Genome-wide analysis of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) indicates isolation-by-distance across the North Atlantic and potential local adaptation in adjacent waters

Autenrieth, Marijke; Havenstein, Katja; De Cahsan, Binia; Canitz, Julia; Benke, Harald; Roos, Anna; Pampoulie, Christophe; Sigurðsson, Guðjón Már; Siebert, Ursula; Olsen, Morten Tange; Biard, Vincent; Heide-Jørgensen, Mads Peter; Öztürk, Ayaka Amaha; Öztürk, Bayram; Lawson, John W.; Tiedemann, Ralph
Conservation Genetics (2023)

The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), a highly mobile cetacean species of the Northern Hemisphere, inhabits basins that vary broadly in salinity, temperature, and food availability; such variation can drive divergent…


Blood transcriptome analysis provides responsive changes in gene expression between ex situ and captive Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis)

Cao, Z.; Yin, D.; Li, Z.; Yan, Y.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, S.; Lin, D.; Hua, Z.; Zhang, J.; Ying, C.; Zhang, H.; Xu, P.; Dong, G.; Liu, K.
Fishes (2023)

The Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis, YFP) is an endangered species endemic to the Yangtze River in China, and it is the only freshwater whale in the genus Neophocaena.…


Adhesive bowel obstruction (ABO) in a stranded Narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri)

Lee, S. B.; Yuen, A. H. L.; Lee, Y. M.; Kim, S. W.; Kim, S.; Poon, C. T. C.; Jung, W. J.; Giri, S. S.; Kim, S. G.; Jo, S. J.; Park, J. H.; Hwang, M. H.; Seo, J. P.; Choe, S.; Kim, B. Y.; Park, S. C.
Animals (2023)

In this case report, we present a rare occurrence of a narrow-ridged finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri), discovered on the coast of Jeju Island, Republic of Korea, that was afflicted…


Harbor porpoise losing its edge: Genetic time series suggests a rapid population decline in Iberian waters over the last 30 years

Ben Chehida, Yacine; Stelwagen, Tjibbe; Hoekendijk, Jeroen P. A.; Ferreira, Marisa; Eira, Catarina; Torres‐Pereira, Andreia; Nicolau, Lidia; Thumloup, Julie; Fontaine, Michael C.
Ecology and Evolution (2023)

Impact of climate change is expected to be especially noticeable at the edges of a species' distribution, where they meet suboptimal habitat conditions. In Mauritania and Iberia, two genetically differentiated…


Millions of seafloor pits, not pockmarks, induced by vertebrates in the North Sea

Schneider von Deimling, Jens; Hoffmann, Jasper; Geersen, Jacob; Koschinski, Sven; Lohrberg, Arne; Gilles, Anita; Belkin, Igor; Böttner, Christoph; Papenmeier, Svenja; Krastel, Sebastian
Communications Earth & Environment (2023)

Seabed pockmarks are among the most prominent morphologic structures in the oceans. They are usually interpreted as surface manifestation of hydrocarbon fluids venting from sediments. Here we suggest an alternative…


Biological characteristics of pregnancy in captive Yangtze finless porpoises revealed by urinary metabolomics

Tang, Bin; Hao, Yujiang; Wang, Chaoqun; Deng, Zhengyu; Kou, Zhangbing; Zhou, Haojie; Zhang, Haobo; Fan, Fei; Wang, Kexiong; Wang, Ding
Biology of Reproduction (2024)

The Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis a.) are an endemic and critically endangered species in China. Intensive captive breeding is essential for understanding the biology of critically endangered species, especially…


TDP-43 and Alzheimer’s disease pathology in the brain of a harbor porpoise exposed to the cyanobacterial toxin BMAA

Garamszegi, Susanna P.; Brzostowicki, Daniel J.; Coyne, Thomas M.; Vontell, Regina T.; Davis, David A.
Toxins (2024)

Cetaceans are well-regarded as sentinels for toxin exposure. Emerging studies suggest that cetaceans can also develop neuropathological changes associated with neurodegenerative disease. The occurrence of neuropathology makes cetaceans an ideal…