eprintid: 1502336
rev_number: 30
eprint_status: archive
userid: 608
dir: disk0/01/50/23/36
datestamp: 2017-03-30 11:43:40
lastmod: 2021-09-17 22:18:12
status_changed: 2017-03-30 11:43:40
type: article
metadata_visibility: show
creators_name: Murphy, S
creators_name: Barber, JL
creators_name: Learmonth, JA
creators_name: Read, FL
creators_name: Deaville, R
creators_name: Perkins, MW
creators_name: Brownlow, A
creators_name: Davison, N
creators_name: Penrose, R
creators_name: Pierce, GJ
creators_name: Law, RJ
creators_name: Jepson, PD
title: Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena: Legacy of Pollutant Exposure?
ispublished: pub
divisions: UCL
divisions: B02
divisions: C08
divisions: D09
keywords: Science & Technology, Multidisciplinary Sciences, Science & Technology - Other Topics, BOTTLE-NOSED DOLPHINS, CALIFORNIA SEA LIONS, ENDOCRINE-DISRUPTING CHEMICALS, PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS, ST-LAWRENCE ESTUARY, MINK MUSTELA-VISON, POLYCHLORINATED-BIPHENYLS, ZALOPHUS-CALIFORNIANUS, TURSIOPS-TRUNCATUS, DELPHINUS-DELPHIS
note: © 2015 Murphy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
abstract: Reproductive failure in mammals due to exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can occur either through endocrine disrupting effects or via immunosuppression and increased disease risk. To investigate further, full necropsies and determination of summed 25 polychlorinated biphenyls congeners (∑PCBs lipid weight) in blubber were undertaken on 329 UK-stranded female harbour porpoises (1990-2012). In sexually mature females, 25/127 (19.7%) showed direct evidence of reproductive failure (foetal death, aborting, dystocia or stillbirth). A further 21/127 (16.5%) had infections of the reproductive tract or tumours of reproductive tract tissues that could contribute to reproductive failure. Resting mature females (non-lactating or non-pregnant) had significantly higher mean ∑PCBs (18.5 mg/kg) than both lactating (7.5 mg/kg) and pregnant females (6 mg/kg), though not significantly different to sexually immature females (14.0 mg/kg). Using multinomial logistic regression models ΣPCBs was found to be a significant predictor of mature female reproductive status, adjusting for the effects of confounding variables. Resting females were more likely to have a higher PCB burden. Health status (proxied by “trauma” or “infectious disease” causes of death) was also a significant predictor, with lactating females (i.e. who successfully reproduced) more likely to be in good health status compared to other individuals. Based on contaminant profiles (>11 mg/kg lipid), at least 29/60 (48%) of resting females had not offloaded their pollutant burden via gestation and primarily lactation. Where data were available, these non-offloading females were previously gravid, which suggests foetal or newborn mortality. Furthermore, a lower pregnancy rate of 50% was estimated for “healthy” females that died of traumatic causes of death, compared to other populations. Whether or not PCBs are part of an underlying mechanism, we used individual PCB burdens to show further evidence of reproductive failure in the North-east Atlantic harbour porpoise population, results that should inform conservation management.
date: 2015-07-22
date_type: published
publisher: PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131085
oa_status: green
full_text_type: pub
language: eng
primo: open
primo_central: open_green
article_type_text: Article
verified: verified_manual
elements_id: 1139762
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0131085
lyricists_name: Jepson, Paul
lyricists_id: PDJEP69
actors_name: Jepson, Paul
actors_id: PDJEP69
actors_role: owner
full_text_status: public
publication: PLOS ONE
volume: 10
number: 7
article_number: e0131085
pages: 32
issn: 1932-6203
citation:        Murphy, S;    Barber, JL;    Learmonth, JA;    Read, FL;    Deaville, R;    Perkins, MW;    Brownlow, A;                     ... Jepson, PD; + view all <#>        Murphy, S;  Barber, JL;  Learmonth, JA;  Read, FL;  Deaville, R;  Perkins, MW;  Brownlow, A;  Davison, N;  Penrose, R;  Pierce, GJ;  Law, RJ;  Jepson, PD;   - view fewer <#>    (2015)    Reproductive Failure in UK Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena: Legacy of Pollutant Exposure?                   PLOS ONE , 10  (7)    , Article e0131085.  10.1371/journal.pone.0131085 <https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131085>.       Green open access   
 
document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1502336/1/Murphy%20et%20al.%202015%20Reproductive%20Failure%20in%20HPs%20PLOS%20ONE.pdf