The study found that grandmothers who were no longer able to reproduce had the biggest beneficial impact on the survival chances of their grand-offspring. This may be because grandmothers without calves of their own are free to focus time and resources on the latest generation, the researchers suggest.
The research team also found that grandmothers had a particularly important role in times of food scarcity, as the impact on a calf of losing a post-menopausal grandmother was highest in years when salmon was scarce.
Whale Boost App Download
DOWNLOAD 🔥 https://byltly.com/2yGB4F 🔥
Senior author of the study, Dr Dan Franks from the Department of Biology, at the University of York, said: "The study suggests that breeding grandmothers are not able to provide the same level of support as grandmothers who no longer breed. This means that the evolution of menopause has increased a grandmother's capacity to help her grand-offspring.
"The death of a post-menopausal grandmother can have important repercussions for her family group, and this could prove to be an important consideration when assessing the future of these populations. As salmon populations continue to decline, grandmothers are likely to become even more important in these killer whale populations."
The scientists analysed 36 years of data gathered by the Center for Whale Research and Fisheries and Oceans Canada on two populations of resident killer whales. The populations (which include several pods, made up of multiple family groups) live off the North West Pacific Coast of Canada and the US and feed on Chinook salmon.
In resident killer whales, both sons and daughters stay with their mothers for life, but they mate with individuals from a different family group. Male killer whales typically have a shorter lifespan than females with many not surviving beyond 30 years. Females usually stop reproducing in their 30s-40s, but just like humans they can live for many decades following menopause.
Lead author, Dr Stuart Nattrass, from the University of York, added: "The findings help to explain factors that are driving the whales' survival and reproductive success, which is essential information given that the Southern Resident killer whales -- one of the whale populations under study -- is listed as endangered and at risk of extinction.
"We suspect when breeding grandmothers are supporting their own calves, their movement and activity patterns are constrained and they are not able to provide support and leadership in the same way as post-menopausal females. Also, grandmothers with their own calves will be busy caring for their own calves, and be able to invest less in their grand-offspring, compared to post-menopausal grandmothers.
Co-author of the study, Prof Darren Croft from the University of Exeter, said "The menopause has only evolved in humans, killer whales and three other species of toothed whales and understanding why females of these species stop reproduction well before the end of life is a long standing evolutionary puzzle.
"Our new findings show that just as in humans, grandmothers that have gone through menopause are better able to help their grand offspring and these benefits to the family group can help explain why menopause has evolved in killer whales just as it has in humans."
If those babies and their mothers all survive childbirth, that would boost the population of the endangered orcas to 77. Since pregnant whales need to eat more and sometimes die while giving birth, the state has designated the pregnant trio as "vulnerable."
For the third year in a row, the southern residents stayed away from their home waters, the Salish Sea shared between Washington and British Columbia, for most of the spring and summer, though many of them have been seen swimming around the San Juan Islands in September.
Southern resident orcas off the west coast of San Juan Island on Sept. 12. This Orca Network video combines footage from shore with underwater audio recorded off Lime Kiln State Park, about a mile to the north.
Thanks to new funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (US), the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (US), and the Marine Biological Association (UK) will be working together with NOAA to better understand the health of an area of ocean known as the Mid-Atlantic Bight and how it has changed over time, influencing policy and conservation efforts of these endangered whales.
This area is of significant ecological importance, supporting a complex marine ecosystem. A focus of coastal oceanographic research since the early 1900s, the area supports a wide variety of marine life, including many commercially important and highly endangered species, like the North Atlantic right whale.
The newly reinstated tow route, known as the MB route, will form part of the international monitoring effort coordinated by the Continuous Plankton Recorder Survey, based at the Marine Biological Association. Established in 1931, the Survey has deployed CPRs in every ocean, covering more than 7 million nautical miles, for which it was recently awarded a Guinness World Records title. Today, the Survey continues to provide unrivalled information on the health of the oceans, with resulting data used to underpin national and international marine policies.
