No abstract

SUBFOSSIL FINDSFic. 1. Distribution of the gray whale. A few gray whales spend the summer in the migration area, especially along the coast of Washington and Oregon. by investigators using small boats or aircraft in attempts to implant telemetering and tracking devices or drug darts may deleteriously affect reproduction (Schevill et al., 1967;American Society of Mammalogists, 1967). Another threat to the survival of the gray whale is increasing industrial development and boat and ship traffic in the remaining calving lagoons (Marx, 1966). The species has long since been driven from San Diego Bay.The gray whale is clearly an important species from the standpoint of basic scientific interest, esthetic appeal, and economic significance. If commercial exploitation is resumed it should be limited to the sustainable yield so that the scientific and esthetic values of the population may be preserved. A wise management program must be based on a sound knowledge of the biology of the species. FIELD AND LABORATORY PROCEDURESCollection of Specimens total of 316 gray whales was examined. These were collected by the whale catcher boats of the Del Monte and the Golden Gate Fishing Companies, Richmond, California, under special scientific permits issued to the Marine Mammal Biological Laboratory. The whales were taken along the coast of central California between Half Moon Bay (37°30' N lat.) and Point Reyes (38°00' N lat.). The collections were scheduled to provide representative samples for the periods of the southward (December to January) and northward (February to April) migrations. The total sample included 180 southbound migrants (85 males, 95 females) and 136 northbound migrants (81 males, 55 females). Dates of collection, numbers of specimens (in parentheses), and persons who made the examinations and measurements are as follows: 23 to

No abstract

No abstract

The corrosion rate of copper in laboratory tests is shown to be a sensitive function of relative humidity, sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, ozone, hydrogen chloride, and chlorine concentrations. Observed indoor corrosion rates obey log normal statistics over the field population of this study. Also, the observed indoor rates correlate reasonably well with the measured reduced sulfur concentrations ( H2S , S8 ). The corrosion rate of silver is shown not to be humidity dependent. Hydrogen sulfide, ozone, chlorine, and hydrogen chloride concentrations substantially influence its corrosion rate. The observed indoor rates obey log normal statistics and correlate well with the reduced sulfur gas concentration. In contrast to copper, where indoor rates are 1% of outdoor values, silver often corrodes faster indoors than outdoors. Its sensitivity to sulfur gases and insensitivity to relative humidity is proposed as a plausible explanation for these findings. It is proposed that metallic silver is stable in polluted acidic atmospheric environments and therefore is the dominant surface species while Cu2O is present on the surface of copper. The thermochemistry and kinetics of these two surfaces will control the stability of silver and copper, respectively, in the presence of pollutants.

1. We summarize fin whale Balaenoptera physalus catch statistics, sighting data, mark recoveries and acoustics data. The annual cycle of most populations of fin whales had been thought to entail regular migrations between high-latitude summer feeding grounds and lower-latitude winter grounds. Here we present evidence of more complex and varied movement patterns. 2. During summer, fin whales range from the Chukchi Sea south to 35°N on the Sanriku coast of Honshu, to the Subarctic Boundary (ca. 42°N) in the western and central Pacific, and to 32°N off the coast of California. Catches show concentrations in seven areas which we refer to as 'grounds', representing productive feeding areas.3. During winter months, whales have been documented over a wide area from 60°N south to 23°N. Coastal whalers took them regularly in all winter months around Korea and Japan and they have been seen regularly in winter off southern California and northern Baja California. There are also numerous fin whale sightings and acoustic detections north of 40°N during winter months. Calves are born during the winter, but there is little evidence for distinct calving areas. 4. Whales implanted with Discovery-type marks were killed in whaling operations, and location data from 198 marked whales demonstrate local site fidelity, consistent movements within and between the main summer grounds and long migrations from low-latitude winter grounds to high-latitude summer grounds. 5. The distributional data agree with immunogenetic and marking findings which suggest that the migratory population segregates into at least two demes with separate winter mating grounds: a western ground off the coast of Asia and an eastern one off the American coast. Members of the two demes probably mingle in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands area. 6. Prior research had suggested that there were at least two non-migratory stocks of fin whale: one in the East China Sea and another in the Gulf of California. There is equivocal evidence for the existence of additional non-migratory groups in the Sanriku-Hokkaido area off Japan and possibly the northern Sea of Japan, but this is based on small sample sizes.

Springer et al. (2003) contend that sequential declines occurred in North Pacific populations of harbor and fur seals, Steller sea lions, and sea otters. They hypothesize that these were due to increased predation by killer whales, when industrial whaling's removal of large whales as a supposed primary food source precipitated a prey switch. Using a regional approach, we reexamined whale catch data, killer whale predation observations, and the current biomass and trends of potential prey, and found little support for the prey‐switching hypothesis. Large whale biomass in the Bering Sea did not decline as much as suggested by Springer et al., and much of the reduction occurred 50–100 yr ago, well before the declines of pinnipeds and sea otters began; thus, the need to switch prey starting in the 1970s is doubtful. With the sole exception that the sea otter decline followed the decline of pinnipeds, the reported declines were not in fact sequential. Given this, it is unlikely that a sequential megafaunal collapse from whales to sea otters occurred. The spatial and temporal patterns of pinniped and sea otter population trends are more complex than Springer et al. suggest, and are often inconsistent with their hypothesis. Populations remained stable or increased in many areas, despite extensive historical whaling and high killer whale abundance. Furthermore, observed killer whale predation has largely involved pinnipeds and small cetaceans; there is little evidence that large whales were ever a major prey item in high latitudes. Small cetaceans (ignored by Springer et al.) were likely abundant throughout the period. Overall, we suggest that the Springer et al. hypothesis represents a misleading and simplistic view of events and trophic relationships within this complex marine ecosystem.

The classic hypoglossal transfer to the facial nerve is invariably followed by complications caused by tongue atrophy. In 1984, Terzis introduced the "baby-sitter" procedure which involved a formal cross-facial procedure, in addition to partial neurectomy of the hypoglossal nerve, and an end-to-side coaptation with the ipsilateral facial nerve. This reported study provides, for the first time, quantification of the number of hypoglossal motor fibers needed to successfully restore eye sphincter function, using an end-to-side coaptation with preservation of the tongue. Thirty adult Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups: control, denervated, perineurial window, 20 percent partial neurectomy (PN), 40 percent PN, and 80 percent PN. The procedure involves interposing a nerve graft (saphenous) between the partially severed XII nerve and the upper zygomatic branch of the facial nerve. Evaluation of the behavioral data (blink reflex) revealed good-to-superb return of the blinking mechanism in the 40 percent group, without significant tongue atrophy. Electrophysiologic data in the 40 percent neurectomy group demonstrated superiority to the other groups. Quantitative axonal morphometry of the coaptation sites and graft, as well as motor end-plates of the orbicularis oculi muscle and tongue showed the 40 percent partial neurectomy group to be the optimal group.