1 Move over Simone Biles,because grey whales might just be the next Olympic champions.This conclusion can be drawn from a new study that filmed these amazing animals doing underwater headstands(头倒立)and other moves....1 Move over Simone Biles,because grey whales might just be the next Olympic champions.This conclusion can be drawn from a new study that filmed these amazing animals doing underwater headstands(头倒立)and other moves.2 As part of a seven-year project,scientists used drones(无人驾驶飞机)to observe a group of 200 grey whales off the coasts of Oregon,Washington,northern California and southern Canada.The new study findings,published in Animal Behaviour,revealed that grey whales do headstands by pressing their mouths against the ocean floor while searching for something to eat.Scientists also noticed that when doing headstands,grey whales move like human synchronized swimmers.展开更多
Neurodegeneration involves a wide range of neuropathological alterations affecting the integrity,physiology,and architecture of neural cells.Many studies have demonstrated neurodegeneration in different animals.In the...Neurodegeneration involves a wide range of neuropathological alterations affecting the integrity,physiology,and architecture of neural cells.Many studies have demonstrated neurodegeneration in different animals.In the case of Alzheimer's disease(AD),spontaneous animal models should display two neurohistopathological hallmarks:the deposition ofβ-amyloid and the arrangement of neurofibrillary tangles.However,no natural animal models that fulfill these conditions have been reported and most research into AD has been performed using transgenic rodents.Recent studies have also demonstrated that toothed whales-homeothermic,long-lived,top predatory marine mammals-show neuropathological signs of AD-like pathology.The neuropathological hallmarks in these cetaceans could help to better understand their endangered health as well as neurodegenerative diseases in humans.This systematic review analyzes all the literature published to date on this trending topic and the proposed causes for neurodegeneration in these iconic marine mammals are approached in the context of One Health/Planetary Health and translational medicine.展开更多
Although four species of odontocete and four species of baleen whale have been recorded in Prydz Bay,their vocalizations have been rarely investigated.Underwater vocalizations were recorded during March 2017 in Prydz ...Although four species of odontocete and four species of baleen whale have been recorded in Prydz Bay,their vocalizations have been rarely investigated.Underwater vocalizations were recorded during March 2017 in Prydz Bay,Antarctica.Bio-duck sounds,downsweeps,inverted“u”shape signals,whistles,pulsed sounds,and broadband clicks were recorded.Bio-duck sounds and downsweeps were associated with Antarctic minke whales(Balaenoptera bonaerensis)based on visual observations.Similarities between inverted“u”shape signals,biphonic calls,and clicks with vocalizations previously described for killer whales(Orcinus orca)lead us believe the presence of Antarctic killer whales.According to sound structures,signal characteristics,and recording location,Antarctic type C killer whales were the most probable candidates to produce these detected calls.These represent the fi rst detection of inverted“u”shape signals in Antarctic waters,and the fi rst report of Antarctic killer whale in Prydz Bay based on passive acoustic monitoring.The co-existence of Antarctic minke and killer whales may imply that minke whales can detect diff erences between the sounds of mammal-eating and fi sh-eating killer whales.Our descriptions of these underwater vocalizations contribute to the limited body of information regarding the distribution and acoustic behavior of cetaceans in Prydz Bay.展开更多
This study examines whether a group of captive false killer whales(P seudorca crassidens) showed variations in the vocal rate around feeding times. The high level of motivation to express appetitive behaviors in capti...This study examines whether a group of captive false killer whales(P seudorca crassidens) showed variations in the vocal rate around feeding times. The high level of motivation to express appetitive behaviors in captive animals may lead them to respond with changes of the behavioral activities during the time prior to food deliveries which are referred to as food anticipatory activity. False killer whales at Qingdao Polar Ocean World(Qingdao, China) showed signifi cant variations of the rates of both the total sounds and sound classes(whistles, clicks, and burst pulses) around feedings. Precisely, from the Transition interval that recorded the lowest vocalization rate(3.40 s/m/d), the whales increased their acoustic emissions upon trainers' arrival(13.08 s/m/d). The high rate was maintained or intensifi ed throughout the food delivery(25.12 s/m/d), and then reduced immediately after the animals were fed(9.91 s/m/d). These changes in the false killer whales sound production rates around feeding times supports the hypothesis of the presence of a food anticipatory vocal activity. Although sound rates may not give detailed information regarding referential aspects of the animal communication it might still shed light about the arousal levels of the individuals during different social or environmental conditions. Further experiments should be performed to assess if variations of the time of feeding routines may affect the vocal activity of cetaceans in captivity as well as their welfare.展开更多
The Hawaiian Islands, and particularly the Maui 4-island region, are a critical breeding and calving habitat for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the Hawaii distinct population segment. Our aims w...The Hawaiian Islands, and particularly the Maui 4-island region, are a critical breeding and calving habitat for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the Hawaii distinct population segment. Our aims were to test the use of platforms-of-opportunity to determine trends in mother-calf pod use of the region and to present opportunistic platforms as an alternative method of long-term, cross-seasonal monitoring. Data were collected from whale watching vessels over a 4-year period and analyzed using occupancy models to determine the probability of habitat use of pods with calves and pods without calves within the study area. Detection probability was influenced by survey effort and month for all pod types with detection of adult only pods further influenced by year. Pods with a calf showed a preference for shallow (<100 meters) low latitude waters (<20.7°N), while pods without a calf preferred deeper waters (>75 meters). Results presented here align with previous work, both in Hawaii and in other breeding grounds, which show a distinct segregation of mothers with a calf from other age-classes of humpback whales. The need for long-term continuous monitoring of cetacean populations is crucial to ensure species conservation. Data collected aboard platforms-of-opportunity, as presented here, provide important insight on humpback whale spatial and temporal distribution, which are essential for species protection and management.展开更多
