Determining Baseline Stress-Related Hormone Values in Large Cetaceans
Abstract
The long-term goals of this project are four-fold: 1) determine stress-related hormone (cortisol) baseline values from reconstructed lifetime hormone and contaminant profiles in both historic (is less than 1970s) and contemporary archived whale earplugs (is greater than 1980s), 2) determine the potential relationship between stress-related hormones and contaminants concentrations within an individual earplug, 3) compare and contrast stress-related hormones and contaminants levels between historical and contemporary earplug samples (among species), and 4) determine the potential relationship between stress-related hormones recovered in earplugs with hormones recovered from blubber. From these data, we will establish species specific baseline levels that can be used as a comparative tool in future cetacean stress research. The results of this study will contribute to improving mitigation strategies through improved assessments of the potential impacts of anthropogenic activity.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1014331
Entities
People
- Sascha Usenko
- Stephen J Trumble
Organizations
- Baylor University