Viral metagenomics, consisting of viral particle purification and shotgun sequencing, is a powerful technique for discovering viruses associated with diseases with no definitive etiology, viruses that share limited homology with known viruses, or viruses that are not culturable. Here we used viral metagenomics to examine viruses associated with sea turtle fibropapillomatosis (FP), a debilitatin...

The food habits of the flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) in the eastern Bering Sea were investigated. Our analysis of 4,406 flathead sole stomachs containing food showed that the diet was composed primarily of organisms living on the bottom (epibenthic) and pelagic organisms in close association with the bottom (nektobenthic). Feeding shifted from a crustacean-based diet to an ophiuroid...

The problem of how to protect sea turtle nests from terrestrial predators is of worldwide concern. On Queensland's southern Sunshine Coast, depredation of turtle nests by the introduced European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been recorded as the primary terrestrial cause of egg and hatchling mortality. We investigated the impact of foxes on the nests of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and...

Pulmonary CO diffusion capacity ( D L C O ) , lung volume (VL), oxygen uptake (Vo ) and pulmonary blood flow (QL) were measured simultaneously in the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linnaeus) (8—11 kg) using a gas rebreathing technique (syringe pump ventilation). Calculated D L C O and Vo values in the loggerhead turtle are approximately twice those of non-varanid reptiles and about 25 %...

We present the first global assessment of extinction risk for a major group of freshwater invertebrates, caridean shrimps. The risk of extinction for all 763 species was assessed using the IUCN Red List criteria that include geographic ranges, habitats, ecology and past and present threats. The Indo-Malayan region holds over half of global species diversity, with a peak in Indo-China and southe...

In mammals, lipemic blood from sampling too soon after an animal feeds can have substantial effects on biochemical values. Plasma biochemical values in reptiles may be affected by species, age, season, and nutritional state. However, fasting status is not routinely considered when sampling reptile blood. In this paper, we evaluated 2-hour postprandial blood collection in two sea turtle species ...

Sea turtles are a circumglobal taxon that receive considerable research and conservation attention; however, there is little published information about patterns of representation for people working with these species. To assess long-term trends in gender, geographic, institutional within the sea turtle community, we quantified from 7041 abstracts presented at International Turtle Symposium (IS...

Anthoptilum grandiflorum and Halipteris finmarchica are two deep-sea corals (Octocorallia: Pennatulacea) common on soft bottoms in the North Atlantic where they are believed to act as biogenic habitat. The former also has a worldwide distribution. To assist conservation efforts, this study examines spatial and temporal patterns in the abundance, diversity, and nature of their faunal associates....