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36 results for “sea otters”
Data from: Defining the risk landscape in the context of pathogen pollution: Toxoplasma gondii in sea otters along the Pacific Rim
Pathogens entering the marine environment as pollutants exhibit a spatial signature driven by their transport mechanisms. The sea otter (Enhydra lutris), a marine animal that lives much of its life within sight of land, presents a unique opportunity to understand land-sea pathogen transmission. Using a dataset on Toxoplasma gondii prevalence across sea otter range from Alaska to California, we found that the dominant drivers of infection risk vary depending upon the spatial scale of analysis. At the population level, regions with high T. gondii prevalence had higher human population density and a greater proportion of human-dominated land uses suggesting a strong role for population density of the felid definitive host of this parasite. This relationship persisted when a subset of data were analysed at the individual level: large-scale patterns in sea otter T. gondii infection prevalence were largely explained by individual exposure to areas of high human housing unit density, and other landscape features associated with anthropogenic land use, such as impervious surfaces and cropping land. These results contrast with the small-scale, within-region analysis, in which age, sex and prey choice accounted for most of the variation in infection risk, and terrestrial environmental features provided little variation to help in explaining observed patterns. These results underscore the importance of spatial scale in study design when quantifying both individual-level risk factors and landscape-scale variation in infection risk.
Data from: Measures of effective population size in sea otters reveal special considerations for wide-ranging species
Conservation genetic techniques and considerations of the evolutionary potential of a species are increasingly being applied to species conservation. For example, effective population size (Ne) estimates are useful for determining the conservation status of species, yet accurate estimates of current Ne remain difficult to obtain. The effective population size can contribute to setting federal delisting criteria, as was done for the southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis). After being hunted to near extinction during the North Pacific fur trade, the southern sea otter has recovered over part of its former range, but remains at relatively low numbers, making it desirable to obtain accurate and consistent estimates of Ne. Although theoretical papers have compared the validity of several methods, comparisons of estimators using empirical data in applied conservation settings are limited. We combined thirteen years of demographic and genetic data from 1,006 sea otters to assess multiple Ne estimators, as well as temporal trends in genetic diversity and population genetic structure. Genetic diversity was low and did not increase over time. There was no evidence for distinct genetic units, but some evidence for genetic isolation by distance. Notably, estimates of Ne based on demographic data were much larger than genetic estimates when computed for the entire range of the population, but were similar at smaller spatial scales. The discrepancy between estimates at large spatial scales could be driven by cryptic population structure and/or individual differences in reproductive success. We recommend the development of new delisting criteria for the southern sea otter. We advise the use of multiple estimates of Ne for other wide-ranging species, species with overlapping generations, or with sex biased dispersal, as well as the development of improved metrics of genetic assessments of populations.
Data from: Lactation and resource limitation affect stress responses, thyroid hormones, immune function and antioxidant capacity of sea otters (Enhydra lutris)
1. Lactation is the most energetically demanding stage of reproduction in female mammals. Increased energetic allocation toward current reproduction may result in fitness costs, though the mechanisms underlying these trade-offs are not well understood. Trade-offs during lactation may include reduced energetic allocation to cellular maintenance, immune response and survival, and may be influenced by resource limitation. 2. As the smallest marine mammal, sea otters (Enhydra lutris) have the highest mass-specific metabolic rate necessitating substantial energetic requirements for survival. To provide the increased energy needed for lactation, female sea otters significantly increase foraging effort, especially during late-lactation. Caloric insufficiency during lactation is reflected in the high numbers of maternal deaths due to End-Lactation Syndrome in the California subpopulation. 3. We investigated the effects of lactation and resource limitation on maternal stress responses, metabolic regulation, immune function and antioxidant capacity in two subspecies of wild sea otters (northern: E. l. nereis and southern: E. l. kenyoni) within the California, Washington and Alaska subpopulations. 4. Lactation and resource limitation were associated with reduced glucocorticoid responses to acute capture stress. Corticosterone release was lower in lactating otters. Cortisol release was lower under resource limitation and suppression during lactation was only evident under resource limitation. Lactation and resource limitation were associated with alterations in thyroid hormones. Immune responses and total antioxidant capacity were not reduced by lactation or resource limitation. Southern sea otters exhibited higher concentrations of antioxidants, immunoglobulins and thyroid hormones than northern sea otters. 5. These data provide evidence for allocation trade-offs during reproduction and in response to nutrient limitation but suggest self-maintenance of immune function and antioxidant defenses despite energetic constraints. Income-breeding strategists may be especially vulnerable to the consequences of stress and modulation of thyroid function when food resources are insufficient to support successful reproduction and may come at a cost to survival, and thereby influence population trends.
