Relevant bibliographies by topics / Sperm whale biology

Academic literature on the topic 'Sperm whale biology'

Author: Grafiati
Published: 4 June 2021
Last updated: 12 February 2022

Create a spot-on reference in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and other styles

Select a source type:

Contents

Consult the lists of relevant articles, books, theses, conference reports, and other scholarly sources on the topic 'Sperm whale biology.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Journal articles on the topic "Sperm whale biology"

1

Zheng, Yue-Liang. "Recent progress in reproduction of whale oocytes." Zygote 21, no. 3 (August 15, 2011): 246–49. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0967199411000475.

Full text
Abstract:
SummaryWhale oocytes recovered from follicles can be matured in vitro. Whale sperm and mature oocytes can be used for in vitro fertilization (IVF), and IVF embryos have the ability to develop to morula stage. Whale sperm injected into bovine or mouse oocytes can activate the oocytes and form pronucleus. Interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos have been reconstructed with whale somatic cell nucleus and enucleated bovine or porcine oocytes, and interspecies cloned embryos can develop in vitro. This paper reviews recent progress in maturation, fertilization and development of whale oocytes.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Pennisi, E. "SOCIETY FOR INTEGRATIVE AND COMPARATIVE BIOLOGY MEETING: Whale Worm Sperm Factories." Science 315, no. 5811 (January 26, 2007): 457. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.315.5811.457.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Alayash, Abdu I., Beth A. Brockner Ryan, Raymond F. Eich, John S. Olson, and Robert E. Cashon. "Reactions of Sperm Whale Myoglobin with Hydrogen Peroxide." Journal of Biological Chemistry 274, no. 4 (January 22, 1999): 2029–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1074/jbc.274.4.2029.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Asada, Masatsugu, Hong Wei, Rie Nagayama, Masafumi Tetsuka, Hajime Ishikawa, Seiji Ohsumi, and Yutaka Fukui. "An attempt at intracytoplasmic sperm injection of frozen-thawed minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) oocytes." Zygote 9, no. 4 (November 2001): 299–307. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0967199401001344.

Full text
Abstract:
Little is known about the characteristics of fertilisation events in minke whales. Cryopreserved minke whale oocytes and spermatozoa do not fertilise in a standard IVF. This study was conducted to investigate the pronucleus formation ability of cryopreserved minke whale oocytes and their subsequent development following intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). In experiment 1, frozen-thawed minke whale immature oocytes were cultured for in vitro maturation (IVM) in a maturation medium (TCM199) supplemented with either porcine follicle stimulating hormone (pFSH)/estradiol-17β(E2) or pregnant mare's serum gonadotropin (PMSG)/human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). After 120 h of IVM, oocyte survival was examined before ICSI, and showed no significant difference in morphological normality (24-36%) between the two IVM media. Two-cell embryos (two oocytes from 21 sperm-injected oocytes) were obtained when the maturation medium was supplemented with pFSH/E2 or PMSG/hCG. In experiment 2, cryopreserved maturing oocytes were investigated for the effects of repeat-culture (2 h or 24 h) on survival before ICSI. Pronuclear formation and development were examined for the effects of sperm pretreatment with dithiothreitol (DTT) and oocyte activation with ethanol at ICSI. A frequency of 49-69% of frozen-thawed maturing oocytes was used for ICSI. Although oocyte activation did not produce a significant difference in survival, pronucleus formation and embryonic development, 2- and 4-cell cleaved oocytes were observed after injection of sperm pretreated with DTT.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Li, Chang, Xiaoxuan Tan, Jie Bai, Qiwu Xu, Shanshan Liu, Wenjie Guo, Cong Yu, et al. "A survey of the sperm whale (Physeter catodon) commensal microbiome." PeerJ 7 (July 4, 2019): e7257. http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7257.

