[MARMAM] Novel publication about herpesvirus and adenovirus in manatees, Brazil

[Carlos Sacristán Yagüe]

Dear colleagues,


On behalf of all co-authors, I am pleased to announce the publication of our 
article: Ewbank et al. (2022). Herpesvirus and adenovirus surveillance in 
threatened wild West Indian (Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatees 
(Trichechus inunguis), Brazil. Acta Tropica. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2022.106740.

[https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0001706X22004326-ga1.jpg]
Herpesvirus and adenovirus surveillance in threatened wild West Indian 
(Trichechus manatus) and Amazonian manatees (Trichechus inunguis), 
Brazil
African (Trichechus senegalenses), West Indian (T. manatus), WIM)], and the 
Amazonian manatees (T. inunguis, AMM). Whereas WIM inhabits both riverine …
doi.org




In this manuscript we used panPCR protocols to survey herpesvirus and 
adenovirus in blood samples of wild West Indian manatees (WIM, n = 23) and 
Amazonian manatees (AMM, n = 26) under human care in Brazil. Herpesvirus DNA 
was detected in one juvenile female WIM (1/23; 4.3%; 95% CI -4.7 – 13.3) from 
Ceará state and in four AMM (two juvenile females, a juvenile male, and an 
adult female; 4/26; 15.4%; 95% CI 0.5 – 30.3) from Amazonas state. The two 
different gammaherpesvirus DNA polymerase sequence types identified (one per 
species, a sequence type in a WIM and another one in three AMM) were highly 
similar (99% nucleotide identity) to Trichechid herpesvirus 1, reported in West 
Indian manatees of Florida (USA), and 100% identical when translated into amino 
acids. A herpesviral glycoprotein B sequence was identified in two AMM. None of 
the samples was positive to adenovirus. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the 
first herpesvirus detection in manatees from South America, expanding the 
herpesvirus geographical range, and the first in WIM and AMM worldwide. Our 
findings suggest (i) that West Indian and Amazonian manatees are possibly the 
natural hosts of the detected herpesvirus, and (ii) coevolution of that 
gammaherpesvirus with Trichechus. Future studies are necessary to characterize 
the obtained virus and elucidate potential pathological effects (if any) in 
these species.




You can discover more in the link: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1g3rH,2UvtInc




Best regards,



Carlos Sacristan

DVM, MSc, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher, DVM, MSc, PhD

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Group (EYSA)

Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal

Instituto Nacional de Investigacion y Tecnologia Agraria y Alimentaria

Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas

Member of the Expert Advisory Panel on Strandings of the International Whaling 
Commission

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[MARMAM] new publication

[Monson, Daniel H]

Dear colleagues,

My co-authors and I are very pleased to inform you that our article “Brown 
bear–sea otter interactions along the Katmai coast: terrestrial and nearshore 
communities linked by predation” is now available.

Monson, D. H., Taylor, R. L., Hilderbrand, G. V., Erlenbach, J. A., Coletti, H. 
A., Kloecker, K. A., Esslinger, G. G., Bodkin, J. L. 2022. Brown bear–sea otter 
interactions along the Katmai coast: terrestrial and nearshore communities 
linked by predation. Journal of Mammalogy. 10.1093/jmammal/gyac095 
https://doi.org/10.1093/jmammal/gyac095

Abstract
Sea otters were extirpated throughout much of their range by the maritime fur 
trade in the 18th and 19th centuries, including the coast of Katmai National 
Park and Preserve in southcentral Alaska. Brown bears are an important 
component of the Katmai ecosystem where they are the focus of a thriving 
ecotourism bear-viewing industry as they forage in sedge meadows and dig clams 
in the extensive tidal flats that exist there. Sea otters began reoccupying 
Katmai in the 1970s where their use of intertidal clam resources overlapped 
that of brown bears. By 2008, the Katmai sea otter population had grown to an 
estimated 7,000 animals and was likely near carrying capacity; however, in 
2006–2015, the age-at-death distribution (AADD) of sea otter carcasses 
collected at Katmai included a higher-than-expected proportion of prime-age 
animals compared to most other sea otter populations in Alaska. The unusual 
AADD warranted scientific investigation, particularly because the Katmai 
population is part of the Threatened southwest sea otter stock. Brown bears in 
Katmai are known to prey on marine mammals and sea otters, but depredation 
rates are unknown; thus, we investigated carnivore predation, especially by 
brown bears, as a potential explanation for abnormally high prime-age otter 
mortality. We installed camera traps at two island-based marine mammal haulout 
sites within Katmai to gather direct evidence that brown bears prey on seals 
and sea otters. Over a period of two summers, we gathered photo evidence of 
brown bears making 22 attempts to prey on sea otters of which nine (41%) were 
successful and 12 attempts to prey on harbor seals of which one (8%) was 
successful. We also developed a population model based on the AADD to determine 
if the living population is declining, as suggested by the high proportion of 
prime-age animals in the AADD. We found that the population trend predicted by 
the modeled AADDs was contradictory to aerial population surveys that indicated 
the population was not in steep decline but was consistent with otter 
predation. Future work should focus on the direct and indirect effects these 
top-level predators have on each other and the coastal community that connects 
them.