On following pages: 29. Marine Otter (Lontra felina); 30. Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis); 31. Southern River Otter (Lontra provocax); 32. Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris); 33. Spotted-necked Otter (Hydrictis maculicollis); 34. Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra); 35. Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana); 36. African Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis); 37. Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus); 38. Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata). in Mustelidae
On following pages: 29. Marine Otter (Lontra felina); 30. Neotropical Otter (Lontra longicaudis); 31. Southern River Otter (Lontra provocax); 32. Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris); 33. Spotted-necked Otter (Hydrictis maculicollis); 34. Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra); 35. Hairy-nosed Otter (Lutra sumatrana); 36. African Clawless Otter (Aonyx capensis); 37. Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus); 38. Smooth-coated Otter (Lutrogale perspicillata).
Data from: A unique feeding strategy of the extinct marine mammal Kolponomos: convergence on sabretooths and sea otters
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Data from: Defining the risk landscape in the context of pathogen pollution: Toxoplasma gondii in sea otters along the Pacific Rim
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Data from: Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters
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Data from: Measures of effective population size in sea otters reveal special considerations for wide-ranging species
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Data from: Lactation and resource limitation affect stress responses, thyroid hormones, immune function and antioxidant capacity of sea otters (Enhydra lutris)
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Reductions in the dietary niche of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) from the Holocene to the Anthropocene.
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Data from: Distinctive increase in offspring size in sea otters: evolutionary changes in and beyond the trade-off against offspring number
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Sea otter sequence capture project data files
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Data from: Gene transcription in sea otters (Enhydra lutris): development of a diagnostic tool for sea otter and ecosystem health
Gene transcription analysis for diagnosing or monitoring wildlife health requires the ability to distinguish pathophysiological change from natural variation. Herein we describe methodology for the development of quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to measure differential transcript levels of multiple immune-function genes in the sea otter (Enhydra lutris); sea otter specific, qPCR primer sequences for the genes of interest are defined. We establish a "reference" range of transcripts for each gene in a group of clinically healthy captive and free-ranging sea otters. The 10 genes of interest represent multiple physiological systems that play a role in immuno-modulation, inflammation, cell protection, tumor suppression, cellular stress-response, xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, antioxidant enzymes, and cell-cell adhesion. The cycle threshold (CT) measures for most genes were normally distributed; the complement cytolysis inhibitor was the exception. The relative enumeration of multiple gene transcripts in simple peripheral blood samples expands the diagnostic capability currently available to assess the health of sea otters in situ and provides a better understanding of the state of their environment.
Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska distinct population segment
<p>For the sea otter (<i>Enhydra lutris</i>), genetic population structure is an area of research that has not received significant attention, especially in Southwest Alaska where that distinct population segment has been listed as threatened since 2005 pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In this study, 501 samples from 14 locations from Prince William Sound, Alaska to the Commander Islands in Russia were analyzed for variation at 13 microsatellite loci. Our results indicate a high degree of genetic divergence among the 14 locations (<i>F</i><sub>ST</sub> = 0.12) with gene flow conforming to the isolation by distance (IBD) model (<i>r<sup>2</sup></i> = 0.491, <i>p</i> < 0.05). The 14 sampling locations formed six geographic associations in clustering and ordination analyses that likely correspond to remnant population lineages: 1) Southcentral Alaska, 2) Kodiak and North Alaska Peninsula, 3) South Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay, 4) Eastern Aleutian, 5) Western Aleutian, and 6) the Commander Islands. Except for South Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay, these clusters closely agree with previously defined stock and management unit boundaries. Our results reveal significant genetic population structure and are generally congruent with current management strategies for the threatened Southwest Alaska distinct population segment.</p>
Data from: Gene transcription in sea otters (Enhydra lutris): development of a diagnostic tool for sea otter and ecosystem health
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Genetic variation in sea otters (Enhydra lutris) from the North Pacific with relevance to the threatened Southwest Alaska distinct population segment
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