Marine animal studies overview

Early-life environmental conditions shape demographic responses to climate change in male Antarctic fur seals

The paper shows that early-life environmental conditions affect male Antarctic fur seal recruitment and population dynamics, linking environmental variability to population decline through delayed recruitment strategies.

Developmental genetic response of the zooplanktonic tunicate Oikopleura dioica to marine noise pollution.

This study investigates the molecular response of Oikopleura dioica embryos to underwater noise exposure, finding rapid transcriptomic changes without morphological effects.

Fine-scale spatiotemporal predator-prey interactions in an Antarctic fur seal colony

This study uses high-resolution camera data and a YOLO-based neural network to analyze spatiotemporal density patterns and predator-prey interactions in an Antarctic fur seal colony, revealing how pup predation risk is influenced by proximity to adult seals.

Microbial and small zooplankton communities predict density of baleen whales in the southern California Current Ecosystem

The paper uses microbial and small plankton communities to predict baleen whale densities in the Southern California Current Ecosystem, finding strong predictive relationships with up to 99% variability explained.

Large-scale automated detection of gray whales off California in panchromatic and multispectral satellite imagery.

This paper develops a deep learning framework for automated gray whale detection in satellite imagery, achieving high accuracy and enabling large-scale monitoring of whale populations.

Inferring sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) sex and developmental stage using aerial photogrammetry

This study uses aerial photogrammetry to infer sex and developmental stage of sperm whales, finding that peduncle diving is predominantly female-directed by subadults.

The phonology of sperm whale coda vowels

This paper shows sperm whale codas resemble human vowels in acoustic properties and pattern similarly across multiple dimensions, suggesting a close parallel to human phonology.

An agent-based approach for designing effective protection

The paper develops an agent-based model to evaluate how fishing method restrictions impact dolphin mortality and population decline, finding that current protections are insufficient and recommending expanded bans on certain fisheries.

Radiographic assessment of bone maturation as a tool for age estimation in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis)

This paper develops radiographic bone ageing models for common dolphins, showing higher accuracy than epigenetic methods for age estimation.

High population density limits predator access in Antarctic fur seal breeding colonies

The paper examines how population density affects predator access in Antarctic fur seal colonies using camera data and machine learning.

Pathologies and causes of death in stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands (2013-2018)

This study analyzes the causes of death in stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands from 2013-2018, finding that natural causes accounted for 73.6% of deaths, anthropogenic causes for 12.9%, and 13.4% were undetermined.

From the lung to the muscle: Systemic insights from an integrative MultiOmics analysis of harbour porpoises in poor respiratory health

This study uses integrative multi-omics analysis to identify disease-associated molecular signatures in lung and muscle tissues of harbour porpoises with poor respiratory health.

Exploring the relationship between dolphins and fisheries: uncovering the spatial and temporal patterns that influence potential conflicts along Portugal's north coast

This study maps spatial and temporal overlaps between common dolphin sightings and fishing activity along Portugal's north coast using AIS data and environmental variables.

Time to Potential Collision: A Dynamic Approach To Study Vessel-Whale Close Encounters

This study redefines and quantifies close encounters (CEs) between vessels and whales in the Eastern North Atlantic using Time to Potential Collision (TPC) as a dynamic metric, finding that TPC is influenced by species, vessel type, weather, and observer experience.

Respiratory microbiota as a health biomarker in blue, fin and humpback whales: Pilot study in the Gulf of St-Lawrence (Quebec, Canada)

The paper characterizes the respiratory microbiota of baleen whales in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and links microbial diversity to health indicators.

Geometric Structure in Sperm Whale Communication:Hyperbolic Embeddings, Topological Analysis, and AdversarialRobustness

This paper analyzes sperm whale codas using geometric and topological methods, revealing complex structure, individual identity encoding, and introducing an adversarial robustness benchmark.

Semi-Automated Seal Detection on the Western Antarctic Peninsula: An Unsupervised Machine Learning Approach for Detecting Ice Seals in Aerial Survey Data

This paper presents a semi-automated image analysis pipeline using hierarchical clustering to detect ice seals in aerial survey data from the Western Antarctic Peninsula, achieving 82% test recall.

Inuit Hunt as a Platform for Observing Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) in Inglefield Bredning (Kangerlussuaq), Greenland

The paper describes observations of narwhals during an Inuit hunt in Greenland, using boat and drone methods to document behavior and tusk characteristics.

Orca vowels and consonants: convergent spectral structures across cetacean and human speech

This study identifies structured formant patterns in orca vocalizations, showing convergent spectral structures with human speech and sperm whale calls.

Modeling Reliable Detection Range of Cetaceans Imaged with Infrared Cameras

The paper develops a radiometric model to calculate the reliable detection range of cetaceans using infrared cameras under various environmental and system conditions.

Scale-dependent feedback between sociality and space use in a long-lived marine predator

The paper examines how social bonds and prey availability influence movement and sociality in false killer whales across different spatial scales.

Spatial overlap of sea ice-associated predators and prey in western Hudson Bay

The paper identifies spatial hotspots and overlaps of ice-associated Arctic species in western Hudson Bay using hotspot analysis and observational data.

Species rich but data poor: leveraging distribution modelling techniques to map cetacean occurrence in South Asian waters

The paper maps cetacean occurrence in South Asian waters using distribution models and expert validation, finding high species richness in specific coastal and archipelagic regions.

The diffusion of cooperative and solo bubble net feeding in Canadian Pacific humpback whales

The paper studies the diffusion of cooperative and solo bubble net feeding in humpback whales, finding strong evidence for social learning in the behavior's spread.

Machine Learning Enables Rapid Assessment of Disease Vulnerability in a Threatened Cetacean Population

The paper uses machine learning to analyze skin lesions and rake marks in bottlenose dolphins to assess disease vulnerability and environmental influences on health.

Fifteen-year microbiome survey of endangered killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals declining diversity and population differences

This study analyzes 15-year fecal microbiome data from endangered killer whales to show declining diversity and population-specific differences.

Echosounders for fish detection disturb harbour porpoises

This study shows that echosounders used for fish detection significantly reduce harbour porpoise presence, with no habituation observed over six weeks of exposure.

Social and news media in mapping the endangered Mediterranean Monk seal: exceptional data gains but persistent bias

The paper evaluates social and news media's role in improving distribution data for the Mediterranean Monk seal, finding significant data gains but persistent biases linked to human activity.

Big Data, Sound Science, Lasting Impact: a framework for passive acoustic monitoring

The paper presents a framework for processing and analyzing marine passive acoustic monitoring data to improve global ocean soundscape understanding and management.

The diverse diet of southern Alaska resident killer whales changes across spatiotemporally distinct foraging aggregations

This study examines the diet of southern Alaska resident killer whales across three foraging aggregations, revealing spatiotemporal patterns in prey consumption.