We investigated the role of hydrological features, such as water masses, fronts, eddies, and sea ice, in affecting the distribution of upper trophic level species in the Scotia Sea region during autumn. On board RV Po...We investigated the role of hydrological features, such as water masses, fronts, eddies, and sea ice, in affecting the distribution of upper trophic level species in the Scotia Sea region during autumn. On board RV Polarstern, we performed 365 30-min strip transects recording seabirds and marine mammals along the North Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich Trench in March--April 2013. Among the 7 identified cetacean species recorded, the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae was the most abundant baleen whale （40 individuals）, and noteworthy were sightings of six southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Pinnipeds （3 species, 1650 individuals） were dominated by Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella （99%）, and seabirds （36 species, 18900 individuals） by Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata （-50%）. The distribution of these top predators was highly patchy with the majority of observations concentrated in a few counts. This heterogeneity is likely a result of prey availability, and we discuss how hydrological features may have caused the patchiness.展开更多
In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowbead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic ＂stock＂ was observed from 2005...In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowbead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic ＂stock＂ was observed from 2005 on, by a factor 30 and more： from 0.0002 per count between 1979 and 2003 （one individual, n=5430 cotmts） to 0.06 per count from 2005 to 2014 （34 individuals, n=6000 counts）; the most significant part of the increase occurred from 2007 on. Other large whale species （Mysticeti） showed a similar pattern, mainly blue Balaenoptera musculus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus. This large and abrupt increase cannot logically be due to population growth, nor to survival of a hidden ＂relic＂ population, nor to a changing geographical distribution within the European Arctic, taking into account the importance of the coverage during this study. Our interpretation is that individuals passed through the Northwest and/or Northeast Passages from the larger Pacific stock into the almost depleted North Atlantic populations coinciding with a period of very low ice coverage -- at the time the lowest ever recorded. In contrast, no clear evolution was detected neither for sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus nor for Minke whale Balaenoptera acusrostrata.展开更多
Identifying home ranges—those areas traversed by individuals in their normal foraging,mating,and parenting activities—is an important aspect of cetacean study.Understanding these ranges facilitates identification of...Identifying home ranges—those areas traversed by individuals in their normal foraging,mating,and parenting activities—is an important aspect of cetacean study.Understanding these ranges facilitates identification of resource use and conservation.Fin and humpback whales occur in Antarctica during the austral summer,but information regarding their home ranges is limited.Using opportunistically collected whale sighting data from eight consecutive summer seasons spanning 2010–2017,we approximate the home ranges of humpback and fin whales around Drake Passage(DRA),West of Antarctic Peninsula(WAP),South Shetland Islands(SSI),an area northwest of the Weddell Sea(WED),and around the South Orkney Islands(SOI).Approximate home ranges are identified using Kernel Density Estimation(KDE).Most fin whales occurred north and northwest of the SOI,which suggests that waters near these islands support concentrations of this species.Most humpback whales were observed around the SSI,but unlike fin whales,their distributions were highly variable in other areas.KDE suggests spatial segregation in areas where both species exist such as SOI,SSI,and WPA.Partial redundancy analysis(pRDA)suggests that the distributions of these species are more affected by spatial variables(latitude,longitude)than by local scale variables such as sea surface temperature and depth.This study presents a visual approximation of the home ranges of fin and humpback whales,and identifies variation in the effects of space and environmental variables on the distributions of these whales at different spatial scales.展开更多
Developmental changes in the body proportions of western North Pacific Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were investigated by examining the proportion of each body part to the total body length. The head and chest ...Developmental changes in the body proportions of western North Pacific Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were investigated by examining the proportion of each body part to the total body length. The head and chest region increased to a certain body length;subsequently, the length of head region stabilized, and that of the chest region decreased. The length of the abdominal region remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently showed a marked increase, and that of the tail region decreased consistently. The length of dorsal fin and flukes decreased consistently, whereas that of the flippers remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently decreased. The relative growth pattern determined by an allometric analysis was positive for the head region but negative for the lower body part, flippers, flukes, and dorsal fin. Both sexes demonstrated the same growth pattern, but the coefficients differed. This is the first study to investigate developmental changes in the body proportions of Bryde’s whales using more than 700 specimens covering a wide body length range. We believe that the results of this study will contribute to various research fields, including taxonomy, phylogeny, and feeding ecology of this species.展开更多
The coast of Japan is a migratory corridor for the western stock of the gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), which was once considered as extinct and remains endangered. According to the historical records, from 1955 ...The coast of Japan is a migratory corridor for the western stock of the gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), which was once considered as extinct and remains endangered. According to the historical records, from 1955 to 2014, only 21 gray whales occurrence has been recorded in 59 years. However, from 2015 to 2016, intensive occurrence including the seven sightings and the two strandings were noted. In this paper, we found that those sightings were re-sightings of the same individual, which was initially sighted off Sakhalin during August, 2014. On 4 March, 2016, a young female gray whale (8.9 m in body length) was stranded at Wadaura beach, Chiba prefecture. We also conducted research on this animal including taking pictures and external measurements. In addition, we flensed this animal to observe the internal organs and collect a skeletal specimen. The reason for the death of this animal remains unclear;however, from its external characteristics, we identified that this animal was not an identical one, sighted off Sakhalin and the coast of Japan from 2014 to 2016. On 5 April, 2016, another young female gray whale (7 m in body length) was stranded at Arai beach, Shizuoka prefecture. We concluded that from 2015 to 2016, at least three distinct gray whales have migrated along the coast of Japan.展开更多