Full text
Abstract:
Background Mammalian commensal microbiota play important roles in the health of its host. In comparison to terrestrial mammals, commensal microbiota of marine mammals is mainly focused on the composition and function of skin and gut microbiota, with less attention paid to the health impact of bacteria and viruses. Previous studies on sperm whales (Physeter catodon) have affirmed their important phylogenetic position; however, studies on their commensal microbiota have not been published, due to difficulty in sample collection. Methods Here, we sequenced the metagenomes of blood, muscle and fecal samples from a stranded sperm whale using the BGISEQ-500 platform. We compared the diversity and abundance of microbiomes from three different tissues and tried to search pathogenic bacterial and virulence genes probably related to the health of the sperm whale. We also performed 16S rDNA sequencing of the fecal sample to compare to published gut metagenome data from other marine mammals. Results Our results demonstrated notable differences in species richness and abundance in the three samples. Extensive bacteria, including Enterococcus faecium, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus suis, and five toxigenic Clostridium species usually associated with infection, were found in the three samples. We also found the taxa composition of sperm whale gut microbiota was similar to that of other whales, suggesting co-evolution with its host. This study is the first report of the sperm whale gut microbiome, and provides a foundation for the pathogen detection and health assessment of the sperm whale.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Lecomte, JULIETTE T. J., Steven F. Sukits, Shibani Bhattacharya, and Christopher J. Falzone. "Conformational properties of native sperm whale apomyoglobin in solution." Protein Science 8, no. 7 (1999): 1484–91. http://dx.doi.org/10.1110/ps.8.7.1484.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
7

Light, W. R., R. J. Rohlfs, G. Palmer, and J. S. Olson. "Functional effects of heme orientational disorder in sperm whale myoglobin." Journal of Biological Chemistry 262, no. 1 (January 1987): 46–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0021-9258(19)75885-2.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
8

Gibson, Q. H., J. S. Olson, R. E. McKinnie, and R. J. Rohlfs. "A kinetic description of ligand binding to sperm whale myoglobin." Journal of Biological Chemistry 261, no. 22 (August 1986): 10228–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0021-9258(18)67514-3.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
9

Ascenzi, Paolo, Elisabetta De Marinis, Alessandra di Masi, Chiara Ciaccio, and Massimo Coletta. "Peroxynitrite scavenging by ferryl sperm whale myoglobin and human hemoglobin." Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 390, no. 1 (December 2009): 27–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2009.09.050.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
10

Melnikov, V. V. "The arterial system of the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)." Journal of Morphology 234, no. 1 (October 1997): 37–50. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1097-4687(199710)234:1<37::aid-jmor4>3.0.co;2-k.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
More sources

Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Sperm whale biology"

1

Chen, Michael J. "Characterization of an Axial Ligand Substitution in Sperm Whale Myoglobin." DigitalCommons@USU, 1995. https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/7189.

Full text
Abstract:
Of central importance to the study of heme proteins are the effects imposed by axial ligand(s) on the heme structure and, therefore, on the overall activity of the protein. In this study, we confirm and extend the spectroscopic characterization of a mutated sperm whale myoglobin in which the proximal Histidine is replaced with a Tyrosine residue (MbH93Y). The MbH93Y, as well as wild-type sperm whale myoglobin and horse erythrocyte catalase (HEC), was purified and characterized by optical absorption and x-ray absorption (XAS) spectroscopies. Optical absorption spectra of HEC and the metmyoglobin, cyanometmyoglobin, reduced, oxy, and carbon-monoxy forms of both sperm whale myoglobin (SWMb) and MbH93Y were identical to previously reported values within the respective errors:. Extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies revealed that the proximal bond length in MbH93Y was 2.13 ± 0.03 A, compared to 2.14 ± 0.02 A for sperm whale metmyoglobin and 1.90 ± 0.02 A for catalase. Additionally, the sixth coordination site normally occupied in wild type sperm whale metmyoglobin and in catalase at low temperatures was vacant in MbH93Y, a result corroborated by the optical absorption spectra and cyanogen bromide modification of the distal histidine. Measurements were also made on the cyanide complexes of the three proteins as well, among which, (i) the average iron-to-pyrrole nitrogen bond distance for MbH93Y-CN was 1.96 ± 0.015 A compared to 2.00 ± 0.015 A for WT SWMb-CN and HEC-CN and (ii) the proximal bond length in MbH93Y-CN was 2.07 ± 0.02 A, while that of WT SWMb-CN was 2.10 ± 0.02 A and that of HEC-CN was found to be 2.12 ± 0.02 A. Further, upon exposure to 2-molar equivalents of hydrogen peroxide, sperm whale myoglobin formed a Compound II -like spectrum, while the Soret absorbance of MbH93Y was rapidly, significantly, and irreversibly decreased. Furthermore, the dissociation constants for CN- binding to MbH93Y were found to be, on average, approximately three orders of magnitude higher than those of wild-type sperm whale myoglobin and are consistent with the many-fold higher cyanide binding kinetics for wild type, relative to the mutant protein. Finally, the PK. of the mutant was found to be more than three orders of magnitude higher than that of the native protein. Explanations focusing on probable electronic effects of the phenolate oxygen atom in the sperm whale myoglobin pocket are discussed.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Dunphy-Daly, Meagan Mná. "Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas." FIU Digital Commons, 2008. http://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/3101.

