2019

Decline in abundance and apparent survival rates of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Decline in abundance and apparent survival rates of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence   Anna Schleimer, Christian Ramp, Julien Delarue, Alain Carpentier, Martine Bérubé, Per J. Palsbøll, Richard Sears, Philip S. Hammond   Abstract Estimates of abundance and survivorship provide quantifiable measures to monitor populations and to define and understand their conservation status. This...

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Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly   Andrea A.Cabrera, Jeroen P.A.Hoekendijk, Alex Aguilar, Susan G.Barco, Simon Berrow, Dorete Bloch, Asunción Borrell, Haydée A.Cunha, Luciano Dalla Rosa, Carolina P.Dias, Pauline Gauffier, Wensi Haoa, Scott Landry, Finn Larsen, Vidal Martín, Sally Mizroch, Tom Oosting, Nils Øien, Christophe Pampoulie, Simone Panigada, Rui Prieto, Christian...

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Assessing cetacean body condition: Is total lipid content in blubber biopsies a useful monitoring tool?

Assessin cetacean body condition: Is total lipid content in blubber biopsies a usefull monitoring tool?   Abstract Measuring the energy stores, or body condition, of cetaceans is vital for monitoring population health. Cetaceans are exposed to a range of anthropogenic stressors, including, for example, noise, contaminants, habitat degradation, reduced prey availability, ship strike, and entanglement. Tools to assess body condition...

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Visual and passive acoustic observations of blue whale trios from two distinct populations

Visual and passive acoustic observations of blue whale trios from two distincts populations Abstract Blue whale populations from both hemispheres are thought to undertake annual migrations between high latitudefeeding grounds and low latitude breeding grounds (Mackintosh, 1966). For individuals of some populations thesepredetermined movements to and from wintering areas where calving occurs have been confirmed throughphoto-identification, satellite-tracking, and passive acoustic...

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Spatio-temporal patterns in fin whale Balaenoptera physalus habitat use in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence

Spatio-temporal patterns in fin whale Balaenoptera physalus habitat use in the northern Gulf of St. Lawrence Abstract: Significant ecosystem changes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), Canada, have had far-reaching effects at all trophic levels. The abundance of fin whales Balaenoptera physalus has declined significantly in the northern GSL over the past decade. This study aimed to test the...

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Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly

 Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) mitogenomics: A cautionary tale of defining sub-species from mitochondrial sequence monophyly Abstract The advent of massive parallel sequencing technologies has resulted in an increase of studies based upon complete mitochondrial genome DNA sequences that revisit the taxonomic status within and among species. Spatially distinct monophyly in such mitogenomic genealogies, i.e., the sharing of a recent common...

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