Little is known about the morphology of the pelvic girdle of modern cetaceans, although many species have a vestigial pelvis (pelvic bone) and part of the hind limb bones inside the body. Previous studies have focused...Little is known about the morphology of the pelvic girdle of modern cetaceans, although many species have a vestigial pelvis (pelvic bone) and part of the hind limb bones inside the body. Previous studies have focused almost exclusively on hard tissues as well, despite the fact that the bones are comprised of cartilaginous tissue, especially in the case of femur. In the present study, we characterized the pelvic bones and searched for vestigial femurs among 43 North Pacific common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), all of which were sexually mature individuals. The shape of the pelvic bones clearly differs depending on sex. Specifically, the pelvic bones of females were flat, but those of adult males consist of two types: one with a twisted caudal portion (Twisted type) and the other with a thickened caudal portion (Hypertrophied type). Those pelvic bone features in male are found only among North Pacific common minke whales. 98% of the individuals in this study had vestigial femur. The presence rate of vestigial femur may differ by subspecies. The shape of the pelvic and hind limb bones of modern cetaceans may vary between species and probably by region, at least at the Ocean basin scale.展开更多
Spatiotemporal information is crucial for cetacean research and conservation,particularly for wide-ranging and migratory species.Sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)are distributed worldwide in deep oceans;however,lit...Spatiotemporal information is crucial for cetacean research and conservation,particularly for wide-ranging and migratory species.Sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)are distributed worldwide in deep oceans;however,little is known about the species in the western margin of the Pacific Ocean.Here,we examined the available information related to the occurrence,distribution,and potential habitats of sperm whales in the waters off China.Historical whaling information(18th–20th century)indicates that sperm whales have been captured in the East China Sea(ECS)and South China Sea(SCS).Furthermore,sporadic strandings have been recorded since the 1910s,and more frequently from 1990 onwards.Since 1990,accidental sightings have been documented in the eastern ECS,northeastern and southern SCS,and their adjacent waters.More recently(2019–2022),field encounters have been reported in dedicated ship-based investigations in the Xisha and Nansha waters,providing robust evidence of the regular existence and potential residency of sperm whales in the northwestern and central areas of the SCS.Female nursery groups suggest that the Xisha waters might be an important nursing ground for sperm whales.Satellite tracking data from four adults showed that sperm whales in the SCS might display both fine-scale and long-distance movements.Taken together,it appears that sperm whales are currently active in the waters off China,and that deep waters(depth>200 m)in the ECS and SCS may provide the species with critical habitats.This review provides crucial baseline information on sperm whales in the waters off China,which may help to facilitate future research efforts and conservation initiatives for the species at national and cross-regional scales.More field investigations and other monitoring approaches including acoustic monitoring,biologging,photo-identification,and genetics are required to reveal the distribution,movement,and habitat use patterns of sperm whales in these waters.展开更多
Sound is considered an important aspect of an ecosystem and acoustic methods have emerged as effective tools for ecosystems research.Xincun Lagoon,Hainan Island,is an important ecosystem characterized by dense seagras...Sound is considered an important aspect of an ecosystem and acoustic methods have emerged as effective tools for ecosystems research.Xincun Lagoon,Hainan Island,is an important ecosystem characterized by dense seagrass,which has been declining due to increased human activities,raising great concerns.Previous studies have identified various threats to seagrass,including heavy metal pollution,poor quality water,and so on.In this study,we investigate sources and levels of noise in seagrass beds and attempt to point out potential threats from noise pollution.A line array of six hydrophones was deployed over a period of seven days,from January 15 to January 21,2024.The recordings captured various sounds from marine life,human activities,and natural processes.Biological sounds,such as fish sounds and whale calls,were the most prevalent.Low-frequency noise from wind and tide were often recorded.Xincun Bay hosts more than 1500 fishing vessels;however,due to bad weather conditions that kept most vessels docked during the recording period,only one segment of boat noise was recorded;it lasted for 7 minutes,exhibiting strong energy over a broad frequency band.This event underscores the necessity of long-term monitoring of noise to identify and evaluate not only boat noise but other noise sources,especially ones that are intermittent but strong,that were not encountered during the limited period of observation on which this report is based.展开更多
Existing feature selection methods for intrusion detection systems in the Industrial Internet of Things often suffer from local optimality and high computational complexity.These challenges hinder traditional IDS from...Existing feature selection methods for intrusion detection systems in the Industrial Internet of Things often suffer from local optimality and high computational complexity.These challenges hinder traditional IDS from effectively extracting features while maintaining detection accuracy.This paper proposes an industrial Internet ofThings intrusion detection feature selection algorithm based on an improved whale optimization algorithm(GSLDWOA).The aim is to address the problems that feature selection algorithms under high-dimensional data are prone to,such as local optimality,long detection time,and reduced accuracy.First,the initial population’s diversity is increased using the Gaussian Mutation mechanism.Then,Non-linear Shrinking Factor balances global exploration and local development,avoiding premature convergence.Lastly,Variable-step Levy Flight operator and Dynamic Differential Evolution strategy are introduced to improve the algorithm’s search efficiency and convergence accuracy in highdimensional feature space.Experiments on the NSL-KDD and WUSTL-IIoT-2021 datasets demonstrate that the feature subset selected by GSLDWOA significantly improves detection performance.Compared to the traditional WOA algorithm,the detection rate and F1-score increased by 3.68%and 4.12%.On the WUSTL-IIoT-2021 dataset,accuracy,recall,and F1-score all exceed 99.9%.展开更多