Full text
Abstract:
Dwarf sperm whales, Kogia sima, are among the most commonly stranded yet least known pelagic cetaceans. I assessed seasonal and spatial variation in dwarf sperm whale group size and abundance off Great Abaco Island, the Bahamas. After correcting for survey effort and variation in sighting efficiency among sea states, I found that dwarf sperm whale group size and habitat use varied seasonally. In summer, dwarf sperm whale groups were small (median = 2.5, range = 1-8) and were found only in the two deep habitats within the study area (slope 400-900 m, deep 900-1600 in). In winter, group sizes increased (median = 4, range = 1-12) and sightings were almost six times higher in the slope habitat, where vertical relief is highest, than other habitats. My results suggest that studies of pelagic cetaceans and conservation plans must explicitly account for seasonal variation in group size and habitat use.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

O'Brien, Nicole M. "An Analysis of Dwarf and Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia sp.) Stranding Data in the Southeast United States." NSUWorks, 2008. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/244.

Full text
Abstract:
Pygmy sperm whales (Kogia breviceps) and dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) strand frequently in the southeastern United States (SEUS). To detect seasonal trends in Kogia sp. strandings across the SEUS, all 979 stranding events from 1977 through 2005 were segregated by month. A peak in strandings occurred in the late summer and early fall (July – October). The entire SEUS was divided into segments of similar coastline orientation, 1) North and South Carolina, 2) Georgia and the east coast of Florida, 3) Florida Keys, 4) west coast of Florida, 5) Florida panhandle, Alabama and Mississippi, 6) Louisiana and 6) Texas. Most areas displayed a significant peak in strandings in summer and a smaller significant peak in winter. A seasonal index analysis of the strandings revealed the same pattern as the general seasonal analysis. Analysis of wind direction changes preceding stranding events revealed six patterns. The most common pattern was when winds shifted from downwelling-favorable to upwelling-favorable during the week prior to a stranding. Analysis of sea level confirmed that when wind was upwelling-favorable, sea level decreased and when wind was downwelling-favorable, sea level increased. Seasonal upwelling along central Florida’s Atlantic coast observed in the summer correlates with upwelling-favorable wind patterns during summer months, and increased Kogia sp. strandings. A smaller peak in strandings that occurs in the winter months appears to occur when there is a shift from the ‘normal’ downwelling-favorable conditions into a brief period of upwelling-favorable conditions. Along Florida’s Atlantic coast, distances to isobaths from stranding sites were not significantly different from distances of randomly selected sites to isobaths; however, there is a tendency towards shorter distances to isobaths. Along the Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina coast, distances to isobaths from strandings sites are significantly different from distances of randomly selected sites to isobaths. The distinctive bathymetry of the SEUS Atlantic coast may contribute to strandings across the entire SEUS Atlantic coast. Analysis of the frequency of Kogia sp. strandings during the lunar cycle revealed no significant correlation between strandings and lunar day. Both wind direction and bathymetry may influence frontal structures and water movements, and thus abiotic environmental factors may be significant factors in determining the locations and timing of Kogia sp. stranding events.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Montey, Nicole R. "Investigation of pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps ) populations in the southeastern United States using stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen in teeth." Thesis, College of Charleston, 2015. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=1587301.

