A comparison of techniques used to estimate body condition of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina)

2001 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Tierney ◽  
Mark Hindell ◽  
Mary-Anne Lea ◽  
Dominic Tollit
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Comparison Of Techniques ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Condition Indices

The total body water (TBW) and body condition of 86 female southern elephant seals was estimated from tritiated water (HTO) dilution space analysis. HTO blood samples were analysed using two distillation methods (direct serum counts and evaporative freeze capture) that yielded significantly different estimates. Evaporative freeze capture is recommended for use because it is faster, cheaper, and provides a more precise TBW estimate of dilution space. Estimates of TBW were then compared with those derived from bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) and morphometric models. There were significant, positive relationships between TBW and BIA variables, but the level of accuracy was inadequate for BIA to be more useful than the other methods trialled. Morphometric models accurately estimated TBW (kg). Models developed from surface area (SA) (TBW = [SA * 82.58] – 86.94) and from a combination of mass (M), length (L), and girth (G) (TBW = [(M * 0.72) + (L * 5.49) + (G * 134.94) + 164.36)] provided the most accurate TBW estimates. In contrast, condition indices did not give accurate or reliable estimates of relative body condition.

Determining Blubber Mass in the Southern Elephant Seal, Mirounga-Leonina, by Ultrasonic and Isotopic Techniques

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
DJ Slip ◽  
HR Burton ◽  
NJ Gales
Keyword(s):  
Total Body Water ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Subcutaneous Fat ◽  
Body Water ◽  
Southern Elephant Seal ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Total Body ◽  
The Relationship

The mass of subcutaneous fat was determined for 14 male southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, by a modified version of a previously described ultrasound model (Gales and Burton 1987). The new model took into account fat slumping and was more accurate than the first model. The accuracy of the new technique was assessed by flensing. Total body water was estimated by tritiated-water dilution, and the relationship between total body water and ultrasonically determined total blubber mass was established. Predictive relationships for total blubber mass, and the relationship between total blubber mass and total body fat were determined. This study has demonstrated the applicability of ultrasound and isotope-dilution techniques in determining the fat composition in vivo of southern elephant seals.

scholarly journals Successful foraging zones of southern elephant seals from the Kerguelen Islands in relation to oceanographic conditions

2007 ◽  
Vol 362 (1487) ◽  
pp. 2169-2181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Bailleul ◽  
Jean-Benoît Charrassin ◽  
Pascal Monestiez ◽  
Fabien Roquet ◽  
Martin Biuw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Foraging Activity ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Kerguelen Islands ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Oceanographic Conditions

Southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina , undertake large-scale oceanic movements to access favourable foraging areas. Successful foraging areas of elephant seals from the Kerguelen Islands are investigated here in relation to oceanographic parameters. Movements and diving activity of the seals as well as oceanographic data were collected through a new generation of satellite relayed devices measuring and transmitting locations, pressure, temperature and salinity. For the first time, we have associated foraging behaviour, determined by high increased sinuosity in tracks, and dive density (i.e. number of dives performed per kilometre covered), and changes in body condition, determined by variations in drift rate obtained from drift dives, to identify the oceanographic conditions of successful foraging zones for this species. Two main sectors, one close to the Antarctic continent and the other along the Polar Front (PF), where both foraging activity and body condition increase, seem to be of particular interest for the seals. Within these regions, some seals tended to focus their foraging activity on zones with particular temperature signatures. Along the Antarctic continent, some seals targeted colder waters on the sea bottom during benthic dives, while at the PF the favourable zones tended to be warmer. The possible negative effect of colder waters in Antarctic on the swimming performances of potential fish or squid prey could explain the behaviour of elephant seals in these zones, while warmer waters within the PF could correspond to the optimal conditions for potential myctophid prey of elephant seals.

scholarly journals Local weather and body condition influence habitat use and movements on land of molting female southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina )

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 6081-6090 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laureline L. Chaise ◽  
Iris Prinet ◽  
Camille Toscani ◽  
Susan L. Gallon ◽  
William Paterson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Local Weather

Estimating body condition in the mountain brushtail possum, Trichosurus caninus

1998 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 499 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. L. Viggers ◽  
D. B. Lindenmayer ◽  
R. B. Cunningham ◽  
C. F. Donnelly
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Body Water ◽  
Isotopic Dilution ◽  
Brushtail Possum ◽  
Skeletal Size ◽  
Water Composition ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Condition Indices

Two methods of assessing body condition were examined for the mountain brushtail possum, Trichosurus caninus (Ogilby) at a single study site in central Victoria, south-eastern Australia. Condition indices were derived from measures of skeletal size and body mass, and body water composition was determined using isotopic dilution of tritiated water to give an estimate of total body water space. There were significant negative relationships between body water composition and the condition indices for body length, total length and pes length. Body water composition of T. caninus was significantly higher in spring than in winter, and those animals with higher body water composition had lower absolute neutrophil counts and higher urea values. The relative usefulness of the two methods used for estimating body condition in T. caninus is discussed.

scholarly journals Use of Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) for Predicting Body Fat in Three Populations of Hibernating Black Bears

1996 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 15-19
Author(s):  
H. Harlow ◽  
D. Tinker ◽  
J. Erwin ◽  
R. Grogan ◽  
T. Beck ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Fat ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Black Bear ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Black Bears ◽  
Female Group ◽  
Lactating Females

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) is a tool used to provide a measure of body water content and total body fat in an organism. Recently, researchers have validated BIA against tritiated water techniques in the laboratory and proposed it as a fast, non-invasive method for assessing body condition in free-ranging black bears. In the present study, we field tested BIA as a plausible tool for investigating body fat utilization during hibernation by three black bear populations in the Rocky Mountains. Body fat content in the fall ranged from a mean of about 39% for a group of large, lactating females down to about 29% by two groups of bears consisting of males and mostly non-lactating females. Daily rates of body fat use were greater for the larger, lactating female group than either of the other two groups. Although the fat data determined by BIA appear useful in terms of trends and relative changes, many of the absolute values are inconsistent and perhaps inaccurate. Because BIA is so sensitive to a variety of factors typical of field conditions, we recommend it not be used as the sole source for assessing body condition of large animals such as black bears.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis as a means of estimating total body water in grey seals

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 418-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
W Don Bowen ◽  
Carrie A Beck ◽  
Sara J Iverson
Keyword(s):  
Total Body Water ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Body Water ◽  
Average Error ◽  
Valuable Adjunct ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Total Body

Estimates of total body water (TBW) play an important role in studies of body composition and energetics in mammals. We evaluated bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) as a means of rapidly and inexpensively estimating TBW in 38 grey seals (Halichoerus grypus). Twenty-two males and 16 females, representing the range of body sizes in the population, were studied at Sable Island, Nova Scotia. Seals were chemically immobilized with Telazol during BIA measurement. TBW was determined by dilution of tritiated water. The mean difference in duplicate BIA measurements did not differ significantly from zero. BIA-measured resistance accounted for 83% of the variation in TBW over a range of body masses from 38.5 to 294 kg. Bioelectrical conductor volume (length2/resistance) accounted for 97% of the variation in TBW. Average error in predicting TBW was +0.10% for a validation set of nine animals, but errors in predicting TBW of individual seals were up to 25%. Our results indicate that BIA measurements can be a valuable adjunct to the use of isotope dilution for estimating TBW in chemically immobilized grey seals; however, individual estimates may be associated with varying degrees of error.

scholarly journals Bioelectrical impedance analysis for the estimation of body composition in rats

1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 65-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Rutter ◽  
L. Hennoste ◽  
L. C. Ward ◽  
B. H. Cornish ◽  
B. J. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis ◽  
Tritiated Water ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Fat Free Mass ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Standard Laboratory Diet ◽  
Assess Body Composition

Bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) was used to assess body composition in rats fed on either standard laboratory diet or on a high-fat diet designed to induce obesity. Bioelectrical impedance analysis predictions of total body water and thus fat-free mass (FFM) for the group mean values were generally within 5% of the measured values by tritiated water (3H2O) dilution. The limits of agreement for the procedure were, however, large, approximately ±25%, limiting the applicability of the technique for measurement of body composition in individual animals.

