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Research paper thumbnail of Variability in Body Condition and Growth Rates for Rehabilitated Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Pups

Aquatic Mammals

In the United States, Canada, and Europe harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups are commonly rehabilit... more In the United States, Canada, and Europe harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups are commonly rehabilitated after stranding and then released. Size at release is likely important to post-release survival; however, data have not been compiled to track the body condition of rehabilitated harbor seals at release across the U.S. To better understand spatiotemporal variations in harbor seal morphometrics during rehabilitation and at release, this study retrospectively analyzed body conditions, weights, lengths, and growth rates of rehabilitated harbor seal pups in the U.S. Body condition index (BCI) was calculated, and weight and BCI were modeled regionally and temporally. There was significant variation in weight, length, BCI, and growth rate for rehabilitated and released seals between the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and among different years. Growth rates during rehabilitation were slower than reported for wild pups from birth to weaning. Length at release was not a strong predictor of...

Research paper thumbnail of Savanna Rodents’ Selective Removal of an Encroaching Plant’s Seeds Increased With Grass Biomass

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021

In savannas across the planet, encroaching woody plants are altering ecosystem functions and resh... more In savannas across the planet, encroaching woody plants are altering ecosystem functions and reshaping communities. Seed predation by rodents may serve to slow the encroachment of woody plants in grasslands and savannas. Our goals for this study were to determine if rodents in an African savanna selectively removed seeds of an encroaching plant and if foraging activity was influenced by the local vegetation structure or by the landscape context. From trials with two species of seeds (encroacher = Dichrostachys cinerea, non-encroaching overstory tree = Senegalia nigrescens) at 64 seed stations, we recorded 1,065 foraging events by seven species of granivorous rodents. We found a strong positive relationship between rodent activity and the number of seeds removed during trials. Foraging events were dominated by rodent seed predators, with <10.6% of events involving a rodent with the potential for secondary dispersal. Rodents selectively removed the seeds of the encroaching species,...

Research paper thumbnail of Epizootiology of a Cryptococcus gattii outbreak in porpoises and dolphins from the Salish Sea

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 2021

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects the respiratory and nervous syste... more Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects the respiratory and nervous systems of humans and other animals. C. gattii emerged in temperate North America in 1999 as a multispecies outbreak of cryptococcosis in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State and Oregon (USA), affecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Here we describe the C. gattii epizootic in odontocetes. Cases of C. gattii were identified in 42 odontocetes in Washington and British Columbia between 1997 and 2016. Species affected included harbor porpoises Phocoena phocoena (n = 26), Dall’s porpoises Phocoenoides dalli (n = 14), and Pacific white-sided dolphins Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (n = 2). The probable index case was identified in an adult male Dall’s porpoise in 1997, 2 yr prior to the initial terrestrial outbreak. The spatiotemporal extent of the C. gattii epizootic was defined, and cases in odontocetes were found to be clustered around terrestrial C. gattii hotspots. Case-control...

Research paper thumbnail of Blood crossmatching patterns in a population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in managed care

Research paper thumbnail of Variability in Body Condition and Growth Rates for Rehabilitated Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) Pups

Aquatic Mammals

In the United States, Canada, and Europe harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups are commonly rehabilit... more In the United States, Canada, and Europe harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pups are commonly rehabilitated after stranding and then released. Size at release is likely important to post-release survival; however, data have not been compiled to track the body condition of rehabilitated harbor seals at release across the U.S. To better understand spatiotemporal variations in harbor seal morphometrics during rehabilitation and at release, this study retrospectively analyzed body conditions, weights, lengths, and growth rates of rehabilitated harbor seal pups in the U.S. Body condition index (BCI) was calculated, and weight and BCI were modeled regionally and temporally. There was significant variation in weight, length, BCI, and growth rate for rehabilitated and released seals between the East and West Coasts of the U.S. and among different years. Growth rates during rehabilitation were slower than reported for wild pups from birth to weaning. Length at release was not a strong predictor of...

Research paper thumbnail of Savanna Rodents’ Selective Removal of an Encroaching Plant’s Seeds Increased With Grass Biomass

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 2021

In savannas across the planet, encroaching woody plants are altering ecosystem functions and resh... more In savannas across the planet, encroaching woody plants are altering ecosystem functions and reshaping communities. Seed predation by rodents may serve to slow the encroachment of woody plants in grasslands and savannas. Our goals for this study were to determine if rodents in an African savanna selectively removed seeds of an encroaching plant and if foraging activity was influenced by the local vegetation structure or by the landscape context. From trials with two species of seeds (encroacher = Dichrostachys cinerea, non-encroaching overstory tree = Senegalia nigrescens) at 64 seed stations, we recorded 1,065 foraging events by seven species of granivorous rodents. We found a strong positive relationship between rodent activity and the number of seeds removed during trials. Foraging events were dominated by rodent seed predators, with <10.6% of events involving a rodent with the potential for secondary dispersal. Rodents selectively removed the seeds of the encroaching species,...

Research paper thumbnail of Epizootiology of a Cryptococcus gattii outbreak in porpoises and dolphins from the Salish Sea

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 2021

Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects the respiratory and nervous syste... more Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects the respiratory and nervous systems of humans and other animals. C. gattii emerged in temperate North America in 1999 as a multispecies outbreak of cryptococcosis in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State and Oregon (USA), affecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Here we describe the C. gattii epizootic in odontocetes. Cases of C. gattii were identified in 42 odontocetes in Washington and British Columbia between 1997 and 2016. Species affected included harbor porpoises Phocoena phocoena (n = 26), Dall’s porpoises Phocoenoides dalli (n = 14), and Pacific white-sided dolphins Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (n = 2). The probable index case was identified in an adult male Dall’s porpoise in 1997, 2 yr prior to the initial terrestrial outbreak. The spatiotemporal extent of the C. gattii epizootic was defined, and cases in odontocetes were found to be clustered around terrestrial C. gattii hotspots. Case-control...

Research paper thumbnail of Blood crossmatching patterns in a population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) in managed care

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