Full text
Abstract:

The pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) is currently the second-most commonly stranded cetacean in the Southeastern United States (SEUS), but information concerning their population structure is severely limited. This study utilized stable isotope analysis to investigate the possible migratory patterns and population structure of K. breviceps among six different regions in the SEUS. Combined growth layers from different regions of the teeth were subsampled via dental drill and analyzed representing four different age classes: calf, juvenile, sub-adult, and adult, as well as four yearlings that had stranded with their mothers. Stable isotope ratios of carbon and nitrogen were measured in the organic component of 46 teeth, and oxygen isotope ratios were measured in the inorganic (hydroxyapatite) component of 21 teeth obtained from stranded individuals. There was a high degree of individual variability in δ13C, δ 15N, and δ18O resulting in no significant differences between the six different regions: South Carolina, Georgia, Northern, Central, and Southern Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico. Differences between the age classes were significant for δ13C and δ 15N. Adults exhibited significantly more negative δ13 C than subadults. These results support a previously hypothesized inshore-offshore migration for Kogia breviceps. Yearlings displayed significantly higher δ15N values than all other age classes due to nursing. A slight increase in δ15N from juvenile to adult supports a possible ontogenetic shift in the trophic level of prey. Results from this study provide the first carbon and nitrogen isotope values from different age classes of pygmy sperm whales as well as the first reported oxygen isotopes values for this species.

APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Ledon, Cristina M. "Acoustic Repertoire of Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) Bachelor Groups in the Waters Surrounding Ischia, Italy (Tyrrhenian Sea)." NSUWorks, 2016. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/425.

Full text
Abstract:
The subpopulation of sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) in the Mediterranean Sea is presently list as “Endangered”. This study is an attempt to provide detailed data on sperm whale Bachelor Groups surrounding Ischia, Italy in the Tyrrhenian Sea (Mediterranean Sea). 24 hours, 38 minutes, and 38 seconds of sperm whale Bachelor Group acoustic data was analyzed in order to describe acoustic repertoire, classify behavioral associations to acoustic types, and identify habitat-use. The data showed that the acoustic repertoire of sperm whale Bachelor Groups is dominated by Usual Clicks. Additionally, a click type that maintains an inter-click interval (ICI) in between Usual Clicks and Creaks was identified during acoustic analysis and named “Transition Clicks”. Acoustic events were categorized into Single Code and Combination Code events; representing situations where one acoustic code was heard versus situations where two or more different acoustic codes were heard simultaneously. Analysis revealed that Single Code events represented 71.25% of the sperm whale Bachelor Group acoustic repertoire. The Usual Click/ Transition Click combination represented 73.74% of Combination Code events. A significant difference was shown between time spent in Single Code versus time spent in Combination Code for Usual Clicks and for Squeals. Acoustic repertoire data revealed the possibility for a strong collaborative acoustic structure and a speculated strategy for evolutionary success among sperm whale Bachelor Groups in Ischia, Italy. Additionally, the study showed that sperm whale Bachelor Groups spend 77.87% of the analyzed time engaged in orientation/searching/foraging behavior and 1.09% engaged in socializing behaviors. Event maps revealed a ‘hotspot’ of sperm whale Bachelor Group activity in the waters to the northwest of Ischia, Italy, within the submarine Canyon of Cuma, and outside of the boundaries for the Regno di Nettuno Marine Protected Area (MPA). It is recommended that the results of this study be utilized in extending the Regno di Nettuno MPA to include the ‘hotspot’, and possible critical area, for sperm whale Bachelor Groups. The results of this study and published literature of the sperm whales in this area could be utilized to create population-specific management strategies for more effective measures in ending population decrease and preserving the species. Further research should be carried out to analyze in detail the role of Transition Clicks in sperm whale acoustics and the possibility of a collaborative acoustic structure that has yet to be displayed in any other sperm whale population worldwide.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Scharnitz, Jennifer. "Analysis of the Acoustic Signals from Three Pygmy Sperm Whales (Kogia breviceps)." NSUWorks, 2008. http://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_stuetd/240.