Best regards,
Daniel Monson


Daniel Monson, PhD.
Research Wildlife Biologist
US Geological Survey, Interior Region 11
Alaska Science Center
4210 University Drive
Anchorage,  AK  99508
907-786-7161 (w) 907-230-7139 (c)

Please note I sometimes send and answer email outside normal work hours.
This helps me with my schedule but is not intended to pressure others to do the 
same.
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[MARMAM] January 2023 Introductory distance sampling workshop, registration closes 30 Nov

[Eric Rexstad]

A reminder that registration for the remaining handful of places in the 09-20 
January training workshop, widely used in population assessment of marine 
mammal populations, closes in just under two weeks (30 November).

Details about the workshop and the registration process can be found at

http://workshops.distancesampling.org/intro-jan-2023.html

Any questions, please send them to me.


Eric Rexstad

Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling

University of St Andrews

Registered Charity in Scotland SC013532

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[MARMAM] Requests for proposals to conduct a dolphin cow-calf separation study in the eastern tropical Pacific

[Michael Scott]

The Inter-Amercian Tropical Tuna Commission is requesting research proposals to 
study whether dolphin cows and calves become separated during tuna purse-seine 
fishing operations in the eastern tropical Pacific.  The study will address 
long-standing unanswered questions about whether cow-calf separation occurs, 
and, if it does, is potential calf mortality at levels high enough to hinder 
population growth.  The details of the request for proposals can be found at 
this link:



https://www.iattc.org/getattachment/425bab9f-ae3a-4692-b94c-f9758609b0c1/Consultancy-announcement-dolphin-cow-calves-experiment.pdf?lang=en-US


Michael Scott

 Senior Scientist, IATTC (ret.)

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[MARMAM] Sea Watch Foundation internships in Cardigan Bay

[katrin . lohrengel]

Interns are invited to assist the Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) with the 
running of the Cardigan Bay Monitoring Project. The project is based in 
the picturesque town of New Quay, West Wales, and supports the 
conservation management of one of only two semi-resident bottlenose 
dolphin populations in the UK.


Interns will gain experience in the following areas:

*Daily land-based surveys
*Full day boat surveys
*Opportunistic data collection from wildlife tour boats
*Photo-identification matching
*Data entry
*Raising public awareness
*Environmental education initiatives and events
*Assisting with and participating in adult cetacean surveying training 
courses


In addition to these tasks, we have some specialist equipment: a 
hydrophone, a polecam, and an aerial drone to opportunistically collect 
acoustic, video and aerial data during boat-based surveys.


The SWF research season runs from April until the end of October 2023 
and interns are invited to apply for one or more of the following 8 week 
periods:

Period 1: April 3 - May 28

Period 2: May 29- July 23

Period 3: July 24 - September 10

Period 4: September 11 - October 29

This is an unpaid internship. Interns are responsible for their own 
living expenses. Accommodation is provided at a rate of between £76 and 
£80 per person per week.


All interns will be trained in cetacean observation and species 
identification, in boat survey protocols, and photo-identification of 
bottlenose dolphins but the following skills are advantageous:
*Strong team player with a sense of humour as you’ll be working in a 
small team in the changeable Welsh weather!
*a background in marine biology/environmental science or similar, prior 
fieldwork experience is beneficial

*Good IT skills
*Good written and verbal communication skills, experience with public 
speaking is also desirable


If you are interested in this position, please visit the Sea Watch 
Foundation website for more information and how to apply: 
https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/internships/ or email 
katrin.lohren...@seawatchfoundation.org.uk


Deadline for applications is the 29th January 2023. Decisions will be 
made by 21st February 2023


For a snapshot of what to expect, why not check out our social media 
profiles!

Facebook: shorturl.at/QS568
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seawatchfoundation/
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[MARMAM] Final Call For Participants: An Introduction to Making Graphs an Maps for Biologists using R - 28th November to 1st December 2022 (Online Course)

[cdmacleod]

Finall Call For Participants: An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps 
for Biologists using R - 28th November to 1st December 2022


Data preparation, presentation and analysis are key skills for all those 
working with marine mammals, and of the available software packages for 
doing these, R has rapidly become the most widely used. This means that 
a knowledge of how to prepare, analyse and visualise data in R is now an 
essential skill for marine mammalogists.


To help marine mammalogists (and other biologists) develop their skills 
in this area, we will be running an instructor-led online course at the 
end of November 2022 based around our latest book, _An Introduction to 
Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R_. It will be held on the 
Zoom video-conferencing platform and will provide all the practical 
knowledge and experience you need to make a wide range of high quality 
and informative data visualisations from biological data in R using 
packages such as GGPlot. While it may be useful, no previous experience 
with R is required to do this course.


The course will run from the 28th November to the 1st December 2022. It 
will consist of four three-hour sessions, and one session will need to 
be completed each day. However, you will have a choice of completing it 
between 10:00 and 13:00 UK Time (primarily for those living in Europe, 
Asia and Africa) or 19:00 to 22:00 UK Time (primarily for those living 
in North and South America). This choice of time slots for each session 
allows participants from as wide a range of time zones to participate in 
the course.


