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Species identification and haplotype diversity of Sato’s beaked whales using environmental DNA metabarcodingNARA Subscribed
The species identification of whales, dolphins and porpoises at sea remains challenging, particularly for cryptic species like beaked whales (Family: Ziphiidae). Here we use environmental (e)DNA for identification of Sato’s beaked whale, Berardius minimus , at sea. This species was first described in 2019 and, to date, all but one genetic sample has been collected from beachcast carcasses. Sato’s beaked whales are difficult to...
Lymphocystis Disease in Endemic Aotearoa New Zealand Bully ( Gobiomorphus cotidianus )NARA Subscribed
We detected lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) for the first time in an Aotearoa New Zealand freshwater environment, from an individual common bully, toitoi, Gobiomorphus cotidianus (Eleotridae). Dinah's bully, Gobiomorphus dinae , and Kaharore bully, Gobiomorphus mataraerore , also exhibited gross nodular lesions on the fins but were not sampled. Histopathology of G. cotidianus nodular lesions revealed hypertrophic lymphocysti...
Introduction Estimating the genetic diversity of cetaceans at sea, particularly abundant social delphinids, can be difficult with traditional biopsy sampling of individuals. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding has been shown to be a powerful tool for the identification of species assemblages and estimation of genetic diversity, especially in aquatic environments. Methods We collected 126 samples of seawater from within the...
In 2024, an expedition was conducted off northwestern Baja California, México, to find and identify the beaked whale species that produced the BW43 echolocation pulse previously recorded in this area and elsewhere in the North Pacific. There were five Mesoplodon sightings and 21 BW43 acoustic detections on both a towed array and drifting pole buoy recorders over the course of the survey. Three of the sightings had concurrent a...
Defining an ageing-related pathology, disease or syndrome: International Consensus StatementNARA Subscribed
Around the world, individuals are living longer, but an increased average lifespan does not always equate to an increased health span. With advancing age, the increased prevalence of ageing-related diseases can have a significant impact on health status, functional capacity and quality of life. It is therefore vital to develop comprehensive classification and staging systems for ageing-related pathologies, diseases and syndrom...
Pathogenicity and progression of Botryosphaeriaceae associated with dieback in walnut orchards in AustraliaNARA Subscribed
Dieback of the fruiting spurs of walnut ( Juglans regia ) results in yield losses in walnut orchards in Australia. Botryosphaeriaceae spp. have been implicated as the causative agents, with Diplodia seriata and Neofusicoccum parvum reported as the most prevalent species. Pathogenicity assays demonstrated inter- and intra-species variation with N. parvum more virulent than D. seriata . Both species were re-isolated beyond the d...
A roadmap for pyrodiversity scienceNARA Subscribed
Background Contemporary and projected shifts in global fire regimes highlight the importance of understanding how fire affects ecosystem function and biodiversity across taxa and geographies. Pyrodiversity, or heterogeneity in fire history, is often an important driver of biodiversity, though it has been largely overlooked until relatively recently. In this paper, we synthesise previous research to develop a theoretical framew...
Although Hubbs' beaked whale ( Mesoplodon carlhubbsi ) was previously known from over 60 strandings on both sides of the North Pacific, it had been identified alive in the wild only once, off Oregon in 1994. In September 2021, we conducted a search effort for beaked whales off the coast of Oregon using a towed hydrophone array and a visual search team. Approximately 350 km off the Columbia River mouth, we detected the vocaliza...
A surplus no more? Variation in krill availability impacts reproductive rates of Antarctic baleen whalesNARA Subscribed
The krill surplus hypothesis of unlimited prey resources available for Antarctic predators due to commercial whaling in the 20th century has remained largely untested since the 1970s. Rapid warming of the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) over the past 50 years has resulted in decreased seasonal ice cover and a reduction of krill. The latter is being exacerbated by a commercial krill fishery in the region. Despite this, humpba...
Prolonging survival in good health is a fundamental societal goal. However, the leading determinants of disability-free survival in healthy older people have not been well established. Data from ASPREE, a bi-national placebo-controlled trial of aspirin with 4.7 years median follow-up, was analysed. At enrolment, participants were healthy and without prior cardiovascular events, dementia or persistent physical disability. Disab...
Commerson’s dolphins ( Cephalorhynchus commersonii ) are separated into the subspecies C. c. commersonii , found along southern South America (SA) and the Falkland Islands/Islas Malvinas (FI/IM), and C. c. kerguelenensis , restricted to the subantarctic Kerguelen Islands (KI). Following the dispersal model proposed for the genus, the latter is thought to have originated from SA after a long-distance dispersal event. To evaluat...
Amazonia trees have limited capacity to acclimate plant hydraulic properties in response to long‐term droughtNARA Subscribed
The fate of tropical forests under future climate change is dependent on the capacity of their trees to adjust to drier conditions. The capacity of trees to withstand drought is likely to be determined by traits associated with their hydraulic systems. However, data on whether tropical trees can adjust hydraulic traits when experiencing drought remain rare. We measured plant hydraulic traits (e.g. hydraulic conductivity and em...
The absorption of atmospheric water directly into leaves enables plants to alleviate the water stress caused by low soil moisture, hydraulic resistance in the xylem and the effect of gravity on the water column, while enabling plants to scavenge small inputs of water from leaf‐wetting events. By increasing the availability of water, and supplying it from the top of the canopy (in a direction facilitated by gravity), foliar upt...