Full text
Abstract:
The pygmy sperm whale, Kogia breviceps, is a small odontocete whose biology and ecology are poorly understood. The Kogiids are taxonomically classified within the Superfamily Physeteroidea due to the presence of a spermaceti organ. This organ, along with the museau de singe/dorsal bursae complex, has been identified as the site of acoustic signal generation for the superfamily. The acoustic signals of this species have been rarely analyzed. Free ranging Kogiids are difficult to locate and stranded animals rarely survive long enough for any significant studies to be undertaken. This study utilized three live-stranded male animals, two adults and one neonate, to further analyze the acoustic repertoire of Kogia breviceps. Only one type of acoustic signal was identified in this study, pulsed signals, which occurred singly and in pulse trains. Two of the animals produced short, low-frequency pulses while the third animal produced short, high-frequency pulses. The measured differences in frequency were determined to be due primarily to the sensitivity of the recording equipment as many of the pulses exceeded the maximum frequency sensitivity of the recording equipment. The calf emitted significantly more pulses than either of the adult animals. Pulses from one adult and the calf were emitted in pulse trains determined to be both passive and active echolocation pulse trains. The pulse trains emitted by the adult animals contained a maximum of 19 pulses per train while the pulse trains emitted by the calf contained a maximum of 197 pulses per train. The pulse length of the calf and the young adult was found to be similar while the interpulse intervals were more similar for the two older animals. Overall, the pulses were found to be dissimilar to those produced by the sperm whale, Physeter macrocephalus.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
7

Varello, Roberta. "An exploratory analysis of bromine compounds and pyrethroids in stranded sperm whales." Master's thesis, Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, 2017.

Find full text
Abstract:
Sulle coste italiane del mar Adriatico a Vasto (Abruzzo, Italia) il 12 settembre 2014 sono deceduti, in seguito ad uno spiaggiamento, tre esemplari di capodoglio (Physeter macrocephalus). In seguito all’evento sono stati raccolti campioni destinati a varie analisi. Per questo elaborato ci si è concentrati sulle analisi tossicologiche e i campioni analizzati sono stati: blubber, cervello, cuore, muscolo, fegato, feci e cordone ombelicale. Su questi campioni sono state indagate le concentrazioni tissutali di Ritardanti di fiamma e Piretroidi. Lo scopo di questa ricerca è mirato alla valutazione del potenziale ruolo patogenetico di questi inquinanti che agiscono su numerosi distretti organici, sul sistema immunitario ed endocrino, al fine di cercare di comprendere, attraverso la letteratura esistente, l’interpretazione dei dati ottenuti e la formulazione d’ipotesi, se l’esposizione a tali inquinanti possa influenzare in modo diretto o indiretto lo spiaggiamento di questa specie e se c’è una relazione di traferimento materno-fetale di tali composti (dato che uno degli individui era incinta). Sono stati trovati valori di ritardanti di fiamma anche nei campioni fetali, questo porta ad ipotizzare il trasferimento placentare dei contaminanti. Questo particolare è importante e contribuisce ad arricchire enormemente le nozioni disponibili sul comportamento, l’accumulo e l’escrezione di questi contaminanti nei cetacei. Nonostante la letteratura e i risultati da noi ottenuti individuino come organo target per lo studio dei ritardanti di fiamma il blubber, e per i piretroidi il muscolo, questo studio dimostra la presenza di tali contaminanti anche in altri distretti anatomici dell’organismo dei capodogli. Lo scopo, quindi, di questo studio è di ottenere informazioni più estese ed approfondite sullo stato di inquinamento del Mediterraneo, sulla tossicocinetica delle sostanze in esame e sui possibili effetti nocivi che potrebbero affliggere del capodoglio.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
8

DeRuiter, Stacy L. "Echolocation-based foraging by harbor porpoises and sperm whales, including effects of noise and acoustic propagation." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/45314.

Full text
Abstract:
Thesis (Ph. D.)--Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Biology; and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), 2008.
Includes bibliographical references.
In this thesis, I provide quantitative descriptions of toothed whale echolocation and foraging behavior, including assessment of the effects of noise on foraging behavior and the potential influence of ocean acoustic propagation conditions on biosonar detection ranges and whale noise exposure. In addition to presenting some novel basic science findings, the case studies presented in this thesis have implications for future work and for management. In Chapter 2, I describe the application of a modified version of the Dtag to studies of harbor porpoise echolocation behavior. The study results indicate how porpoises vary the rate and level of their echolocation clicks during prey capture events; detail the differences in echolocation behavior between different animals and in response to differences in prey fish; and show that, unlike bats, porpoises continue their echolocation buzz after the moment of prey capture. Chapters 3-4 provide case studies that emphasize the importance of applying realistic models of ocean acoustic propagation in marine mammal studies. These chapters illustrate that, although using geometric spreading approximations to predict communication/target detection ranges or noise exposure levels is appropriate in some cases, it can result in large errors in other cases, particularly in situations where refraction in the water column or multi-path acoustic propagation are significant. Finally, in Chapter 5, I describe two methods for statistical analysis of whale behavior data, the rotation test and a semi-Markov chain model. I apply those methods to test for changes in sperm whale foraging behavior in response to airgun noise exposure. Test results indicate that, despite the low-level exposures experienced by the whales in the study, some (but not all) of them reduced their buzz production rates and altered other foraging behavior parameters in response to the airgun exposure.
by Stacy Lynn DeRuiter.
Ph.D.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
9

