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Melica V, Atkinson S, Gendron D, Calambokidis J, Mueter F. Blubber endocrine profiles provide insights into reproductive biology in blue whales from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 310:113830. [PMID: 34087186 PMCID: PMC9167553 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The goal of the present study was to complement existing data of testosterone and progesterone in blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) blubber from the eastern North Pacific Ocean to evaluate effects of seasonality and location on these hormones and to better assess reproductive status of individuals. Physiological parameters regarding reproduction are fundamental for describing population dynamics, and hormones can be a valid tool to estimate those for wildlife populations. In this study, blubber tissue was validated for testosterone and progesterone assays. Hormone concentrations were measured in 69 (35 males and 34 females) blubber samples from live (n = 66) and stranded (n = 3) animals collected between 2002 and 2016 from a known winter reproductive ground in the Gulf of California (GoC) and summer feeding areas along the United States West Coast (USWC), specifically off the states of California and Oregon. Results were combined with sighting histories as a tool to determine reproductive status of individual whales. Testosterone concentrations in adult male blue whales were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in blubber biopsies sampled off the USWC between the months of June and November compared to those sampled in the GoC between February and April. Elevated testosterone concentrations likely indicate physiological preparation for reproductive activity while the animals were present off the USWC. Progesterone concentrations were significantly elevated in pregnant females, confirming progesterone as an indicator of pregnancy in blue whales. Probabilities of being pregnant were estimated for adult females with unknown sighting histories based on progesterone concentrations. Testosterone in females was detected and measured only in pregnant whales suggesting its biosynthesis or metabolism is altered during gestation. These results provide updated and new information on the reproductive cycle of blue whales in the eastern North Pacific, posing new milestones to better estimate the timing of the mating season for this endangered population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Melica
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA.
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA.
| | - Diane Gendron
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marina (IPN-CICIMAR), Av. Instituto Politecnico Nacional s/n, playa Palo de Santa Rita, 23096 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
| | | | - Franz Mueter
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
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Wise JP, Croom-Perez TJ, Meaza I, Aboueissa AM, López Montalvo CA, Martin-Bras M, Speer RM, Bonilla-Garzón A, Urbán R J, Perkins C, Wise JP. A whale of a tale: A One Environmental Health approach to study metal pollution in the Sea of Cortez. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 2019; 376:58-69. [PMID: 31078588 PMCID: PMC6602082 DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2019.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Marine metal pollution is an emerging concern for human, animal, and ecosystem health. We considered metal pollution in the Sea of Cortez, which is a relatively isolated sea rich in biodiversity. Here there are potentially significant anthropogenic inputs of pollution from agriculture and metal mining. We considered the levels of 23 heavy metals and selenium in seven distinct cetacean species found in the area. Our efforts considered two different periods of time: 1999 and 2016/17. We considered the metal levels in relation to (1) all species together across years, (2) differences between suborders Odontoceti and Mysticeti, (3) each species individually across years, and (4) gender differences for each of these comparisons. We further compared metal levels found in sperm whale skin samples collected during these voyages to a previous voyage in 1999, to assess changes in metal levels over a longer timescale. The metals Mg, Fe, Al, and Zn were found at the highest concentrations across all species and all years. For sperm whales, we observed decreased metal levels from 1999 to 2016/2017, except for iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr), which either increased or did not change during this time period. These results indicate a recent change in the metal input to the Sea of Cortez, which may indicate a decreased concern for human, animal, and ecosystem health for some metals, but raises concern for the genotoxic metals Cr and Ni. This work was supported by NIEHS grant ES016893 (J.P.W.) and numerous donors to the Wise Laboratory.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Tayler J Croom-Perez
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Idoia Meaza
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA
| | | | - Carlos A López Montalvo
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. La Paz, BCS, México
| | - Mark Martin-Bras
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Rachel M Speer
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA
| | - Andrea Bonilla-Garzón
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. La Paz, BCS, México
| | - Jorge Urbán R
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur. La Paz, BCS, México
| | - Christopher Perkins
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 500 S Preston St, Rm 1422, Louisville, KY, USA.
