Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity

Casey T Clark; Lara Horstmann; Nicole Misarti

doi:10.1093/conphys/coaa029

journal article Open Access Jan 01, 2020

Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity

Casey T Clark Lara Horstmann Nicole Misarti

Conservation Physiology Vol. 8 No. 1 · Oxford University Press (OUP)

View at Publisher Save 10.1093/conphys/coaa029

Abstract

AbstractAge at maturity is an important parameter in many demographic models and, for some species, can be difficult to obtain using traditional methods. Incremental growth structures act as biological archives, recording information throughout an organism’s life and possibly allowing for the reconstruction of life history events. Concentrations of zinc (Zn) in animal tissues are known to be linked to life history, physiology and reproduction and may be retained in incremental growth structures. This study reconstructed lifetime Zn concentrations in teeth (n = 93) of female Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) collected from 1932–2016. Zn displayed a characteristic pattern of accumulation, with a change point marking the beginning of a lifelong, linear increase in Zn concentrations. We hypothesized that this change point marks the onset of reproductive maturity. The age at which the change point occurred (agecp) was estimated by counting tooth cementum growth layers. These estimates closely matched literature values of timing of first ovulation in female walruses. Total number of ovulations (estimated from ovary corpora counts from paired tooth/ovary specimens) was closely related to reproductive lifespan (total lifespan – agecp; R2 = 0.70). Further, agecp tracked changes in Pacific walrus population size as a proportion of carrying capacity, decreasing when the population was depleted by commercial hunting and peaking when carrying capacity was exceeded. This novel approach will aid walrus management, and is likely applicable to other species, offering a potentially powerful tool for research, management and conservation of wildlife populations.

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References

Details

Published: Jan 01, 2020
Vol/Issue: 8(1)
License: View

Authors

C

Casey T Clark

Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860, USA; College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2150 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220, USA; Joint Institute for the Study of Atmosphere and Ocean, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

L

Lara Horstmann

College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2150 Koyukuk Drive, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220, USA

N

Nicole Misarti

Water and Environmental Research Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1764 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK 99775-5860, USA

Funding

National Science Foundation Award: 1263848

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

North Pacific Research Board

Coastal Marine Institute

Cooperative Institute for Alaska Research

National Institutes of Health Biomedical Learning and Student Training Program Award: UL1GM118991

Cite This Article

Casey T Clark, Lara Horstmann, Nicole Misarti (2020). Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity. Conservation Physiology, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1093/conphys/coaa029

Zinc concentrations in teeth of female walruses reflect the onset of reproductive maturity

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