"Whole Cell Proteomics: Understanding Sperm Composition and Maturation." Doctoral diss., 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.20895.

Full text
Abstract:
abstract: Infertility has become an increasing problem in developed countries and in many cases can be attributed to compromised sperm quality. Assessment of male fertility typically utilizes semen analysis which mainly examines sperm morphology, however many males whose sperm appear normal are sub- or infertile, suggesting that sperm from these males may be deficient in a protein or suite of proteins. To date, very little is known about the composition of sperm or the complex maturation process that confers motility and fertilization competency to sperm. Chapter 1 discusses the use of whole cell mass spectrometry to identify 1247 proteins comprising the Rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta) sperm proteome, a commonly used model of human reproduction. This study provides a more robust proxy of human sperm composition than was previously available and facilitates studies of sperm using the rhesus macaque as a model. Chapters 2 & 3 provide a systems level overview of changes in sperm proteome composition that occurs during epididymal transit. Chapter 2 reports the proteomes of sperm collected from the caput, corpus and cauda segments of the mouse epididymis, identifying 1536, 1720 and 1234 proteins respectively. Chapter 3 reports the sperm proteome from four distinct segments of the Rhesus macaque epididymis, including the caput, proximal corpus, distal corpus and cauda, identifying 1951, 2014, 1764 and 1423 proteins respectively. These studies identify a number of proteins that are added and removed from sperm during epididymal transit which likely play an important role in the sperm maturation process. To date no comparative evolutionary studies of sperm proteomes have been undertaken. Chapter 4 compares four mammalian sperm proteomes including the human, macaque, mouse and rat. This study identified 98 proteins common to all four sperm proteomes, 82 primate and 90 rodent lineage-specific proteins and 494, 467, 566, and 193 species specific proteins in the human, macaque, mouse and rat sperm proteomes respectively and discusses how differences in sperm composition may ultimately lead to functional differences across species. Finally, chapter 5 uses sperm proteome data to inform the preliminary design of a rodent contraceptive vaccine delivered orally using recombinant attenuated Salmonella vaccine vectors.
Dissertation/Thesis
Ph.D. Biological Design 2013
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Books on the topic "Sperm whale biology"

1

Bannister, John. Great Whales. CSIRO Publishing, 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/9780643096196.

Full text
Abstract:
Whales are mysterious and fascinating creatures. Despite modern technology, their world is still largely unexplored and unknown. They can only be seen, or rather glimpsed, when they are near the sea surface, either from boats, or perhaps from shore, or underwater by divers. They also reach astonishing sizes – the blue whale, for example, can grow to 30 metres in length, equivalent to the height of a six-storey building, and can weigh more than 130 tonnes. Seven ‘Great Whales’ are found in the coastal waters surrounding Australia. These include six of the largest baleen whales – blue whale, fin whale, humpback whale, sei whale, Bryde’s whale and southern right whale – and the sperm whale, the largest toothed whale. This book provides a detailed account of these extraordinary mammals. As well as the seven Great Whales, a smaller species – the minke whale – is included because of its special interest to Australians. The book describes whales’ highly specialised mammalian structure and biology, and the history of people’s association with them, at first through legend and wonder, then whaling, and more recently whale watching. It also looks at their past and current status, and the conservation initiatives that are in place to protect them from existing or potential threats. With both historical and recent photographs, as well as an extensive glossary, Great Whales will be enjoyed by natural history enthusiasts, zoologists and students alike.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Book chapters on the topic "Sperm whale biology"

1

Shu, F., V. Ramakrishnan, and B. P. Schoenborn. "High-Level Expression and Deuteration of Sperm Whale Myoglobin." In Neutrons in Biology, 309–23. Boston, MA: Springer US, 1996. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4615-5847-7_27.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
2

Xu, Sen, and Kim Young. "Whole-Genome Haplotyping of Single Sperm of Daphnia pulex (Crustacea, Anomopoda)." In Methods in Molecular Biology, 147–57. New York, NY: Springer New York, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6750-6_8.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
3

Rendell, L., and A. Frantzis. "Mediterranean Sperm Whales, Physeter macrocephalus." In Advances in Marine Biology, 37–74. Elsevier, 2016. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2016.08.001.