In response to the challenges of inadequate predictive accuracy and limited generalization capability in data-driven modeling for the mechanical properties of the cold-rolled strip steel,a predictive modeling method n...In response to the challenges of inadequate predictive accuracy and limited generalization capability in data-driven modeling for the mechanical properties of the cold-rolled strip steel,a predictive modeling method named RFR-WOA is developed based on random forest regression(RFR)and whale optimization algorithm(WOA).Firstly,using Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis and Gini coefficient importance ranking on an actual production dataset containing 37,878 samples,22 key variables are selected as model inputs from 112 variables that affect mechanical properties.Subsequently,an RFR-based predictive model for the mechanical properties of cold-rolled strip steel is constructed.Then,with the combination of the coefficient of determination(R^(2))and root mean square error as the optimization objective,the hyperparameters of RFR model are iteratively optimized using WOA,and better predictive effectiveness is obtained.Finally,the mechanical properties prediction model based on RFR-WOA is compared with models established using deep neural networks,convolutional neural networks,and other methods.The test results on 9469 samples of actual production data show that the model developed present has better predictive accuracy and generalization capability.展开更多
Amidst the growing global emphasis on nuclear safety,the integrity of nuclear reactor systems has garnered attention in the aftermath of consequential events.Moreover,the rapid development of artificial intelligence t...Amidst the growing global emphasis on nuclear safety,the integrity of nuclear reactor systems has garnered attention in the aftermath of consequential events.Moreover,the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has provided immense opportunities to enhance the safety and economy of nuclear energy.However,data-driven deep learning techniques often lack interpretability,which hinders their applicability in the nuclear energy sector.To address this problem,this study proposes a hybrid data-driven and knowledge-driven artificial intelligence model based on physics-informed neural networks to accurately compute the neutron flux distribution inside a nuclear reactor core.Innovative techniques,such as regional decomposition,intelligent k_(eff)(effective multiplication factor)search,and k_(eff)inversion,have been introduced for the calculation.Furthermore,hyperparameters of the model are automatically optimized using a whale optimization algorithm.A series of computational examples are used to validate the proposed model,demonstrating its applicability,generality,and high accuracy in calculating the neutron flux within the nuclear reactor.The model offers a dependable strategy for computing the neutron flux distribution in nuclear reactors for advanced simulation techniques in the future,including reactor digital twinning.This approach is data-light,requires little to no training data,and still delivers remarkably precise output data.展开更多
Ground water is a crucial ecological resource and source of drinking water to a great percentage of theworld population.The quality of groundwater in an area with industrial emission and air pollution is an especially...Ground water is a crucial ecological resource and source of drinking water to a great percentage of theworld population.The quality of groundwater in an area with industrial emission and air pollution is an especiallyimportant issue that requires proper evaluation.This paper introduces a spatiotemporal deep learning model thatincorporates the use of metaheuristic optimization in predicting groundwater quality in various pollution contexts.Thegiven method is a combination of the Spatial-Temporal-Assisted Deep Belief Network(StaDBN)and a hybrid WhaleOptimization Algorithm and Tiki-Taka Algorithms(WOA-TTA)that would model intricate patterns of contamination.Historical ground water data sets with the hydrochemical data and time are preprocessed and pertinent and nonredundant features are determined with the Addax Optimization Algorithm(AOA).Spatial and temporal dependenciesare explicitly integrated in StaDBN architecture to facilitate representation learning,and network hyperparametersare optimized by the WOA-TTA module to increase the training efficiency and predictive performance.The modelwas coded in Python and tested based on common statistical measures,such as root mean square error(RMSE),Nash Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE),mean absolute error(MAE),and the correlation coefficient(R).The proposedGWQP-StaDBN-WOA-TTA framework demonstrates superior predictive performance and interpretability comparedto conventional machine learning and deep learning models,achieving higher correlation(R=0.963),improvedNash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE=0.84),and substantially lower prediction errors(MAE=0.29,RMSE=0.48),therebyvalidating its effectiveness for groundwater quality assessment under industrial and atmospheric pollution scenarios.展开更多
还记得本刊3月号“大脚板”栏目中的那篇Journeyto a New Home 吗?现在,可爱的 Little Grey 和 Little White——那对白鲸小姐妹,己经启程去往她们的新家----遥远的Iceland(冰岛)了。在这段时间里,很多小渎者将直己的心情写信告诉了大嘴...还记得本刊3月号“大脚板”栏目中的那篇Journeyto a New Home 吗?现在,可爱的 Little Grey 和 Little White——那对白鲸小姐妹,己经启程去往她们的新家----遥远的Iceland(冰岛)了。在这段时间里,很多小渎者将直己的心情写信告诉了大嘴M豆。他们那种不舍但为之高兴的复杂心情,是不是和你们一样呢?展开更多
Citizen science is a popular method for the long-term monitoring of the distribution of wild animals.The application of these methods in different species and environments still poses challenges,especially for aquatic...Citizen science is a popular method for the long-term monitoring of the distribution of wild animals.The application of these methods in different species and environments still poses challenges,especially for aquatic animals.In this study,we investigated the distribution of the Bryde’s whale(Balaenoptera edeni)in the Beibu Gulf of China by using scientific boat-based surveys and citizen science approaches using 2 different methods of data collection.First,we built our mobile app(Whale Guard)and installed it on fishermen’s phones.Second,we used a popular instant messaging app(WeChat)to create an online fisherman community.We found that the mobile phone app collected far fewer reports(5 reports)than the online community group(42 reports,P<0.01).By using a variety of incentives,we maintained the fisherman’s community’s activity without significant user loss(P<0.01).We also found that the locations collected by social media applications in this study were consistent with observations from scientific boat-based transect surveys.The sightings distribution of Bryde’s whales differed from those in previous surveys in that they were present across larger areas.Social media apps reported that 69%of reports was confirmed by more than one person,whereas Whale Guard reports were much lower(0,P<0.001).Community-based citizen science can greatly contribute to the long-term monitoring of Bryde’s whales,and it has successfully overcome the challenges of data accessibility,accuracy,and fragmentation.Our study shows how to appropriately use citizen science in different community groups and community-based approaches make them useful for large baleen whale surveys.展开更多
文摘1 Move over Simone Biles,because grey whales might just be the next Olympic champions.This conclusion can be drawn from a new study that filmed these amazing animals doing underwater headstands(头倒立)and other moves.2 As part of a seven-year project,scientists used drones(无人驾驶飞机)to observe a group of 200 grey whales off the coasts of Oregon,Washington,northern California and southern Canada.The new study findings,published in Animal Behaviour,revealed that grey whales do headstands by pressing their mouths against the ocean floor while searching for something to eat.Scientists also noticed that when doing headstands,grey whales move like human synchronized swimmers.
