Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations
Longitudinal data on individual growth and seasonal changes in body mass, girth, and blubber thickness are rarely available for cetaceans, making it difficult to assess their population composition and individual nutritional condition. During different time intervals from 1997 to 2020, we collected...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Global Ecology and Conservation |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423000197 |
| _version_ | 1811162775473356800 |
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| author | Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jacob Nabe–Nielsen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Jakob Højer Kristensen Marie–Anne Blanchet Sabrina Brando Geneviève Desportes Christina Lockyer Lauro Marcenaro Paulien Bunskoek José Kemper Ursula Siebert Morten Tange Olsen Magnus Wahlberg |
| author_facet | Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jacob Nabe–Nielsen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Jakob Højer Kristensen Marie–Anne Blanchet Sabrina Brando Geneviève Desportes Christina Lockyer Lauro Marcenaro Paulien Bunskoek José Kemper Ursula Siebert Morten Tange Olsen Magnus Wahlberg |
| author_sort | Emilie Nicoline Stepien |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Longitudinal data on individual growth and seasonal changes in body mass, girth, and blubber thickness are rarely available for cetaceans, making it difficult to assess their population composition and individual nutritional condition. During different time intervals from 1997 to 2020, we collected longitudinal data on length, body mass, girth,and blubber thickness from seventeen harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in human care. We compared Gompertz and von Bertalanffy growth curves to collected length data at age 0–4 years for five individuals with known dates of birth. Von Bertalanffy had the lowest AICc value and was used to predict the birth year of twelve animals which age had previously been estimated based on tooth ring analysis and ossification of flipper bones. The growth curve was accurate within 1 yr. of age estimates. Within the first year, the calves grew 66%, attaining 84% of their adult length, and reached asymptotic length at age 3–4. For adults, there were large seasonal variations in body mass, body mass index, girth, and blubber thickness, with up to 28% of variation in body mass between seasons. We predicted individual body mass within ± 2 kg using measurements of length and girth, allowing estimation of body mass index of individuals with unknown mass. Our findings enable monitoring and assessments of population composition as well as nutritional condition of individual harbour porpoises, which is crucial for assessing conservational status and guiding management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:34:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e55ddd00339147faa46a5079b7d3b610 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2351-9894 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T06:34:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Global Ecology and Conservation |
| spelling | doaj.art-e55ddd00339147faa46a5079b7d3b6102023-03-01T04:31:50ZengElsevierGlobal Ecology and Conservation2351-98942023-04-0142e02384Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populationsEmilie Nicoline Stepien0Jacob Nabe–Nielsen1Kirstin Anderson Hansen2Jakob Højer Kristensen3Marie–Anne Blanchet4Sabrina Brando5Geneviève Desportes6Christina Lockyer7Lauro Marcenaro8Paulien Bunskoek9José Kemper10Ursula Siebert11Morten Tange Olsen12Magnus Wahlberg13Marine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Evolutionary Genomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Section of Marine Mammal Science, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Denmark; Corresponding authors at: Marine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.Section of Marine Mammal Science, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, DenmarkMarine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Fjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, DenmarkFjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, DenmarkFjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark; Norwegian College of Fishery Science, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway; Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, NorwayFjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark; World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, SpainFjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark; NAMMCO – North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission, NorwayAge Dynamics, Huldbergs Alle 42, 2800 Søborg, Denmark; Danish Institute for Fisheries Research, Charlottenlund, DenmarkDolfinarium Harderwijk, Zuiderzeeboulevard 22, 3841 WB Harderwijk, the NetherlandsDolfinarium Harderwijk, Zuiderzeeboulevard 22, 3841 WB Harderwijk, the NetherlandsEcomare, Ruijslaan 92, 1796 AZ De Koog, the NetherlandsInstitute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, GermanyEvolutionary Genomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, DenmarkMarine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark; Fjord&Bælt, Margrethes Pl. 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark; Corresponding authors at: Marine Biological Research Centre, University of Southern Denmark, Denmark.Longitudinal data on individual growth and seasonal changes in body mass, girth, and blubber thickness are rarely available for cetaceans, making it difficult to assess their population composition and individual nutritional condition. During different time intervals from 1997 to 2020, we collected longitudinal data on length, body mass, girth,and blubber thickness from seventeen harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in human care. We compared Gompertz and von Bertalanffy growth curves to collected length data at age 0–4 years for five individuals with known dates of birth. Von Bertalanffy had the lowest AICc value and was used to predict the birth year of twelve animals which age had previously been estimated based on tooth ring analysis and ossification of flipper bones. The growth curve was accurate within 1 yr. of age estimates. Within the first year, the calves grew 66%, attaining 84% of their adult length, and reached asymptotic length at age 3–4. For adults, there were large seasonal variations in body mass, body mass index, girth, and blubber thickness, with up to 28% of variation in body mass between seasons. We predicted individual body mass within ± 2 kg using measurements of length and girth, allowing estimation of body mass index of individuals with unknown mass. Our findings enable monitoring and assessments of population composition as well as nutritional condition of individual harbour porpoises, which is crucial for assessing conservational status and guiding management.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423000197OdontocetesBody morphometricLife historyVon BertalanffySeasonal trendsBMI |
| spellingShingle | Emilie Nicoline Stepien Jacob Nabe–Nielsen Kirstin Anderson Hansen Jakob Højer Kristensen Marie–Anne Blanchet Sabrina Brando Geneviève Desportes Christina Lockyer Lauro Marcenaro Paulien Bunskoek José Kemper Ursula Siebert Morten Tange Olsen Magnus Wahlberg Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations Global Ecology and Conservation Odontocetes Body morphometric Life history Von Bertalanffy Seasonal trends BMI |
| title | Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| title_full | Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| title_fullStr | Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| title_short | Determination of growth, mass, and body mass index of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena): Implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| title_sort | determination of growth mass and body mass index of harbour porpoises phocoena phocoena implications for conservational status assessment of populations |
| topic | Odontocetes Body morphometric Life history Von Bertalanffy Seasonal trends BMI |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351989423000197 |
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