Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
John C. Craig George, Geof H. Givens, Lara Horstmann, Robert Suydam, Kayla Scheimreif, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Gay Sheffield, Todd L. Sformo, Brian Person, Andrew Von Duyke, Leandra Sousa, Rita M. Frantz, Raymond Tarpley
Summary: Data from aboriginal subsistence hunters in Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas were used to estimate reproductive parameters of bowhead whales. Results showed a downward trend in length at sexual maturity over time, with an estimated age at sexual maturity of 20.4-26.7 years. The pregnancy rate was estimated to be 0.46 globally and 0.38 for the autumn sample. These estimates provide important insights into the reproductive characteristics of this bowhead whale population.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kristin H. Westdal, Jeremy Davies, Steven H. Ferguson
Summary: This study examined the spatial distribution of beluga whales in two main estuaries in Western Hudson Bay during the summer season using aerial survey imagery. The results showed no segregation of age classes in both estuaries and suggested that Seal River may be preferred for calf rearing. The findings provide valuable information for the conservation and management of beluga whale habitat in the area.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Jeremy Wilkinson, Gaelle Veyssiere, Nick Hughes, Matthew Ayre, Maribeth Murray, Robert Headland, Ryan Charles
Summary: Researchers have established a database of over 11,000 records of British whaling voyages between 1725 and 1913, providing important information about bowhead whale populations in the Arctic. Using conversion algorithms, they were able to derive statistically robust data on the length of the bowheads caught. The study also revealed the impact of changing whaling grounds on the length distribution of the whales.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Sarah M. E. Fortune, Andrew W. Trites, Valerie LeMay, Mark F. Baumgartner, Steven H. Ferguson
Summary: The ecological impact of environmental changes at high latitudes on low-trophic species, such as bowhead whales, is poorly understood. This study collected long-term movement and dive behaviour data for 25 bowhead whales and found that they engage in foraging behavior year-round, with peak activity in fall. They also prefer areas with high sea ice cover. The study suggests that bowhead whales have the potential to adjust their behaviors and distributions to adapt to climate-change induced conditions.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
S. J. Insley, W. D. Halliday, X. Mouy, N. Diogou
Summary: The bowhead whale is uniquely adapted to the Arctic environment, living near the polar ice edge for much of the year. Recent observations of bowheads overwintering in their usual summer foraging grounds in the Amundsen Gulf and eastern Beaufort Sea raise questions about potential shifts in migratory behavior due to climate change.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
N. S. J. Lysiak, S. H. Ferguson, C. A. Hornby, M. P. Heide-Jorgensen, C. J. D. Matthews
Summary: Serial measurements of hormone concentrations along baleen plates were conducted to reconstruct reproductive histories of bowhead whales. The study assessed gestation and calving interval in 10 females from the eastern Canada-west Greenland population using progesterone, oestradiol, corticosterone, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios. The findings revealed variations in progesterone concentrations among immature and mature females, indicating the presence of pregnancies and suggesting potential modification of gestation definition.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Brooke A. Biddlecombe, Steven H. Ferguson, Mads Peter Heide-Jorgensen, Darren M. Gillis, Cortney A. Watt
Summary: Using genetic mark recapture analyses, the total abundance of the Eastern Canada-West Greenland bowhead whale population was estimated to be 5173 individuals from 2012 to 2021. This suggests that the population may be plateauing well below the pre-commercial whaling carrying capacity estimate. The population estimate is important for updating conservation efforts.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Megan C. Ferguson, Sandor F. Toth, Janet T. Clarke, Amy L. Willoughby, Amelia A. Brower, Timothy P. White
Summary: Place-based approaches to marine conservation identify crucial areas for populations, species, communities, or ecosystems, and propose special management actions. This study presents a spatial optimization approach to refine the delineation process of Biologically Important Areas (BIAs), providing an objective and reproducible method for conservation planners and decision makers. A case study on feeding bowhead whales in the western Beaufort Sea illustrates the mechanics and benefits of the optimization model.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Susan Athey, Billy Ferguson, Matthew Gentzkow, Tobias Schmidt
Summary: The study estimates a measure of segregation called experienced isolation, which captures individuals' exposure to diverse others in the places they visit over the course of their days. Using GPS data collected from smartphones, the study finds that experienced isolation is substantially lower than standard residential isolation measures suggest, but that experienced isolation is highly correlated with residential isolation across cities. Experienced isolation is lower relative to residential isolation in denser, wealthier, more educated cities with high levels of public transit use, and is negatively correlated with income mobility.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Alba Solsona-Berga, Natalie Posdaljian, John A. Hildebrand, Simone Baumann-Pickering, Kylie Scales, Nicola Quick
Summary: Characterizing the population structure and dynamics of sperm whales is important for their conservation. This study demonstrates that using echolocation repetition rate as a proxy for body length is a suitable approach for large-scale acoustic monitoring. By converting inter-click interval distributions into likely body length categories, the study reveals the spatial and seasonal variability of sperm whale population structure and provides insights into the population's geographical dynamics and status.
REMOTE SENSING IN ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Alexis Front, Christine Mottet
Summary: Large-scale nanoalloys of Co-Pt ranging from 3 to 7 nm in size were modeled using realistic atomistic potentials and Monte Carlo simulations, showing a tendency to reproduce bulk-ordered phases and structures on the surfaces. Certain surface structures were found to be incompatible with the core structure, resulting in disorder underneath. Mixed compositions were predicted on some surfaces, indicating a frustration in chemical ordering in nanoalloys.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY C
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Emily K. Bowers, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Alicia Hendrix, Kathi A. Lefebvre
Summary: Harmful algal blooms producing paralytic shellfish toxins (STX) have become more frequent in Alaska, USA, posing risks to Pacific Arctic and subarctic communities and wildlife. This study investigates the stability of STX in marine mammal gastrointestinal (GI) matrices and suggests that long-term frozen storage of raw fecal samples and analysis of extracts within 8 weeks of extraction in 50% MeOH is sufficient for accurate STX quantifications without significant degradation.
Article
Neurosciences
Matthew A. Smith, David A. Waugh, Denise L. McBurney, John C. George, Robert S. Suydam, Johannes G. M. Thewissen, Samuel D. Crish
Summary: This study identified two novel cone morphologies in the bowhead whale and beluga retina, and revealed the presence of proteins related to magnetosensation in these structures. These findings underscore the unique evolutionary development of cone and retinal anatomy in cetaceans, and suggest a potential functional reallocation of these cells.
JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Steven H. Ferguson, Jeff W. Higdon, Patricia A. Hall, Rikke Guldborg Hansen, Thomas Doniol-Valcroze
Summary: The Bowhead whales in the Eastern Canada-West Greenland region have been hunted by Inuit for a long time. After commercial whaling ended, a small co-managed subsistence harvest started in Canada and Greenland, which requires a management framework incorporating knowledge of abundance trends, population dynamics, and carrying capacity.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Medicinal
Emily K. Bowers, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Kathi A. Lefebvre
Summary: This study quantified the stability of domoic acid (DA) in bowhead whale fecal samples under various conditions. Results showed that DA concentrations decreased to 70% in 50% methanol extracts after 2 weeks, but remained stable or increased in raw feces after 8 weeks. Evaporation during storage may contribute to increased DA concentrations over time.