[MARMAM] New publication on stranded harbour seals gut microbiome

[Ana Rubio García]

Dear MARMAM community,

On behalf of my co-authors, I am very happy to share our new publication in
PLOS ONE
"Characterising the gut microbiome of stranded harbour seals (*Phoca
vitulina*) in rehabilitation."

The article is Open access, it is available here:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0295072

Abstract

Animal rehabilitation centres provide a unique opportunity to study the
microbiome of wild animals because subjects will be handled for their
treatment and can therefore be sampled longitudinally. However,
rehabilitation may have unintended consequences on the animals’ microbiome
because of a less varied and suboptimal diet, possible medical treatment
and exposure to a different environment and human handlers. Our study
describes the gut microbiome of two large seal cohorts, 50 pups (0–30 days
old at arrival) and 23 weaners (more than 60 days old at arrival) of
stranded harbour seals admitted for rehabilitation at the Sealcentre
Pieterburen in the Netherlands, and the effect of rehabilitation on it.
Faecal samples were collected from all seals at arrival, two times during
rehabilitation and before release. Only seals that did not receive
antimicrobial treatment were included in the study. The average time in
rehabilitation was 95 days for the pups and 63 days for the weaners. We
observed that during rehabilitation, there was an increase in the relative
abundance of some of the *Campylobacterota spp* and *Actinobacteriota spp*.
The alpha diversity of the pups’ microbiome increased significantly during
their rehabilitation (p-value <0.05), while there were no significant
changes in alpha diversity over time for weaners. We hypothesize that aging
is the main reason for the observed changes in the pups’ microbiome. At
release, the sex of a seal pup was significantly associated with the
microbiome’s alpha (i.e., Shannon diversity was higher for male pups,
p-value <0.001) and beta diversity (p-value 0.001). For weaners, variation
in the microbiome composition (beta diversity) at release was partly
explained by sex and age of the seal (p-values 0.002 and 0.003
respectively). We mainly observed variables known to change the gut
microbiome composition (e.g., age and sex) and conclude that rehabilitation
in itself had only minor effects on the gut microbiome of seal pups and
seal weaners.

Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Best wishes,

Ana Rubio-Garcia
Head of the Veterinary, Care and Research departments
ana.rubiogar...@zeehondencentrum.nl
+31(0)6 12981154



*SEAL, SEA, SCIENCE.*

*DOE JE MEE?*

--
Hoofdstraat 94a

9968 AG Pieterburen

T +31 (0)595 526 526

E: *i...@zeehondencentrum.nl *

www.zeehondencentrum.nl

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Please consider the environment. Think before printing.
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[MARMAM] New paper on killer whale call combinations

[Anna Selbmann]

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to share the publication of our open access paper on call 
combination patterns in Icelandic killer whales.

Selbmann A, Miller PJO, Wensveen PJ, Svavarsson J & Samarra FIP (2023) Call 
combination patterns in Icelandic killer whales (Orcinus orca). Scientific 
Reports. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-48349-1  

Abstract
Acoustic sequences have been described in a range of species and in varying 
complexity. Cetaceans are known to produce complex song displays but these are 
generally limited to mysticetes; little is known about call combinations in 
odontocetes. Here we investigate call combinations produced by killer whales 
(Orcinus orca), a highly social and vocal species. Using acoustic recordings 
from 22 multisensor tags, we use a first order Markov model to show that 
transitions between call types or subtypes were significantly different from 
random, with repetitions and specific call combinations occurring more often 
than expected by chance. The mixed call combinations were composed of two or 
three calls and were part of three call combination clusters. Call combinations 
were recorded over several years, from different individuals, and several 
social clusters. The most common call combination cluster consisted of six call 
(sub-)types. Although different combinations were generated, there were clear 
rules regarding which were the first and last call types produced, and 
combinations were highly stereotyped. Two of the three call combination 
clusters were produced outside of feeding contexts, but their function remains 
unclear and further research is required to determine possible functions and 
whether these combinations could be behaviour- or group-specific. 

For the co-authors,
Anna Selbmann

PhD Candidate
Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences 
University of Iceland

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[MARMAM] Biologist, GS-0401-12 with Department of the Air Force - Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida

[ROGERS, MELINDA A CIV USAF AFMC 96 CEG/CEIEA]

Dear Marine Mammal Research and Conservation Community,

I am currently seeking applicants for a Biologist GS-0401-12 position with 
United States Department of the Air Force - Eglin AFB, Florida (in the 
beautiful Florida Panhandle).

The ideal candidate is someone who can help me partner with National Marine 
Fisheries Service to protect the Rice's Whale in the Gulf of Mexico and obtain 
authorization to accomplish the Air Force test and training mission in the 
Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range.  Our branch philosophy statement is that we 
are environmental professionals committed to proactive and responsive 
environmental management to ensure continued access to our air, land, and water 
ranges. Duties of the position will include analyzing potential environmental 
impacts of proposed federal actions for Eglin Test and Training Complex.

Qualifications:
A. Completed a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or 
university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree in biological sciences, 
agriculture, natural resource management, chemistry, or related disciplines 
appropriate to the position. NOTE: To be found qualified under this option, you 
must submit transcripts (official or unofficial) to verify your education.
OR
B. Combination of education and experience: a combination of education and 
experience that consisted of courses equivalent to a major (24 semester hours) 
in fields such as those shown in response A above, plus appropriate experience 
or additional education. The quality of the combination of education and 
experience is sufficient to demonstrate that you possess the knowledge, skills, 
and abilities required to perform work in the occupation, and is comparable to 
that normally acquired through the successful completion of a full 4-year 
course of study leading to a bachelor's degree with a major in the appropriate 
field. NOTE: To qualify under this option you must submit transcripts to verify 
your education and include proof of your experience in the text of your resume.

Requirements:
- U.S. Citizenship
- Successful completion of a background security investigation

If you are interested in the position or know someone who might be, please 
reach out to me and I will send you a secure link to upload resume and 
transcripts.

Thank you for your consideration.

Very respectfully,

Mindy

MELINDA A. ROGERS, Civ
Chief, Environmental Assets Section

(850) 882-0143 (office)
melinda.roger...@us.af.mil

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[MARMAM] Florida Manatee Management Job Opportunity

[Pasawicz, Michelle]

Greetings everyone,

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is seeking a 
Fisheries and Wildlife Biological Scientist IV to aid the Imperiled Species 
Management Section with implementation of the Manatee Warm-water Habitat Action 
Plan. This management position will serve in a leadership capacity on one or 
more regional warm-water habitat partnership teams, facilitate the long-term 
prioritization of warm-water habitat networks, and coordinate interagency 
habitat restoration and enhancement efforts.

Please follow this link to the job posting to learn more about this opportunity:

https://jobs.myflorida.com/job/TALLAHASSEE-FISHERIES-&-WILDLIFE-BIO-SCIENTIST-IV-77073262-FL-32311/1107367800/

Sincerely,

Michelle R. Pasawicz
Manatee Management Program Coordinator
Imperiled Species Management Section
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation 
Commission

620 South Meridian Street - 6A
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600
(850) 922-4330
michelle.pasaw...@myfwc.com

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