CPRs are simple mechanical instruments that have been used to collect plankton samples all over the world. Designed to be towed behind ships of opportunity (e.g. passenger ferries, cargo ships etc.), CPRs are torpedo shaped metal boxes, approximately 1m long, that filter seawater through a fine silk mesh as they are pulled through the water. The silks are continuously wound on a roller inside, collecting plankton along transects hundreds of nautical miles in length. These plankton-laden silks are then returned to the CPR Survey lab at the MBA in Plymouth, UK and analysed by a team of specially trained scientists.
Plankton form the centre of the marine food web, upon which almost all life depends. By learning more about which plankton species occur where and in what numbers, and comparing this to historical records, researchers can gain a greater understanding on how areas like the Mid-Atlantic Bight have changed over time.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has received $82 million in funding for the conservation and recovery of the endangered North Atlantic right whale, the agency announced Monday.
The $82 million will be allocated toward monitoring and computer modeling of Atlantic right whale distribution, reducing risks of vessel strikes, supporting new equipment and technology, and enforcing federal regulations.
NOAA says the organization plans on creating a new satellite-tagging monitoring program with high-resolution satellite artificial intelligence, in addition to launching advanced whale detection and avoidance technology, and activating passive acoustic monitoring systems along the U.S. East Coast.
We need to get away from the large grids. We should of learned that lesson from the Texas grid. There are figure eight small windmills each home could have in the yard or small fan size turbines on the peak of a roof. Direct energy to a home by passes giving ownership of our oceans and land to the Government and big money corporations. When the grid goes out each home still has power. There are so many passive energy projects we can have for our houses.
What we learned from the Texas Grid is that even in Texas you have to freeze proof your gas distribution system.
We also learned that Texas decided to not tie into the national grid system. Our country had plenty power for Texas, they chose to not plug in.
When the wind does not blow on your small fan size turbines where will your power come from?
Turbines are not passive, they go round and round.
In the future the grid will be more about the storage of energy.
Even storage at your house.
A lot of info is provided of actual decibel measurements taken near surveying ships.
Hear it for yourself: Go to ca. 16:00 and then 20:00. (Better still, watch the whole film and become better informed on these issues.)
The vessels themselves emit a lot of noise. Then add to that the sound waves they send out constantly to map the undersea terrain via reflection back to on-board instruments. It is noise torture. These noise levels significantly overstep NOAA permitted levels. Whales cannot just put their flippers over their ears. Furthermore, a considerable portion of the noise is low frequency, which enters the brain not just through the ears but also through the body.
Oil exploration requires constant sound waves to map undersea terrain via reflection back to on-board instruments. It is noise torture. These noise levels significantly overstep NOAA permitted levels. Whales cannot just put their flippers over their ears. Furthermore, a considerable portion of the noise is low frequency, which enters the brain not just through the ears but also through the body.
LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. Learn more in our Cookie Policy.
I would love to say Happy Martes to every single one of you, but these past few weeks have been quite a rollercoaster. Still, we are fighters and creators of our own destinies - I got a bit philosophical right there so back to web3 and any highlight that caught my attention these days.
HanweChang continues to seize opportunities to farm and maximize profits. You can see his success in the statement and report provided by the amazing Sam from Proof, which illustrates his prominent position on the charts. He is currently dominating at number 1 on BLUR by farming, and I can only imagine how much money he will make once the new $BLUR token airdrop is released, given all his hard work.
It appears that Azuki is following in the footsteps of Pudgy Penguins, venturing into the Toy section by releasing a plushie of their iconic character, Bob the Farmer. Bob is a name well-known in the web3 community since Azuki's entry into the space. Luca Netz has shown that there are alternative methods to expand and draw more attention to web3, breaking the stigma that NFTs are dead. 152ee80cbc
project topics for commerce students pdf free download