文摘Neurodegeneration involves a wide range of neuropathological alterations affecting the integrity,physiology,and architecture of neural cells.Many studies have demonstrated neurodegeneration in different animals.In the case of Alzheimer's disease(AD),spontaneous animal models should display two neurohistopathological hallmarks:the deposition ofβ-amyloid and the arrangement of neurofibrillary tangles.However,no natural animal models that fulfill these conditions have been reported and most research into AD has been performed using transgenic rodents.Recent studies have also demonstrated that toothed whales-homeothermic,long-lived,top predatory marine mammals-show neuropathological signs of AD-like pathology.The neuropathological hallmarks in these cetaceans could help to better understand their endangered health as well as neurodegenerative diseases in humans.This systematic review analyzes all the literature published to date on this trending topic and the proposed causes for neurodegeneration in these iconic marine mammals are approached in the context of One Health/Planetary Health and translational medicine.
基金Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41906170)the Indian Ocean Ninety-east Ridge Ecosystem and Marine Environment Monitoring and Protection(No.DY135-E2-4)+1 种基金the Cooperation of Top Predators Observation in the Southern Ocean(No.QT4519003)the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund。
文摘Although four species of odontocete and four species of baleen whale have been recorded in Prydz Bay,their vocalizations have been rarely investigated.Underwater vocalizations were recorded during March 2017 in Prydz Bay,Antarctica.Bio-duck sounds,downsweeps,inverted“u”shape signals,whistles,pulsed sounds,and broadband clicks were recorded.Bio-duck sounds and downsweeps were associated with Antarctic minke whales(Balaenoptera bonaerensis)based on visual observations.Similarities between inverted“u”shape signals,biphonic calls,and clicks with vocalizations previously described for killer whales(Orcinus orca)lead us believe the presence of Antarctic killer whales.According to sound structures,signal characteristics,and recording location,Antarctic type C killer whales were the most probable candidates to produce these detected calls.These represent the fi rst detection of inverted“u”shape signals in Antarctic waters,and the fi rst report of Antarctic killer whale in Prydz Bay based on passive acoustic monitoring.The co-existence of Antarctic minke and killer whales may imply that minke whales can detect diff erences between the sounds of mammal-eating and fi sh-eating killer whales.Our descriptions of these underwater vocalizations contribute to the limited body of information regarding the distribution and acoustic behavior of cetaceans in Prydz Bay.
基金Supported by grants from the Institute of Hydrobiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘This study examines whether a group of captive false killer whales(P seudorca crassidens) showed variations in the vocal rate around feeding times. The high level of motivation to express appetitive behaviors in captive animals may lead them to respond with changes of the behavioral activities during the time prior to food deliveries which are referred to as food anticipatory activity. False killer whales at Qingdao Polar Ocean World(Qingdao, China) showed signifi cant variations of the rates of both the total sounds and sound classes(whistles, clicks, and burst pulses) around feedings. Precisely, from the Transition interval that recorded the lowest vocalization rate(3.40 s/m/d), the whales increased their acoustic emissions upon trainers' arrival(13.08 s/m/d). The high rate was maintained or intensifi ed throughout the food delivery(25.12 s/m/d), and then reduced immediately after the animals were fed(9.91 s/m/d). These changes in the false killer whales sound production rates around feeding times supports the hypothesis of the presence of a food anticipatory vocal activity. Although sound rates may not give detailed information regarding referential aspects of the animal communication it might still shed light about the arousal levels of the individuals during different social or environmental conditions. Further experiments should be performed to assess if variations of the time of feeding routines may affect the vocal activity of cetaceans in captivity as well as their welfare.
文摘The Hawaiian Islands, and particularly the Maui 4-island region, are a critical breeding and calving habitat for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) belonging to the Hawaii distinct population segment. Our aims were to test the use of platforms-of-opportunity to determine trends in mother-calf pod use of the region and to present opportunistic platforms as an alternative method of long-term, cross-seasonal monitoring. Data were collected from whale watching vessels over a 4-year period and analyzed using occupancy models to determine the probability of habitat use of pods with calves and pods without calves within the study area. Detection probability was influenced by survey effort and month for all pod types with detection of adult only pods further influenced by year. Pods with a calf showed a preference for shallow (<100 meters) low latitude waters (<20.7°N), while pods without a calf preferred deeper waters (>75 meters). Results presented here align with previous work, both in Hawaii and in other breeding grounds, which show a distinct segregation of mothers with a calf from other age-classes of humpback whales. The need for long-term continuous monitoring of cetacean populations is crucial to ensure species conservation. Data collected aboard platforms-of-opportunity, as presented here, provide important insight on humpback whale spatial and temporal distribution, which are essential for species protection and management.
