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Animals
Special Issues
Threats to Cetacean Health
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Threats to Cetacean Health

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Aquatic Animals".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2024) | Viewed by 2613

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Leila Soledade Lemos

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Environment, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181, USA
Interests: anthropogenic and environmental pressures; bioenergetics; cetaceans; conservation biology; conservation physiology; ecology; ecotoxicology; endocrinology; marine mammals; oxidative stress biomarkers; physiological responses; physiology; sirenians; toxicology; wildlife; zoology
Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratório de Avaliação e Promoção da Saúde Ambiental, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21040-360, Brazil
Interests: analytical chemistry; aquaculture, fisheries and fish science; aquatic and marine chemistry; biochemistry; biodiversity; bioinorganic chemistry; biological oceanography; conservation biology; ecohydrology; ecotoxicology; environmental contamination and remediation; food science and technology; food, water and energy nexus; freshwater biology; omics technologies; toxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The uncontrolled growth in the human population and anthropogenic activities along coasts and riverbanks has threatened aquatic ecosystems and their biota. Cetaceans, in particular, are at high risk of conservation, as they are especially sensitive to anthropogenic activities, including but not limited to negative interactions with watercraft and fishing gear, habitat destruction, pollution, noise, climate change, prey depletion, hunting and diseases, acting as important ecosystem health indicators. Thus, this Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of cetacean health worldwide and advance our understanding of the physiological mechanisms that control and regulate individual and population behaviors and dynamics, which can aid in taking effective and sustainable conservation actions. Reviews or original research articles on pollution levels and effects, physiological and behavior responses and body condition alterations caused by anthropogenic influences are especially encouraged.

Dr. Leila Soledade Lemos
Dr. Rachel Ann Hauser-Davis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioindicators
  • biomarkers
  • cetacean conservation
  • cetacean welfare
  • cetacean physiology
  • contamination
  • physiological response
  • sentinels
  • stress response

Published Papers (2 papers)

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12 pages, 4644 KiB  
Article
Preliminary Study on Microplastic Contamination in Black Sea Cetaceans: Gastrointestinal Analysis of Phocoena phocoena relicta and Tursiops truncatus ponticus
by Adrian Filimon, Andreea-Mădălina Ciucă, George-Emanuel Harcotă and Elena Stoica
Animals 2024, 14(6), 886; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14060886 - 13 Mar 2024
Viewed by 696
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a global concern that has a significant impact on marine life. Plastic is widely used and has become a pervasive pollutant in marine environments. Plastic contamination has been documented both in marine environments and biota. Plastic contamination in cetacean gastro-intestinal [...] Read more.
Plastic pollution is a global concern that has a significant impact on marine life. Plastic is widely used and has become a pervasive pollutant in marine environments. Plastic contamination has been documented both in marine environments and biota. Plastic contamination in cetacean gastro-intestinal tract (GIT) content has received limited attention, especially in the Black Sea. This study aims to investigate plastic contamination in the GITs of bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises, introducing a novel methodology. Given the limited exploration of this issue in the Black Sea, the research predominantly focuses on microplastic contamination. The GITs were sampled through necropsy from stranded and by-caught cetaceans, and content was washed through a multi-sieves tool. The material retained on each sieve was analysed following specific protocols. All (100%) of the GITs contained plastics (meso- and microplastics). In total, 1059 items (fibres, fragments, and beads) ranging from 22.86 µm to 5776 µm were found, suggesting a high contamination level in the Black Sea cetaceans. Future efforts should concentrate on increasing the number of samples and using the results for the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Threats to Cetacean Health)
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9 pages, 3462 KiB  
Case Report
The First Report of Pennella (Crustacea: Copepoda) Infesting Stenella coeruleoalba Stranded in Malta: Morphological and Genetic Analyses
by Adriana Vella and Noel Vella
Animals 2024, 14(7), 1107; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14071107 - 04 Apr 2024
Viewed by 618
Abstract
Here, we document the stranding of a striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) (Mammalia: Delphinidae), which was found dead in Maltese waters in July 2020. The stranded dolphin exhibited a severe infestation of the mesoparasitic copepod, Pennella balaenoptera Koren and Danielssen, 1877 (Copepoda: [...] Read more.
Here, we document the stranding of a striped dolphin Stenella coeruleoalba (Meyen, 1833) (Mammalia: Delphinidae), which was found dead in Maltese waters in July 2020. The stranded dolphin exhibited a severe infestation of the mesoparasitic copepod, Pennella balaenoptera Koren and Danielssen, 1877 (Copepoda: Pennelidae). Parasites of this genus represent the largest known mesoparasites to infest cetaceans. Under normal circumstances, cetaceans may have a few P. balaenoptera individuals attached to them, but cetaceans with compromised health are more prone to heavy infestations. The identification of the parasite was accomplished through morphological and genetic analyses. This incident highlights the significance of monitoring mesoparasitic infestations, offering valuable insights into the health of cetacean populations and emphasizing the potential implications for conservation efforts in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Threats to Cetacean Health)
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