xx
Introduction
fields from plankton and other small debris floating in the water. They also examine the
extremely sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) of seals, and how they might be used to sense
disturbance in the water after a fish has swum nearby.
In the last section of the book (Section V), two sets of authors consider how to assess
the health of marine mammals in the environment. First, Shawn P. Johnson and Claire A.
Simeone (Chapter 13) explore the world of disease and mortality events in marine mammals. They ask if the respiratory system, which is highly adapted for exchanging large
amounts of air very quickly, could be a weakness by trapping foreign particles. They
explore possible diseases that could impact seals and sea lions when they haul out on
beaches. They examine a wide range of potential sources of disease that could impact
these species at all stages of their life cycle.
John R. Harley and Todd M. O’Hara provide the final large chapter of this section
(Chapter 14), where they explore potential “poison and toxic” elements in the environment and how they relate to the health of marine mammals. From organic pollutants to
heavy metals, marine mammals must deal with a wide range of potential contaminants
in the ocean and in their food. Given that we are still in the early stages of how many of
these compounds impact human health, there are numerous questions on how they may
impact marine mammals. Referring back to the physiology of newborn calves, they talk
about how a suite of lipid-soluble contaminants can be transported to the calf through the
high-fat milk of the mother. There are also a considerable number of natural toxins in the
marine environment, including harmful algal blooms.
In the final chapter (Chapter 15), editor Michael A. Castellini talks about some of the
many other fields of physiology and biochemistry that could not be covered in detail in
this book. For example, there are many components of pre-partum physiology that also
intrigue marine mammal biologists: Do the feeding conditions for the mother in the
months preceding birth impact the birth rate of the greater population? This leads into the
question of ecological physiology: That is, the biochemical and physiological “boxes” that
have been defined in this book provide a reasonable view of the limits of the capabilities of
marine mammals. But, we know they do not dive to their maximum breath-hold capacity
on each dive, nor swim as fast as possible, nor dive as deep as possible. What is it about
the ecology of where they are diving at any given moment that places them within those
biochemical and physiological limits?
We conclude by exploring many of the questions we have examined throughout this
book, but in terms of what they mean to the reader. From teaching many years of physiology and biochemistry, we have seen that there are some questions that come up repeatedly. Did this book help you to consider those questions and how you might go about
studying these particular phenomena? As we were writing this book, even the communication between the authors indicated that “they didn’t know that.” Despite the fact that
the authors have all worked on this group of animals for many years, there is always room
to expand our knowledge of the basic principles and our understanding of how they integrate with one another. We hope you share our enjoyment in pulling the diverse expertise
of our authors into a single compendium on a vast group of species.
Given the tools you have in this book, how would you design your marine mammal?
Introduction
fields from plankton and other small debris floating in the water. They also examine the
extremely sensitive whiskers (vibrissae) of seals, and how they might be used to sense
disturbance in the water after a fish has swum nearby.
In the last section of the book (Section V), two sets of authors consider how to assess
the health of marine mammals in the environment. First, Shawn P. Johnson and Claire A.
Simeone (Chapter 13) explore the world of disease and mortality events in marine mammals. They ask if the respiratory system, which is highly adapted for exchanging large
amounts of air very quickly, could be a weakness by trapping foreign particles. They
explore possible diseases that could impact seals and sea lions when they haul out on
beaches. They examine a wide range of potential sources of disease that could impact
these species at all stages of their life cycle.
John R. Harley and Todd M. O’Hara provide the final large chapter of this section
(Chapter 14), where they explore potential “poison and toxic” elements in the environment and how they relate to the health of marine mammals. From organic pollutants to
heavy metals, marine mammals must deal with a wide range of potential contaminants
in the ocean and in their food. Given that we are still in the early stages of how many of
these compounds impact human health, there are numerous questions on how they may
impact marine mammals. Referring back to the physiology of newborn calves, they talk
about how a suite of lipid-soluble contaminants can be transported to the calf through the
high-fat milk of the mother. There are also a considerable number of natural toxins in the
marine environment, including harmful algal blooms.
In the final chapter (Chapter 15), editor Michael A. Castellini talks about some of the
many other fields of physiology and biochemistry that could not be covered in detail in
this book. For example, there are many components of pre-partum physiology that also
intrigue marine mammal biologists: Do the feeding conditions for the mother in the
months preceding birth impact the birth rate of the greater population? This leads into the
question of ecological physiology: That is, the biochemical and physiological “boxes” that
have been defined in this book provide a reasonable view of the limits of the capabilities of
marine mammals. But, we know they do not dive to their maximum breath-hold capacity
on each dive, nor swim as fast as possible, nor dive as deep as possible. What is it about
the ecology of where they are diving at any given moment that places them within those
biochemical and physiological limits?
We conclude by exploring many of the questions we have examined throughout this
book, but in terms of what they mean to the reader. From teaching many years of physiology and biochemistry, we have seen that there are some questions that come up repeatedly. Did this book help you to consider those questions and how you might go about
studying these particular phenomena? As we were writing this book, even the communication between the authors indicated that “they didn’t know that.” Despite the fact that
the authors have all worked on this group of animals for many years, there is always room
to expand our knowledge of the basic principles and our understanding of how they integrate with one another. We hope you share our enjoyment in pulling the diverse expertise
of our authors into a single compendium on a vast group of species.
Given the tools you have in this book, how would you design your marine mammal?