文摘We investigated the role of hydrological features, such as water masses, fronts, eddies, and sea ice, in affecting the distribution of upper trophic level species in the Scotia Sea region during autumn. On board RV Polarstern, we performed 365 30-min strip transects recording seabirds and marine mammals along the North Scotia Ridge and the South Sandwich Trench in March--April 2013. Among the 7 identified cetacean species recorded, the humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae was the most abundant baleen whale （40 individuals）, and noteworthy were sightings of six southern right whales Eubalaena australis. Pinnipeds （3 species, 1650 individuals） were dominated by Antarctic fur seal Arctocephalus gazella （99%）, and seabirds （36 species, 18900 individuals） by Antarctic prion Pachyptila desolata （-50%）. The distribution of these top predators was highly patchy with the majority of observations concentrated in a few counts. This heterogeneity is likely a result of prey availability, and we discuss how hydrological features may have caused the patchiness.
文摘In the frame of our long-term study of cetacean abundance and distribution in polar marine ecosystems begun in 1979, a drastic increase in the bowbead Balaena mysticetus North Atlantic ＂stock＂ was observed from 2005 on, by a factor 30 and more： from 0.0002 per count between 1979 and 2003 （one individual, n=5430 cotmts） to 0.06 per count from 2005 to 2014 （34 individuals, n=6000 counts）; the most significant part of the increase occurred from 2007 on. Other large whale species （Mysticeti） showed a similar pattern, mainly blue Balaenoptera musculus, humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and fin whales Balaenoptera physalus. This large and abrupt increase cannot logically be due to population growth, nor to survival of a hidden ＂relic＂ population, nor to a changing geographical distribution within the European Arctic, taking into account the importance of the coverage during this study. Our interpretation is that individuals passed through the Northwest and/or Northeast Passages from the larger Pacific stock into the almost depleted North Atlantic populations coinciding with a period of very low ice coverage -- at the time the lowest ever recorded. In contrast, no clear evolution was detected neither for sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus nor for Minke whale Balaenoptera acusrostrata.
基金This work was conducted with logistical and financial support of the Instituto Antártico Argentino.
文摘Identifying home ranges—those areas traversed by individuals in their normal foraging,mating,and parenting activities—is an important aspect of cetacean study.Understanding these ranges facilitates identification of resource use and conservation.Fin and humpback whales occur in Antarctica during the austral summer,but information regarding their home ranges is limited.Using opportunistically collected whale sighting data from eight consecutive summer seasons spanning 2010–2017,we approximate the home ranges of humpback and fin whales around Drake Passage(DRA),West of Antarctic Peninsula(WAP),South Shetland Islands(SSI),an area northwest of the Weddell Sea(WED),and around the South Orkney Islands(SOI).Approximate home ranges are identified using Kernel Density Estimation(KDE).Most fin whales occurred north and northwest of the SOI,which suggests that waters near these islands support concentrations of this species.Most humpback whales were observed around the SSI,but unlike fin whales,their distributions were highly variable in other areas.KDE suggests spatial segregation in areas where both species exist such as SOI,SSI,and WPA.Partial redundancy analysis(pRDA)suggests that the distributions of these species are more affected by spatial variables(latitude,longitude)than by local scale variables such as sea surface temperature and depth.This study presents a visual approximation of the home ranges of fin and humpback whales,and identifies variation in the effects of space and environmental variables on the distributions of these whales at different spatial scales.
文摘Developmental changes in the body proportions of western North Pacific Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni) were investigated by examining the proportion of each body part to the total body length. The head and chest region increased to a certain body length;subsequently, the length of head region stabilized, and that of the chest region decreased. The length of the abdominal region remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently showed a marked increase, and that of the tail region decreased consistently. The length of dorsal fin and flukes decreased consistently, whereas that of the flippers remained constant to a certain body length and subsequently decreased. The relative growth pattern determined by an allometric analysis was positive for the head region but negative for the lower body part, flippers, flukes, and dorsal fin. Both sexes demonstrated the same growth pattern, but the coefficients differed. This is the first study to investigate developmental changes in the body proportions of Bryde’s whales using more than 700 specimens covering a wide body length range. We believe that the results of this study will contribute to various research fields, including taxonomy, phylogeny, and feeding ecology of this species.
文摘The coast of Japan is a migratory corridor for the western stock of the gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus), which was once considered as extinct and remains endangered. According to the historical records, from 1955 to 2014, only 21 gray whales occurrence has been recorded in 59 years. However, from 2015 to 2016, intensive occurrence including the seven sightings and the two strandings were noted. In this paper, we found that those sightings were re-sightings of the same individual, which was initially sighted off Sakhalin during August, 2014. On 4 March, 2016, a young female gray whale (8.9 m in body length) was stranded at Wadaura beach, Chiba prefecture. We also conducted research on this animal including taking pictures and external measurements. In addition, we flensed this animal to observe the internal organs and collect a skeletal specimen. The reason for the death of this animal remains unclear;however, from its external characteristics, we identified that this animal was not an identical one, sighted off Sakhalin and the coast of Japan from 2014 to 2016. On 5 April, 2016, another young female gray whale (7 m in body length) was stranded at Arai beach, Shizuoka prefecture. We concluded that from 2015 to 2016, at least three distinct gray whales have migrated along the coast of Japan.
