Southern African Marine Mammal Database: assessment and ...
Transcript of Southern African Marine Mammal Database: assessment and ...
Southern African Marine Mammal
Database: assessment and review of
cetacean collections
Keshni Gopal1, Simon H. Elwen2, Wayne K. Florence1
1 - Iziko Museums Of South Africa, PO Box 61, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa.
2 - Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, c/o Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, 4 Bath Rd, Cape Town, 7945, South Africa.
Corresponding Author Email: [email protected]
Background
• Southern Africa: recognized global hotspot of cetacean diversity
• World wide = 89 living cetacean species
• Southern African region = 51 species/ 57% (Best 2007)
• Mammal Red List: 22 % assigned – Threatened; 50 % considered Data Deficient. SA = 23 species Data Deficient
Commerson's
Background (cont.)
• Despite SA’s excellent track record of research
– Use of modern genetic techniques
• Underutilized tool
• < 10 % publications to date (total of over 500 papers in
the region)
– Combination of reasons:
• Inaccessibility of samples,
• Shortage of local capacity,
• Lack institutional momentum
• Lack of coordination between
national research groups
Background (cont.)
• Late Prof. Best exemplifies
huge research potential
• Strandings records: single
most long-term and species diverse dataset – As early as 1900’s – Housed in two museums: iSAM and PEM
• iSAM wet collection – currently unknown
• Museum collections – Invaluable data source
• Since 2010 research using iSAM cetacean collection has effectively STALLED – Last recorded specimen – 2013
– Loss of institutional knowledge – Late Prof. Best
Background (cont.)
Natural Science Collections
Facility (NSCF)
Objectives
1. Produce a inventory of all cetacean material
in southern Africa
– Efficient and accurate curation
– iSAM collection
2. Establish DNA Cetacean
Tissue Bank at iSAM
3. Conduct DNA Barcoding
Data sources and methods
• Metadata platforms – Museums
– Tertiary Institutes
– NGOs
– Cetacean Researchers
– Private Collectors
• All data – Conform to international practice (standards
Darwin Core)
– Type of material • tissue, blood, blubber, bone, teeth, skull, baleen, stool, parasites, etc.
– Metadata • genus, species, locality, GPS co-ordinates, collector name, date, material type,
corresponding voucher, and associated observations
• Tissue Curation – Involves rebottling, relabelling
– Storage medium (formalin/alcohol)
– Material - degraded or not
Data received thus far:
Institute Type No. of records No. of specimens Years collected No. of species
iSAM Osteological 983 762 1896 – 2013 51
MRI – Peter Best Strandings data 1374 unknown 1905 - 2013 40
MRI – Nico de Bruyn Killer Whale Biopsies 58 172 2011 - 2017 1
MRI – Whale Unit Biopsies and other 1160 1160 1984 - 2017 27
NMU – Vargas-Fonseca Biopsies 64 64 2016 1
DEA Biopsies 932 932 1997 - 2017 24
SSRC & NDP – Sea Search Research
and Conservation & Namibian
Dolphin Project
Biopsies & Strandings 423 + 380 423 + unknown 1964 - 2017 32
Total specimens thus far = 3 500
Preliminary Results
• Status of these (formalin/alcohol based)
• Determine genetic viability
• Number of samples per material type per species
Anticipated Outputs Species 1 Species 2 Species 3 Species 4 Species 5
Post-cranial skeleton
Skull
Rostrum
Mandible
Hyoids
Ear bones
Bulla
Skin
Blubber
Stable Isotope
Parasites and mutualists
Baleen
Faeces
Teeth
Cyamids
Skin and tissue pathology
Reproductive Organs
Foetus &/ Cord
Milk
Flippers
Eyes
Stomach & associated organs
Muscle
Brain
Kidney
Liver
Heart
Lung
Other
Anticipated Outputs (cont.)
gaps
Cephalorhynhus heavisidii
Anticipated Outputs (cont.)
• Inventory and tissue curation – Enrich the iSAM marine mammal collection
– Make information easily accessible
• Ensure samples available from a wide
variety of locations – Difficult to sample some species depending
on their distribution
– Highly threatened in the wild
• Data verification and quality control – Promote research
– Generation of scientific knowledge • taxonomy, population genetic structure, phylogeography, cryptic
speciation
– Add value to current and future conservation management
– Development of marine policies
Acknowledgements
• Funders
– NSCF, iSAM
• BIMF-FBIP organizers
– Travel grant
• Current Collaborators
– Denise Hamerton, Nico de Bryun, Ryan Reisinger, Chris Wilkinson, Tess Gridley, Mdu Seakamela, Pierre Pistorius, Steve Kirkman, Alejandra Vargas
• Staff at iSAM
– Albè Bosman, Noel Fouten, Jofred Opperman
• Interns
– Asma Damon, Bianca Jooste, Megan Shipton
Thank
you