Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena: Legacy of Pollutant Exposure?

Reproductive failure in mammals due to exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can occur either through endocrine disrupting effects or via immunosuppression and increased disease risk. To investigate further, full necropsies and determination of summed 25 polychlorinated biphenyls congeners (∑PCBs lipid weight) in blubber were undertaken on 329 UK-stranded female harbour porpoises (1990-2012). In sexually mature females, 25/127 (19.

Predicting population-level risk effects of predation from the responses of individuals.

Fear of predation produces large effects on prey population dynamics through indirect risk effects that can cause even greater impacts than direct predation mortality. As yet, there is no general theoretical framework for predicting when and how these population risk effects will arise in specific prey populations, meaning that there is often little consideration given to the key role predator risk effects can play in understanding conservation and wildlife management challenges. Here, we propose that population predator risk effects can be predicted through an extension of individual risk trade-off theory and show for the first time that this is the case in a wild vertebrate system.

Cultural transmission of tool use by Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) provides access to a novel foraging niche.

Culturally transmitted tool use has important ecological and evolutionary consequences and has been proposed as a significant driver of human evolution. Such evidence is still scarce in other animals. In cetaceans, tool use has been inferred using indirect evidence in one population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.

A tale of two parasites: the comparative epidemiology of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis.

New Zealand has a higher reported incidence of cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis than most other developed countries. This study aimed to describe and compare the epidemiology of these infections in New Zealand, to better understand their impact on public health and to gain insight into their probable modes of transmission. We analysed cryptosporidiosis and giardiasis notification data for a 10-year period (1997-2006).

Molecular characterization of Giardia isolates from calves and humans in a region in which dairy farming has recently intensified.

Giardiasis is a notifiable disease of high prevalence in New Zealand, but there is limited knowledge about the sources of Giardia duodenalis genotypes that can potentially cause human infections. Dairy calves are one environmental source of Giardia isolates, but it is unknown whether they harbor genotypes that are potentially capable of causing infections in humans. To address these questions, 40 Giardia isolates from calves and 30 from humans, living in the same region and collected over a similar period, were genotyped using the beta-giardin gene.

Genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium parvum causing foal diarrhea.

Cryptosporidium isolates from diarrheic foals in New Zealand (n = 9) were identified as C. parvum, subtyped at two polymorphic loci, and compared with human (n = 45) and bovine (n = 8) isolates. Foal C.

Bioaccumulation of persistent organic pollutants in female common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from western European seas: geographical trends, causal factors and effects on reproduction and mortality.

Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in blubber of female common dolphins and harbour porpoises from the Atlantic coast of Europe were frequently above the threshold at which effects on reproduction could be expected, in 40% and 47% of cases respectively. This rose to 74% for porpoises from the southern North Sea. PCB concentrations were also high in southern North Sea fish.

Mass-dependent predation risk and lethal dolphin-porpoise interactions.

In small birds, mass-dependent predation risk (MDPR) is known to make the trade-off between avoiding starvation and avoiding predation dependent on individual mass. This occurs because carrying increased fat reserves not only reduces starvation risk but also results in a higher predation risk due to reduced escape flight performance and/or the increased foraging exposure needed to maintain a higher body mass. In principle, the theory of MDPR could also apply to any animal capable of storing energy reserves to reduce starvation and whose escape performance decreases with increasing mass.

Biological and ecological factors related to trace element levels in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) from European waters.

Selected trace elements (Cd, Cu, Hg, Se, Zn) were measured in the kidneys and the liver of 104 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) stranded along the coasts of France, Galicia (Spain), Ireland, Scotland (UK), and the Netherlands. Generally, relatively low concentrations of toxic elements were encountered in the tissues of European porpoises, except for two individuals, which displayed high hepatic Hg concentrations. Also, elevated Cd levels obtained in Scottish porpoises could be related to their feeding preferences and this result suggests an increase of the proportion of cephalopods in their diet with latitude.

Genetic characterization and transmission cycles of Cryptosporidium species isolated from humans in New Zealand.

Little is known about the genetic characteristics, distribution, and transmission cycles of Cryptosporidium species that cause human disease in New Zealand. To address these questions, 423 fecal specimens containing Cryptosporidium oocysts and obtained from different regions were examined by the PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Indeterminant results were resolved by DNA sequence analysis.

Identification and genetic characterisation of Giardia and Cryptosporidium strains in humans and dairy cattle in the Waikato Region of New Zealand.

Giardia intestinalis and Cryptosporidium parvum are commonly acquired waterborne parasites but little is known about their transmission cycles with regard to humans and animals. Faecal samples were collected over two time periods within the Waikato region of New Zealand from dairy cattle and humans and all positive isolates were genotyped. Of the 724 faecal specimens examined (354 cows, 304 calves and 66 humans), 16 cows, 32 calves and 5 humans were positive for G.