Biology subjects

Arbelo, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Arbelo, M..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Pathologies and causes of death in stranded cetaceans in the Canary Islands (2013-2018)

Cetacean pathology is a cornerstone for population and marine ecosystem health monitoring, allowing clear differentiation among natural and anthropogenic threats. Previous studies in the Canary Islands reported natural causes of death in 59.4% (1999-2005) and 81% (2006-2012) of stranded cetaceans, versus anthropogenic causes in 33.3% and 19%, respectively. This study aimed to determine the causes of death (CD), pathologic findings, and epidemiological patterns of 316 cetaceans stranded in the Canary Islands between 2013 and 2018. The CDs were classified in pathologic entities (PEs) emphasizing natural versus anthropic origins. Of 316 animals, 224 (70.9%) from 18 species were suitable for pathological investigations. Among natural PEE, natural pathology associated with good nutritional status (NP-GNS) and natural pathology associated with significant loss of nutritional status (NP-LNS) represented 43/224 (19.2%) and 36/224 (16%) cases, respectively. Natural pathology with undetermined nutritional status (NP-UNS) occurred in 19/224 (8.5%) animals. Intra- and interspecific traumatic interactions (ITI) represented 30/224 (13.4%) cases, followed by neonatal/perinatal pathology (NPN) 19/224 (8.5%) and live-stranding stress and/or capture myopathy (LS-CM) 18/224 (8%). Infectious and parasitic diseases predominated in natural PEs. Anthropogenic PEs included interaction with fishing activities (IFA) in 17/224 (7.6%) cases, vessel collisions (VC) in 9/22 (4%) cases, and foreign body-associated pathology (FBAP) in 3/224 (1.3%) animals. Overall, anthropogenic causes accounted for 12.9% of deaths, natural causes for 73.6%, and the CD could not be established in 30/194 (13.4%) cases. This study reaffirms the trends concerning recognized PEs (NP-GNS, NP-LNS, NP-UNS, ITI, NPN, LS-CM, IFA, VC, and FBAP), expands the body of knowledge on cetacean pathology in the Canary Islands, and reports novel findings including mixed infections, clostridiosis in uncommon species, uremic syndrome secondary to urethral nematodiasis, gas embolism in unusual species, epibiont stomatitis, congenital musculo-skeletal malformations, or neoplastic processes. These findings advance understanding of cetacean mortality patterns and support conservation and management strategies.

pathology↗

bioRxiv2023

Living fast, dying young: anthropogenic habitat modification influences the fitness and life history traits of a cooperative breeder

Modification of natural habitats can lead to an ecological trap, as animals can maladaptively select lower-quality habitats over natural landscapes. Modified habitats reduce group size and prevalence, the success of dispersing individuals, and breeding success. However, little is known about how these effects on fitness affect the sociality of cooperative breeding species, which may be particularly susceptible to habitat modification. Here we show that the selection of anthropogenically modified habitats negatively affects the fitness, which has consequences in the life history traits of a cooperative breeder. We used data collected during six years from a monitored population of Arabian babblers (Argya squamiceps) and found that groups living in modified habitats breed more than those in natural habitats but that juvenile and adult survival in modified habitats was lower. Individuals living in modified habitats acquired dominance earlier than individuals from natural habitats. Males in modified habitats also dispersed earlier than those from natural habitats. Our results suggest that modified habitats entail an ecological trap for Arabian babblers, which adjusts their life history traits as a response. Understanding the adaptation of social and cooperative breeding species to habitat modification is the first step for mitigating the processes behind human-related population declines.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2022

Cetacean "gas-bubble thromboembolic polycystic liver disease": "Budd-Chiari-like syndrome" in dolphins?

Nearly two decades ago, pathologic examination results suggested acoustic factors, such as mid-frequency active naval military sonar (MFAS) could be the cause of acute decompression-like sickness in stranded beaked whales. Acute systemic gas embolism in these beaked whales was published together with enigmatic cystic liver lesions (CLL), characterized by intrahepatic encapsulated gas-filled cysts, tentatively interpreted as "gas-bubble" lesions in various cetacean species. Here we provide a pathologic reinterpretation of CLL in cetaceans. From 1,200 cetaceans necropsied, CLL were only observed in striped dolphins (Stenella coeruleoalba), with a low prevalence (2%), and recapitulated pathologic features of Budd-Chiari syndrome in humans. Our results strongly suggest that CLL are the result of the combination of pre-existing or concomitant hepatic vascular disorder (e.g., severe hepatobiliary trematodiasis) superimposed and exacerbated by gas bubbles, and clearly differ from acute systemic gas embolism in stranded beaked whales linked to MFAS.

pathology↗