(Table 2) Age determination of harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) from the Barents Sea - comparison of methods ...

• Main Authors: Garde, Eva, Frie, Anne K, Dunshea, Glenn, Hansen, Steen H, Kovacs, Kit Maureen, Lydersen, Christian
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2010
• Subjects: Sample ID; Sex; Aspartic acid D/L ratio; Pagophilus groenlandicus, age; Pagophilus groenlandicus, standard deviation; Biological sample; Ageing, aspartic acid racemization AAR in eye lens nuclei; Ageing, counting growth layer groups GLG in teeth; International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Barents Sea; International Polar Year; IPY; Pagophilus groenlandicus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.810152; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.810152

Lower jaws (containing the teeth), eyes, and skin samples were collected from harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in the southeastern Barents Sea for the purpose of comparing age estimates obtained by 3 different methods, the traditional technique of counting growth layer groups (GLGs) in teeth and 2 novel approaches, aspartic acid racemization (AAR) in eye lens nuclei and telomere sequence analyses as a proxy for telomere length. A significant correlation between age estimates obtained using GLGs and AAR was found, whereas no correlation was found between GLGs and telomere length. An AAR rate (k Asp) of 0.00130/year ± 0.00005 SE and a D-enantiomer to L-enantiomer ratio at birth (D/L 0 value) of 0.01933 ± 0.00048 SE were estimated by regression of D/L ratios against GLG ages from 25 animals (12 selected teeth that had high readability and 13 known-aged animals). AAR could prove to be useful, particularly for ageing older animals in species such as harp seals where difficulties in counting GLGs tend to ... : Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...