Full text
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
4

Becker, Carola, and Raymond T. Bauer. "Multiple Matings and Sperm Competition." In Reproductive Biology, 332–63. Oxford University Press, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190688554.003.0012.

Full text
Abstract:
In polyandrous mating systems, females mate multiple times and males have evolved adaptations for sperm competition which increase the number and fitness of their offspring. Mate guarding is a widespread monopolization strategy in groups where female receptivity is temporally restricted and often associated with the molt. Precopulatory guarding occurs in branchipods, copepods, peracarids and decapods. Postcopulatory guarding is notable in numerous brachyurans with males protecting females until her exoskeleton has hardened. During copulation, male success in fertilization depends on an effective sperm transfer mechanism, the precise placement of ejaculates closest to where female gametes are fertilized. Male copulatory systems are highly diverse and strongly adapted to these tasks, especially the structures that interact with the female genital ducts. The elaborate tips of brachyuran gonopods are supposed to act in the displacement, possibly even in the removal of rival sperm masses; however, sperm removal is only evident in crayfish: males eat spermatophores previously deposited by other males. During copulation of several crustacean groups, males transfer secretions that harden and form a sealant. These sperm plugs, plaques and gel layers may protect their own sperm, prevent remating or seal off rival sperm from the site of fertilization. Several groups of isopods and decapods have internal insemination, elaborate sperm storage organs and some exhibit internal fertilization. The intensity of sperm competition increases with the latency between the processes of insemination and fertilization. This chapter gives on overview on mate guarding, male sealants and the anatomical adaptations to sperm competition in crustaceans. We also briefly discuss the consequences of multiple matings for the genetic diversity of broods, i.e., single vs. multiple paternities. There is still a lack of data for many crustacean groups. Moreover, it is often hard to assess how successful a male strategy to ensure paternity actually is as many studies focus on either the behavioral, anatomical, or molecular aspects, while comprehensive multi-level studies on crustacean sperm competition are virtually absent from the literature.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
5

Rhen, Turk, and David Crews. "Sex and Gender." In Evolutionary Ecology. Oxford University Press, 2001. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780195131543.003.0017.

Full text
Abstract:
In this chapter, sex will refer to the central process of meiosis and syngamy in eukaryotic organisms. Although some form of sexuality characterizes the life cycle of many eukaryotic organisms (i.e., virtually all fungi, plants, and animals), not all eukaryotes are sexual (e.g., many protists) (Margulis 1970, 1996; Bell 1982). Certain asexual protists, for example, only undergo mitosis and never alternate between haploid and diploid stages by way of meiosis and syngamy. Consequently, one of the most fundamental questions in biology is: Why do certain organisms go through meiosis and syngamy while others do not? Despite the apparent simplicity of this query, evolutionary biologists have not provided an entirely satisfactory explanation for the evolution of sex. Much of the difficulty arises because there appears to be no single answer. Moreover, sex is often confused with other associated phenomenon. For instance, one completely subordinate, but intimately related, occurrence is the evolution of gender in organisms that go through meiosis and syngamy. In his essay on the evolution of sex, Ghiselin (1988) aptly wrote, “Gender means the differentiation into males, females, and such alternatives as hermaphrodites. It also includes the differences between sperm and eggs. Such differences are important because they create the circumstances that make sex a puzzle” (p. 9). Yet he dismisses this subject in the next sentence: “Otherwise we are not much concerned about gender either.” Here we clarify the relationship between the evolution of sex and the evolution of gender. This is a critical concept to comprehend because gender differences are nearly universal in sexual organisms. We also discuss some of the major hypotheses proposed to explain why sex exists and recent empirical work that sheds light on the factors that may favor meiosis and syngamy, regardless of gender differences. In the remainder of the chapter, we present a more thorough analysis of the evolution of gender, including a discussion of what the fundamental gender difference is and why there are so many different mechanisms that produce more derived gender differences.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
6

Allchin, Douglas. "Male, Female, and/ or — ?" In Sacred Bovines. Oxford University Press, 2017. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190490362.003.0024.

