual behavioural phenotypes into management decisions and calls for customized reintroduction and protection strategies.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag019"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13034733/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147596198","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}

{"title":"Evaluating the vulnerability of critical early life stages in plants during heat extremes.","authors":"Pieter A Arnold, Tara J Walker, Ella V Wishart, Lydia K Guja","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag015","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coag015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plants, their seeds and their gametes show remarkable resilience and responsiveness to environmental conditions. However, worsening climate change with more severe and frequent extreme climatic events, like heatwaves and hot droughts, will likely push many species towards or beyond their physiological limits. If such events occur during important points of development and reproduction-rather than mature vegetative growth-the direct impact on individual fitness can be high, with potential to bottleneck recruitment in populations. Here we take an ecophysiological perspective to discuss what is known of the effects of extreme heat on four critical early life stage transitions in wild plant development that affect fitness and recruitment. These life stages are pollen development, pollen germination to seed set, dormant-to-imbibed seeds and seed-to-seedling transition. We use the recently developed thermal load sensitivity framework to showcase how these critical points of ontogeny could be exposed to vastly different microclimate conditions and have different physiological heat tolerance. Assessing sensitivity of these life stage transitions to increasing thermal load with the additional stressors of limited soil moisture and drying atmosphere could be an effective approach to identify at-risk populations or species. We argue that vulnerable developmental stages and narrow reproductive windows that affect recruitment must be considered for effective conservation and restoration of plant populations under climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag015"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13030909/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147576133","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}

{"title":"Fishing filters flathead form and function in Tasmania.","authors":"Bradley E Howell","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag016","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coag016","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag016"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13012801/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147515900","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}

{"title":"Haematology and biochemistry reference intervals of Galapagos short-eared owls (<i>Asio flammeus galapagoensis</i>) from Floreana Island.","authors":"Emma Vaasjo, Ainoa Nieto-Claudin, Paula A Castaño, Gislayne Mendoza-Alcívar, Birgit Fessl, Vivian Huacuja García, Kathleen Apakupakul, Sharon L Deem","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag013","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coag013","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To limit the impact of invasive predator species on the ecosystem of Floreana Island, Galapagos, a large-scale rodent eradication program was implemented. Due to the significant risk of secondary exposure to rodenticide, a mitigation tactic was used to protect the only native raptor found on Floreana, the Galapagos short-eared owl (<i>Asio flammeus galapagoensis</i>). A large proportion of the owl population was brought into human care in July 2023 with the goal to release back to the wild following the completion of the eradication program and reduction of the risk of exposure to rodenticides. During this time under human care, health examinations including blood collection for assessment of haematology and biochemistry parameters were completed. Descriptions of leukocyte morphology and population-based reference intervals (RI) are reported here utilizing results from 62 clinically healthy adults. Sex was determined using polymerase chain reaction, allowing for comparisons between males (<i>n</i> = 29) and females (<i>n</i> = 33). Statistically significant differences were found for several parameters: packed cell volume, relative and absolute monocyte counts, total protein, calcium and phosphorus levels were higher in females, while uric acid and glucose levels were significantly higher in males. These baseline RI are an important tool for assessment of this unique population while under human care, and will allow for comparisons and continued health monitoring after release back to the island of Floreana.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag013"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12952920/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147349276","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}

{"title":"Methods for analysing wildlife DNA methylation data.","authors":"Theoni Photopoulou, Ian Durbach, Enrico Pirotta, Ashley Barratclough, Lori H Schwacke, Ryan Takeshita, Gina K Himes Boor, Catriona M Harris, Peter L Tyack, Len Thomas","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coaf091","DOIUrl":"10.1093/conphys/coaf091","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The analysis of DNA methylation data for wildlife conservation is gaining momentum as the technology for quantifying the methylome becomes mainstream. The use of epigenetic information extracted from tissue samples can be used for estimating chronological age, individual traits and phenotypic variation. Methylation data present an exciting opportunity to study wildlife populations, with the potential to provide insights into age structure, vital rates and health. However, the statistical methodology for answering the emerging research questions has been developed and mostly applied in the human biomedical setting. We review the key methodologies commonly used in wildlife settings, and methods that have been used only in human studies so far that could improve our understanding of wildlife epigenomic changes. We show how the different methods relate to each other and how they link to research questions, illustrating each approach with data from a case study, a large dataset from wild bottlenose dolphins (<i>Tursiops</i> spp.) from the US southeast and Gulf coast. Estimating chronological age from models called epigenetic clocks and understanding the relationship between epigenetic indicators of health and exposure to stressors are both key goals in wildlife settings; however, we show that a single model cannot do both accurately. This is a fundamental limitation of clock-type models and might explain why some age-related health conditions have been found to be related to epigenetic age and others not. Decoupling the analysis of age and health is challenging because the two are confounded but is especially important in wildlife settings where age prediction is often the main analytical objective.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coaf091"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12935468/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147312404","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}

{"title":"Embryos are largely understudied in a representative sample of journals in conservation physiology.","authors":"Patrice Pottier, Nicholas C Wu, Madison L Earhart, Malgorzata Lagisz, Katharina Alter, Rafael Angelakopoulos, Avishikta Chakraborty, Zara-Louise Cowan, Shaun S Killen, Jamie C S McCoy, Estefany Caroline Guevara-Molina, Marta Moyano, Amanda K Pettersen, Luca Pettinau, Daniel M Ripley, Bao-Jun Sun, Ramakrishnan Vasudeva, Katharina Ruthsatz","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coag006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding how animals respond to environmental stressors across their life cycle is essential for predicting species' vulnerability to climate change. Here, we systematically reviewed the literature to quantify the variation in research effort on different life stages in the field of conservation physiology. Specifically, we reviewed experimental studies measuring physiological and life-history responses to climatic stressors across three representative scientific journals: <i>Conservation Physiology</i>, <i>Journal of Thermal Biology</i> and <i>Journal of Experimental Biology</i>. Our systematic map of 1276 studies revealed a pronounced underrepresentation of studies on embryos, representing only 8% to 9% of studies. This pattern was remarkably consistent across all axes considered (i.e. journals, taxonomic groups, physiological traits and environmental stressors). We also found that 80% of studies only investigated single life stages, and over 5% of studies did not clearly report the life stage(s) used. Despite the increasing recognition of the ecological importance and sensitivity of early life stages to environmental stressors, we found no evidence that research on embryos has gained traction over the past decade (2013-2024). We argue that these ontogenetic biases likely reflect a combination of historical precedents and enduring methodological and logistical constraints that continue to shape research agendas. To build a more holistic understanding across the life cycle, we: (i) call for a paradigm shift placing embryos at the center of experimental agendas, (ii) outline emerging methodological advances that increase the feasibility of research on early life stages, (iii) demonstrate how studies on embryos align with ethical considerations for animal research, (iv) highlight perspectives for future evidence syntheses and study reporting and (v) promote investigations of the mechanisms underlying physiological variation across ontogeny. Closing the ontogenetic gap will be key to improving our ability to predict population-level impacts of climate change and guiding more effective conservation and management interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag006"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12916238/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147272980","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}

{"title":"Correction to: Comparison of whole blood on filter strips with serum for avian influenza virus antibody detection in wild birds.","authors":"","doi":"10.1093/conphys/coag011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coag011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaf033.].</p>","PeriodicalId":54331,"journal":{"name":"Conservation Physiology","volume":"14 1","pages":"coag011"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2026-02-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12916236/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147273010","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}