The value of bioelectrical impedance analysis vs. condition indices in predicting body fat stores in North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum)

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (12) ◽  
pp. 1712-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika L. Barthelmess ◽  
Monica L. Phillips ◽  
Michael E. Schuckers
Keyword(s):  
Body Fat ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis ◽  
Bioelectrical Impedance ◽  
Impedance Analysis ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Erethizon Dorsatum ◽  
Total Body Fat ◽  
Fat Stores ◽  
Total Body ◽  
Condition Indices

We developed a predictive model to estimate body fat stores in a population of North American porcupines, Erethizon dorsatum (L., 1758). We trapped porcupines in the autumn of 2004 and spring of 2005. After collecting morphometric measurements on each animal, we used a plethysmograph to perform bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). We euthanized the subjects, measured two components of body composition (body fat, body water) via direct chemical analysis, and calculated lean dry mass to compare with BIA data. With regression we found the best predictive models for total body water, total body fat, percent body fat, and lean dry mass. We also estimated body condition for each animal using six different condition indices and compared the ability of the condition indices and our regression model to predict total body fat. Our model for total body fat accounted for 84% of the variation in fat measured by direct chemical analysis, and our model for percent body fat accounted for 78% of the variation. Two condition indices were significantly related to total body fat in porcupines and explained 45%–49% of the variation in observed body fat. We recommend BIA as a useful technique for estimating body fat stores in field studies of free-ranging porcupines and suggest abandonment of the use of condition indices as analogues of body fat stores in animal studies unless the indices can first be validated.

Serological screening for Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies in southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina from Elephant Island, Antarctica, in 2003 and 2004

2020 ◽  
Vol 142 ◽  
pp. 161-170
Author(s):  
AM Sánchez-Sarmiento ◽  
V Ruoppolo ◽  
MMC Muelbert ◽  
JS Ferreira Neto ◽  
JL Catão-Dias
Keyword(s):  
Austral Summer ◽  
Agglutination Test ◽  
South Shetland Islands ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Mirounga Leonina ◽  
Serological Screening ◽  
Elephant Seals ◽  
Southern Elephant Seals ◽  
Monitoring And Surveillance ◽  
Elephant Island

Brucella spp. and Leptospira spp. antibodies were surveyed in 35 southern elephant seals (SESs) Mirounga leonina at Elephant Island (South Shetland Islands), western Antarctic peninsula, in the Austral summer of 2003 and 2004. The rose Bengal test and a commercial competitive ELISA (c-ELISA) were used to detect Brucella spp. exposure, and the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) with 22 live serovars was used to determine anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies. We found evidence of Brucella spp. exposure in 3 of 35 (8.6%) SESs tested via the c-ELISA displaying high percentage inhibition (PI), similar to other studies in pinnipeds in which Brucella spp. antibodies have been determined. Two of the 3 positives were pups (PI = 70.4 and 86.6%), while the third was an adult female (PI = 48.8%). The 3 c-ELISA positive SESs were additionally tested via the serum agglutination test but were found to be negative. All individuals were negative for antibodies against 22 Leptospira spp. serovars by MAT. These results contribute to the knowledge and monitoring of zoonotic pathogens with epizootic potential in Southern Ocean pinnipeds. Given the potential impact that pathogens may have on the abundance of wild (sometimes threatened and endangered) populations, constant monitoring and surveillance are required to prevent pathogen spread, particularly under forecast climate change scenarios.

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