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Muñoz-Arnanz J, Chirife AD, Galletti Vernazzani B, Cabrera E, Sironi M, Millán J, Attard CRM, Jiménez B. First assessment of persistent organic pollutant contamination in blubber of Chilean blue whales from Isla de Chiloé, southern Chile. Sci Total Environ 2019; 650:1521-1528. [PMID: 30308837 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2018] [Revised: 09/04/2018] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were assessed for the first time in blue whales from the South Pacific Ocean. Concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its main metabolites (DDTs), were determined in 40 blubber samples from 36 free-ranging individuals and one stranded, dead animal along the coast of southern Chile between 2011 and 2013. PCBs were the most abundant pollutants (2.97-975 ng/g l.w.), followed by DDTs (3.50-537 ng/g l.w.), HCB (nd-77.5 ng/g l.w.) and PBDEs (nd-33.4 ng/g l.w). There was evidence of differences between sexes, with lower loads in females potentially due to pollutants passing to calves. POP concentrations were higher in specimens sampled in 2013; yet, between-year differences were only statistically significant for HCB and PBDEs. Lower chlorinated (penta > tetra > tri) and brominated (tetra > tri) congeners were the most prevalent among PCBs and PBDEs, respectively, mostly in agreement with findings previously reported in blue and other baleen whales. The present study provides evidence of lower levels of contamination by POPs in eastern South Pacific blue whales in comparison to those reported for the Northern Hemisphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Muñoz-Arnanz
- Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, Madrid, Spain.
| | - A D Chirife
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 252, Santiago, Chile
| | - B Galletti Vernazzani
- Centro de Conservación Cetacea (CCC), Casilla 19178 Correo Alonso de Cordoba, Santiago, Chile
| | - E Cabrera
- Centro de Conservación Cetacea (CCC), Casilla 19178 Correo Alonso de Cordoba, Santiago, Chile
| | - M Sironi
- Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas, O'Higgins 4380, 1429 Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - J Millán
- Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, República 252, Santiago, Chile
| | - C R M Attard
- Molecular Ecology Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - B Jiménez
- Department of Instrumental Analysis and Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Organic Chemistry, (IQOG-CSIC), Juan de la Cierva 3, Madrid, Spain
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Valenzuela-Molina M, Atkinson S, Mashburn K, Gendron D, Brownell RL. Fecal steroid hormones reveal reproductive state in female blue whales sampled in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2018; 261:127-135. [PMID: 29476760 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2018.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2017] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Steroid hormone assessment using non-invasive sample collection techniques can reveal the reproductive status of aquatic mammals and the physiological mechanisms by which they respond to changes in their environment. A portion of the eastern North Pacific blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) population that seasonally visits the Gulf of California, Mexico has been monitored using photo-identified individuals for over 30 years. The whales use the area in winter-early spring for nursing their calves and feeding and it therefore is well suited for fecal sample collection. Using radioimmunoassays in 25 fecal samples collected between 2009 and 2012 to determine reproductive state and stress, we validated three steroid hormones (progesterone, corticosterone and cortisol) in adult female blue whales. Females that were categorized as pregnant had higher mean fecal progesterone metabolite concentrations (1292.6 ± 415.6 ng·g-1) than resting and lactating females (14.0 ± 3.7 ng·g-1; 23.0 ± 5.4 ng·g-1, respectively). Females classified as pregnant also had higher concentrations of corticosterone metabolites (37.5 ± 9.9 ng·g-1) than resting and lactating females (17.4 ± 2.0 ng·g-1; 16.8 ± 2.8 ng·g-1, respectively). In contrast, cortisol metabolite concentrations showed high variability between groups and no significant relationship to reproductive state. We successfully determined preliminary baseline parameters of key steroid hormones by reproductive state in adult female blue whales. The presence of pregnant or with luteal activity and known lactating females confirms that the Gulf of California is an important winter-spring area for the reproductive phase of these blue whales. The baseline corticosterone levels we are developing will be useful for assessing the impact of the increasing coastal development and whale-watching activities on the whales in the Gulf of California.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcia Valenzuela-Molina
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita, C.P. 23096 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- University of Alaska, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
| | - Kendall Mashburn
- University of Alaska, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
| | - Diane Gendron
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n Col. Playa Palo de Santa Rita, C.P. 23096 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico.