Full text
Abstract:
Intersex individuals are coming out of the closet. Witness, for example, the 2003 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for Jeffrey Eugenides’s Middlesex. The story follows someone with 5-alpha-reductase deficiency, or late-onset virilization. Imagine yourself raised as a girl, discovering at puberty (through cryptic, piecemeal clues) that you are male instead. Or male also? Or male only now? Or “just” newly virile? The condition confounds the conventionally strict dichotomy between male and female, masculine and feminine. It teases a culture preoccupied with gender. What are male and female, biologically? How does nature define the sexes, and sex itself? The questions seem simple enough. Seeking answers, however, may yield unexpected lessons—about the role of biological definitions; about assumptions concerning universals, rarities, and “normality”; and about the power of mistaken conceptions of nature to shape culture. Conceptualizing sex as male and female seems straightforward. In the standard version (familiar even to those unschooled in biology), females have two X chromosomes, while males have an X and a Y. They have different gametes: one moves, one stays stationary. These differences seem foundational. They seem to explain why male and female organisms have contrasting gonads, contrasting hormone-mediated physiologies, and contrasting secondary sex characteristics. Once-homologous organs follow divergent developmental trajectories. Perhaps even contrasting behaviors express the purported evolutionary imperative of each gamete: the “promiscuous,” uncaring male of cheap sperm, and the cunning, protective female of big-investment eggs. The apparent alignment of the two sexes through all levels of biological organization seems to validate this categorization as scientifically sound. Good biologists know better. First, sex may be determined in many ways. Birds use a “reversed,” WZ system, where females have the distinctive chromosome. Many insects have a haplodiploid system, where sex is determined by having a single or double set of all the chromosomes. Crocodiles and turtles develop their sex in response to temperature cues, not genes alone. The spoonworm Bonellia responds instead to whether females are absent or already present in the area.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles

Conference papers on the topic "Sperm whale biology"

1

Fu, Henry C., Vivek Shenoy, Thomas Powers, and Charles W. Wolgemuth. "Swimming Microorganisms in Complex Media." In ASME 2010 First Global Congress on NanoEngineering for Medicine and Biology. ASMEDC, 2010. http://dx.doi.org/10.1115/nemb2010-13155.

Full text
Abstract:
Microogranisms such as sperm and E. coli swim in a low-Reynolds number environment. In the zero-Reynolds-number Stokes limit, their kinematics are completely controlled by viscous forces and inertia is unimportant. This swimming environment is quite different from our usual (high Reynolds number) intuition about swimming. For example, due to the kinematic reversibility of Stokes flow, motions that look the same going forward and backward in time, such as the linear motion of an oar-like appendage, do not lead to net translation. Thus microorganisms in Newtonian fluids use swimming motions with a clear time-direction, such as the traveling waves or rotating corkscrew shapes of eukaryotic and bacterial flagella, respectively. While there has been much investigation of microorganism swimming in Newtonian fluids such as water, much less attention has been paid to swimming in complex materials, such as non-Newtonian, viscoelastic fluids and gels. However, in many cases microorganisms do in fact swim through such complex materials in their natural biological environments. For example, mammalian sperm swim through viscoelastic cervical mucus in the female reproductive tract, while H. pylori swim through the gastric mucus lining the inside of the stomach. In this talk I discuss two ways in which swimming through complex media differs from swimming in Newtonian fluids. First, the forces exerted by a viscoelastic medium are different from those exerted by a Newtonian fluid. I address how this affects swimming shapes and speeds of flexible swimmers such as sperm. Second, I discuss swimming through solids such as gels, where compressibility and heterogeneity become important.
APA, Harvard, Vancouver, ISO, and other styles
You might also be interested in the extended bibliographies on the topic 'Sperm whale biology' for particular source types:
Journal articles
We offer discounts on all premium plans for authors whose works are included in thematic literature selections. Contact us to get a unique promo code!

To the bibliography