文摘Little is known about the morphology of the pelvic girdle of modern cetaceans, although many species have a vestigial pelvis (pelvic bone) and part of the hind limb bones inside the body. Previous studies have focused almost exclusively on hard tissues as well, despite the fact that the bones are comprised of cartilaginous tissue, especially in the case of femur. In the present study, we characterized the pelvic bones and searched for vestigial femurs among 43 North Pacific common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), all of which were sexually mature individuals. The shape of the pelvic bones clearly differs depending on sex. Specifically, the pelvic bones of females were flat, but those of adult males consist of two types: one with a twisted caudal portion (Twisted type) and the other with a thickened caudal portion (Hypertrophied type). Those pelvic bone features in male are found only among North Pacific common minke whales. 98% of the individuals in this study had vestigial femur. The presence rate of vestigial femur may differ by subspecies. The shape of the pelvic and hind limb bones of modern cetaceans may vary between species and probably by region, at least at the Ocean basin scale.
基金This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42225604 and 41422604)the“One Belt and One Road”Science and Technology Cooperation Special Program of the International Partnership Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.183446KYSB20200016)+2 种基金the Key Deployment Project of the Center for Ocean Mega-Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.COMS 2020Q15)the Zhilan Foundation(Grant No.2022010291B)the Small Grant in Aid of Research from the Society for Marine Mammalogy.
文摘Spatiotemporal information is crucial for cetacean research and conservation,particularly for wide-ranging and migratory species.Sperm whales(Physeter macrocephalus)are distributed worldwide in deep oceans;however,little is known about the species in the western margin of the Pacific Ocean.Here,we examined the available information related to the occurrence,distribution,and potential habitats of sperm whales in the waters off China.Historical whaling information(18th–20th century)indicates that sperm whales have been captured in the East China Sea(ECS)and South China Sea(SCS).Furthermore,sporadic strandings have been recorded since the 1910s,and more frequently from 1990 onwards.Since 1990,accidental sightings have been documented in the eastern ECS,northeastern and southern SCS,and their adjacent waters.More recently(2019–2022),field encounters have been reported in dedicated ship-based investigations in the Xisha and Nansha waters,providing robust evidence of the regular existence and potential residency of sperm whales in the northwestern and central areas of the SCS.Female nursery groups suggest that the Xisha waters might be an important nursing ground for sperm whales.Satellite tracking data from four adults showed that sperm whales in the SCS might display both fine-scale and long-distance movements.Taken together,it appears that sperm whales are currently active in the waters off China,and that deep waters(depth>200 m)in the ECS and SCS may provide the species with critical habitats.This review provides crucial baseline information on sperm whales in the waters off China,which may help to facilitate future research efforts and conservation initiatives for the species at national and cross-regional scales.More field investigations and other monitoring approaches including acoustic monitoring,biologging,photo-identification,and genetics are required to reveal the distribution,movement,and habitat use patterns of sperm whales in these waters.
基金supported financially by the Director General’s Scientific Research Fund of Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey(Grant Number:2023GMGSJZJJ00029).
文摘Sound is considered an important aspect of an ecosystem and acoustic methods have emerged as effective tools for ecosystems research.Xincun Lagoon,Hainan Island,is an important ecosystem characterized by dense seagrass,which has been declining due to increased human activities,raising great concerns.Previous studies have identified various threats to seagrass,including heavy metal pollution,poor quality water,and so on.In this study,we investigate sources and levels of noise in seagrass beds and attempt to point out potential threats from noise pollution.A line array of six hydrophones was deployed over a period of seven days,from January 15 to January 21,2024.The recordings captured various sounds from marine life,human activities,and natural processes.Biological sounds,such as fish sounds and whale calls,were the most prevalent.Low-frequency noise from wind and tide were often recorded.Xincun Bay hosts more than 1500 fishing vessels;however,due to bad weather conditions that kept most vessels docked during the recording period,only one segment of boat noise was recorded;it lasted for 7 minutes,exhibiting strong energy over a broad frequency band.This event underscores the necessity of long-term monitoring of noise to identify and evaluate not only boat noise but other noise sources,especially ones that are intermittent but strong,that were not encountered during the limited period of observation on which this report is based.
基金supported by the Major Science and Technology Programs in Henan Province(No.241100210100)Henan Provincial Science and Technology Research Project(No.252102211085,No.252102211105)+3 种基金Endogenous Security Cloud Network Convergence R&D Center(No.602431011PQ1)The Special Project for Research and Development in Key Areas of Guangdong Province(No.2021ZDZX1098)The Stabilization Support Program of Science,Technology and Innovation Commission of Shenzhen Municipality(No.20231128083944001)The Key scientific research projects of Henan higher education institutions(No.24A520042).
文摘Existing feature selection methods for intrusion detection systems in the Industrial Internet of Things often suffer from local optimality and high computational complexity.These challenges hinder traditional IDS from effectively extracting features while maintaining detection accuracy.This paper proposes an industrial Internet ofThings intrusion detection feature selection algorithm based on an improved whale optimization algorithm(GSLDWOA).The aim is to address the problems that feature selection algorithms under high-dimensional data are prone to,such as local optimality,long detection time,and reduced accuracy.First,the initial population’s diversity is increased using the Gaussian Mutation mechanism.Then,Non-linear Shrinking Factor balances global exploration and local development,avoiding premature convergence.Lastly,Variable-step Levy Flight operator and Dynamic Differential Evolution strategy are introduced to improve the algorithm’s search efficiency and convergence accuracy in highdimensional feature space.Experiments on the NSL-KDD and WUSTL-IIoT-2021 datasets demonstrate that the feature subset selected by GSLDWOA significantly improves detection performance.Compared to the traditional WOA algorithm,the detection rate and F1-score increased by 3.68%and 4.12%.On the WUSTL-IIoT-2021 dataset,accuracy,recall,and F1-score all exceed 99.9%.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant 62573375)the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province(Grant F2024203038)+2 种基金the Science and Technology Research and Development Plan Project of Qinhuangdao City(Grant 202302B048)the Provincial Key Laboratory Performance Subsidy Project(Grant 22567612H)the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation Youth Project(ZR2023QF044)。
文摘In response to the challenges of inadequate predictive accuracy and limited generalization capability in data-driven modeling for the mechanical properties of the cold-rolled strip steel,a predictive modeling method named RFR-WOA is developed based on random forest regression(RFR)and whale optimization algorithm(WOA).Firstly,using Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis and Gini coefficient importance ranking on an actual production dataset containing 37,878 samples,22 key variables are selected as model inputs from 112 variables that affect mechanical properties.Subsequently,an RFR-based predictive model for the mechanical properties of cold-rolled strip steel is constructed.Then,with the combination of the coefficient of determination(R^(2))and root mean square error as the optimization objective,the hyperparameters of RFR model are iteratively optimized using WOA,and better predictive effectiveness is obtained.Finally,the mechanical properties prediction model based on RFR-WOA is compared with models established using deep neural networks,convolutional neural networks,and other methods.The test results on 9469 samples of actual production data show that the model developed present has better predictive accuracy and generalization capability.