Attendance will be limited to a maximum of 24 people per session. The 
fees for this course are GBP 295 per person (with a discounted rate of 
GBP 245 for students, the unwaged and those working for registered 
charities). To book a place, or for more information, you can either 
email us at i...@gisinecology.com or click on the link below.


http://gisinecology.com/live-online-course-an-introduction-to-making-graphs-and-maps-for-biologists-using-r/ 
[1]


About the Course:

This is a practical course and it is aimed at anyone who wishes to learn 
how to make high quality and informative graphs and maps based on 
biological data using R. The topics covered on this course will include 
an introduction to making graphs using the GGPlot package, making bar 
graphs of count data, making graphs of summary statistics (such as mean 
values) with error bars, making point graphs of summary statistics for 
two variables with vertical and horizontal error bars, making box plots, 
making X-Y scatter plots of individual data points, making line graphs 
of time series data, making pair-plot matrices of environmental 
variables, making pie charts, making bubble graphs, making mixed type 
graphs, making simple X-Y plots of tracking data and making maps from 
biological data in R. In addition, you will learn how to use a variety 
of different R packages and how to create workflows for making any type 
of graph, map or data visualisation in R.


Each session will consist of a series of background talk covering 
specific topics (more details are provided below), followed by related 
practical exercises based on instructions from _An Introduction to 
Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R_. While you are encouraged 
to remain online during the practical sessions, you can choose to go 
off-line as you work though the exercises (or if you need to take a 
break). However, if you have any questions, the course instructor will 
be available throughout the course for you to ask any questions you wish 
at any point.


This course will be hosted by Dr Colin D MacLeod, one of the authors of 
_An Introduction to Making Graphs and Maps for Biologists using R_.


At the end of the course, all attendees will receive a certificate of 
attendance and completion. Each certificate is embossed with the _GIS In 
Ecology_ official stamp to prevent its fraudulent reproduction. In 
addition, each certificate has its own unique identification number that 
we will record, along with your name, meaning that we can verify the 
authenticity of the certificates we issue (and the course you have 
completed) on request.


---

==
GIS IN ECOLOGY - Providing Training, Advice And Consultancy On The Use 
Of GIS In Ecology


Web: www.GISinEcology.com [2] Email: i...@gisinecology.com

Need to ask a question about using GIS? Try the GIS In Ecology Forum: 
www.GISinEcology.com/GIS_in_Ecology_forum.htm [3]


Books From GIS In Ecology Staff:

GIS For Biologists: A Practical Introduction For Undergraduates; RRP: 
£24.99
An Introduction To Integrating QGIS And R For Spatial Analysis; RRP: 
£19.99
An Introduction To Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) Using QGIS And 
R; RRP: £19:99


If you wish to purchase these books, visit: 
http://www.gisinecology.com/book-shop/


To help the environment, please do no

[MARMAM] New publication: Tidal effects on periodical variations in the occurrence of singing humpback whales in coastal waters of Chichijima Island, Ogasawara, Japan

[Koki Tsujii]

Dear all,

On behalf of my co-authors, I am pleased to inform you about our paper
titled "Tidal effects on periodical variations in the occurrence of singing
humpback whales in coastal waters of Chichijima Island, Ogasawara, Japan",
recently published in Scientific Reports.

Tsujii, K., Akamatsu, T., Okamoto, R. et al. Tidal effects on periodical
variations in the occurrence of singing humpback whales in coastal waters
of Chichijima Island, Ogasawara, Japan. Sci Rep 12, 19702 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24162-0

ABSTRACT
Marine organisms inhabiting coastal waters are known to be driven by
periodic cycles such as diel, tidal, and seasonal changes. Humpback
whales (*Megaptera
novaeangliae*) breed in shallow and warm coastal waters, with males singing
complex songs during the breeding season. To investigate periodic
variations in humpback whale singing activities, we conducted fixed passive
acoustic monitoring in the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands, Japan, from winter to
spring during 2016–2018. The singing activity and individual number of
singers were observed throughout the day and night using a very long
baseline passive acoustic array. The occurrence of singers peaked before
sunrise and in the evening and was reduced during the daytime. The
frequency of song reception depended on the tidal phase. A generalised
additive model demonstrated that the occurrence of singers increased during
the flood tide and decreased during the ebb tide in the waters west of
Chichijima Island. These results suggest that the singing behaviour of
humpback whales in breeding areas is affected by the diel and tidal cycles.
Male humpback whales may change their behaviour or singing location
depending on the strength and direction of the tidal current, considering
that the selection of a stable location is beneficial for singing whales.

The paper is available at:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-24162-0

Best regards,
Koki
-- 
---
Koki Tsujii
Ogasawara Whale Watching Association
Aza Higashimachi, Chichijima,
Ogasawara-mura, Tokyo 100-2101, JAPAN
Tel: +81-4998-2-3215; Fax: +81-4998-2-3500
E-mail: tsu...@owa1989.com
---
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