| | - Robert L Brownell
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, 34500 Highway 1, Monterey, CA 09394, USA
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Wise JP, Wise JTF, Wise CF, Wise SS, Gianios C, Xie H, Walter R, Boswell M, Zhu C, Zheng T, Perkins C, Wise JP. A three year study of metal levels in skin biopsies of whales in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon oil crisis. Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018; 205:15-25. [PMID: 29277452 PMCID: PMC5825280 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2017] [Revised: 12/13/2017] [Accepted: 12/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
In response to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and the massive release of oil that followed, we conducted three annual research voyages to investigate how the oil spill would impact the marine offshore environment. Most investigations into the ecological and toxicological impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil crisis have mainly focused on the fate of the oil and dispersants, but few have considered the release of metals into the environment. From studies of previous oil spills, other marine oil industries, and analyses of oil compositions, it is evident that metals are frequently encountered. Several metals have been reported in the MC252 oil from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, including the nonessential metals aluminum, arsenic, chromium, nickel, and lead; genotoxic metals, such as these are able to damage DNA and can bioaccumulate in organisms resulting in persistent exposure. In the Gulf of Mexico, whales are the apex species; hence we collected skin biopsies from sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus), short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), and Bryde's whales (Balaenoptera edeni). The results from our three-year study of monitoring metal levels in whale skin show (1) genotoxic metals at concentrations higher than global averages previously reported and (2) patterns for MC252-relevant metal concentrations decreasing with time from the oil spill.
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Affiliation(s)
- John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - James T F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA; Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences, Division of Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536, USA
| | - Catherine F Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Sandra S Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Christy Gianios
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Hong Xie
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA
| | - Ron Walter
- Texas State University, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Mikki Boswell
- Texas State University, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, 419 Centennial Hall, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX 78666, USA
| | - Cairong Zhu
- West China School of Public Health, Sichuan University, No.17 Section 3, Renmin South Road, Chengdu, Sichuan 610044, China
| | | | - Christopher Perkins
- Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - John Pierce Wise
- Wise Laboratory of Environmental and Genetic Toxicology, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Louisville, 505 S. Hancock St, Louisville, KY, 40292, USA.
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Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Calambokidis J, Serra-Valente G, Jacobsen JK, Aguíñiga-García S, Gendron D. Estimating blue whale skin isotopic incorporation rates and baleen growth rates: Implications for assessing diet and movement patterns in mysticetes. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177880. [PMID: 28562625 PMCID: PMC5451050 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis in mysticete skin and baleen plates has been repeatedly used to assess diet and movement patterns. Accurate interpretation of isotope data depends on understanding isotopic incorporation rates for metabolically active tissues and growth rates for metabolically inert tissues. The aim of this research was to estimate isotopic incorporation rates in blue whale skin and baleen growth rates by using natural gradients in baseline isotope values between oceanic regions. Nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values of blue whale skin and potential prey were analyzed from three foraging zones (Gulf of California, California Current System, and Costa Rica Dome) in the northeast Pacific from 1996–2015. We also measured δ15N and δ13C values along the lengths of baleen plates collected from six blue whales stranded in the 1980s and 2000s. Skin was separated into three strata: basale, externum, and sloughed skin. A mean (±SD) skin isotopic incorporation rate of 163±91 days was estimated by fitting a generalized additive model of the seasonal trend in δ15N values of skin strata collected in the Gulf of California and the California Current System. A mean (±SD) baleen growth rate of 15.5±2.2 cm y-1 was estimated by using seasonal oscillations in δ15N values from three whales. These oscillations also showed that individual whales have a high fidelity to distinct foraging zones in the northeast Pacific across years. The absence of oscillations in δ15N values of baleen sub-samples from three male whales suggests these individuals remained within a specific zone for several years prior to death. δ13C values of both whale tissues (skin and baleen) and potential prey were not distinct among foraging zones. Our results highlight the importance of considering tissue isotopic incorporation and growth rates when studying migratory mysticetes and provide new insights into the individual movement strategies of blue whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Busquets-Vass
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Seth D. Newsome
- Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, United States of America
| | - Gabriela Serra-Valente
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jeff K. Jacobsen
- Vertebrate Museum, Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, United States of America
| | - Sergio Aguíñiga-García
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Diane Gendron
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
- * E-mail:
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