文摘Amidst the growing global emphasis on nuclear safety,the integrity of nuclear reactor systems has garnered attention in the aftermath of consequential events.Moreover,the rapid development of artificial intelligence technology has provided immense opportunities to enhance the safety and economy of nuclear energy.However,data-driven deep learning techniques often lack interpretability,which hinders their applicability in the nuclear energy sector.To address this problem,this study proposes a hybrid data-driven and knowledge-driven artificial intelligence model based on physics-informed neural networks to accurately compute the neutron flux distribution inside a nuclear reactor core.Innovative techniques,such as regional decomposition,intelligent k_(eff)(effective multiplication factor)search,and k_(eff)inversion,have been introduced for the calculation.Furthermore,hyperparameters of the model are automatically optimized using a whale optimization algorithm.A series of computational examples are used to validate the proposed model,demonstrating its applicability,generality,and high accuracy in calculating the neutron flux within the nuclear reactor.The model offers a dependable strategy for computing the neutron flux distribution in nuclear reactors for advanced simulation techniques in the future,including reactor digital twinning.This approach is data-light,requires little to no training data,and still delivers remarkably precise output data.
基金Fund for funding this research work under Research Support Program for Central labs at King Khalid University through the project number CL/CO/B/6.
文摘Ground water is a crucial ecological resource and source of drinking water to a great percentage of theworld population.The quality of groundwater in an area with industrial emission and air pollution is an especiallyimportant issue that requires proper evaluation.This paper introduces a spatiotemporal deep learning model thatincorporates the use of metaheuristic optimization in predicting groundwater quality in various pollution contexts.Thegiven method is a combination of the Spatial-Temporal-Assisted Deep Belief Network(StaDBN)and a hybrid WhaleOptimization Algorithm and Tiki-Taka Algorithms(WOA-TTA)that would model intricate patterns of contamination.Historical ground water data sets with the hydrochemical data and time are preprocessed and pertinent and nonredundant features are determined with the Addax Optimization Algorithm(AOA).Spatial and temporal dependenciesare explicitly integrated in StaDBN architecture to facilitate representation learning,and network hyperparametersare optimized by the WOA-TTA module to increase the training efficiency and predictive performance.The modelwas coded in Python and tested based on common statistical measures,such as root mean square error(RMSE),Nash Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE),mean absolute error(MAE),and the correlation coefficient(R).The proposedGWQP-StaDBN-WOA-TTA framework demonstrates superior predictive performance and interpretability comparedto conventional machine learning and deep learning models,achieving higher correlation(R=0.963),improvedNash-Sutcliffe efficiency(NSE=0.84),and substantially lower prediction errors(MAE=0.29,RMSE=0.48),therebyvalidating its effectiveness for groundwater quality assessment under industrial and atmospheric pollution scenarios.
文摘还记得本刊3月号“大脚板”栏目中的那篇Journeyto a New Home 吗?现在,可爱的 Little Grey 和 Little White——那对白鲸小姐妹,己经启程去往她们的新家----遥远的Iceland(冰岛)了。在这段时间里,很多小渎者将直己的心情写信告诉了大嘴M豆。他们那种不舍但为之高兴的复杂心情,是不是和你们一样呢?
基金supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31430080)Ocean Park Conservation Foundation,Hong Kong(MM03_1920).
文摘Citizen science is a popular method for the long-term monitoring of the distribution of wild animals.The application of these methods in different species and environments still poses challenges,especially for aquatic animals.In this study,we investigated the distribution of the Bryde’s whale(Balaenoptera edeni)in the Beibu Gulf of China by using scientific boat-based surveys and citizen science approaches using 2 different methods of data collection.First,we built our mobile app(Whale Guard)and installed it on fishermen’s phones.Second,we used a popular instant messaging app(WeChat)to create an online fisherman community.We found that the mobile phone app collected far fewer reports(5 reports)than the online community group(42 reports,P<0.01).By using a variety of incentives,we maintained the fisherman’s community’s activity without significant user loss(P<0.01).We also found that the locations collected by social media applications in this study were consistent with observations from scientific boat-based transect surveys.The sightings distribution of Bryde’s whales differed from those in previous surveys in that they were present across larger areas.Social media apps reported that 69%of reports was confirmed by more than one person,whereas Whale Guard reports were much lower(0,P<0.001).Community-based citizen science can greatly contribute to the long-term monitoring of Bryde’s whales,and it has successfully overcome the challenges of data accessibility,accuracy,and fragmentation.Our study shows how to appropriately use citizen science in different community groups and community-based approaches make them useful for large baleen whale surveys.
