This is a local copy of a metadata record and dataset stored at Dryad. This local copy is maintained in order to provide a link to the originating Australian Antarctic program project. See the link to the Dryad site at the provided URL for full details on this data set. Age is a fundamental aspect of animal ecology, but is difficult to determine in many species. Humpback whales exemplify this as they have a lifespan comparable to humans, mature sexually as early as four years and have no reliable visual age indicators after their first year. Current methods for estimating humpback age cannot be applied to all individuals and populations. Assays for human age have recently been developed recently based on age-induced changes in DNA methylation of specific genes. We used information on age-associated DNA methylation in human and mouse genes to identify homologous gene regions in humpbacks. Humpback skin samples were obtained from individuals with a known year of birth and employed to calibrate relationships between cytosine methylation and age. Seven of 37 cytosines assayed for methylation level in humpback skin had significant age-related profiles. The three most age-informative cytosine markers were selected for a humpback epigenetic age assay. The assay has an R2 of 0.787 (p = 3.04e-16) and predicts age from skin samples with a standard deviation of 2.991 years. The epigenetic method correctly determined which of parent-offspring pairs is the parent in more than 93% of cases. To demonstrate the potential of this technique, we constructed the first modern age profile of humpback whales off eastern Australia and compared the results to population structure five decades earlier. This is the first epigenetic age estimation method for a wild animal species and the approach we took for developing it can be applied to many other non model organisms.

1st Experiment 24/11/16 ************************************************************************************************ See 2016_11_24_Miseq_Sheet 1. Sanger Sequencing Plate #4 - 25mg of Tissue was extracted by AGRF. DNA was diluted to 5ng/ul. Samples were sanger sequenced with 16SAR (Palumbi) primer. If they failed, I used COI3 cocktail (Ivanova). FASTA sequences from Plate 4 are in the folder named Sanger Sequence FASTA Plate #4. Naming - Plate position, primer, sample ID. ie reater than A1-16S-AR_1952. 2. DNA and Tissue Pools of Plate 4 We wanted to explore the possibility of using a metabarcoding approach. For metabarcoding we re-examined specimens already identified from sanger sequences. We mixed DNA from many samples (n=16 or n=96) and did a single amplification (i.e. up to 96 DNA extractions processed in a single-tube marker amplification). We also took it a step further and tried blending a set amount of tissue from many fish specimens (n=16 or n=96) and did a single DNA extraction on the tissue mixes (i.e. a single DNA extraction and single tube amplification for up to 96 samples). See 2016_11_24_Miseq_Sheet for DNA and Tissue Pool mixes. 3. Miseq Run 16 samples were ran on a 250bp pe read. Each sample was amplified with 3 primer sets - COI (please note one dual labelled set was used), 12s and 16s (Primers listed on 2016_11_24_Miseq_Sheet). They were diluted 1:10 and illumina sequencing adaptors were added (please note I used same I7 and I5 per sample, so they had to be sorted on amplicon). 2016_11_24_fastq_files has the data from miseq. and 2016_11_24_merged_fastq_files has the merged files. For some unknown reason 16s tissue produced no data. 2nd Experiment 04/07/17 ************************************************************************************************* 1. DNA Extractions Plate #1, 2 and 3 - 25mg of Tisse was extracted by AGRF. DNA was diluted to 5ng/ul. We also used Plate #4 from experiment above. See Plate Layout for sample allocation. 2. Tissue and DNA Pools DNA pools were from Plate 1, 2, 3 and 4. Tissue Mixes were from Plate 2 and 4 only. We wanted to explore the possibility of using a metabarcoding approach. We mixed DNA from many samples (n=16 or n=96) and did a single amplification (i.e. up to 96 DNA extractions processed in a single-tube marker amplification). We also took it a step further and tried blending a set amount of tissue from many fish specimens (n=16 or n=96) and did a single DNA extraction on the tissue mixes (i.e. a single DNA extraction and single tube amplification for up to 96 samples). See plate layout for DNA and Tissue Pool mixes. 3. Miseq Run 577 samples were sequenced in a 250bp pe read. See 2017_07_04_Miseq Sheet. Plate 1, 2 3 and 4 were all sequenced with Leray Primers.(Please note I accidentally amplified the first half of plate one with one pair of dual labelled COI primers, index on miseq sheet). I also made a plate of tissue and DNA pools (see plate layout for DNA and Tissue Pool mixes) and amplified those with 4 primers (primer sequences on miseq sheet) COI (individual dual labelled primers, 1st round index are on miseq sheet) 12s Fish 16s Chordate NADH The last 4 samples with 12s were to add to database as there are no 12S sequences for those species on genbank. See PCR recipes for annealing temp and cycling etc I accidentally put the marker under sample name so the original sample ID was lost and miseq gave it a new name (name from miseq output) and then another new name from merged file. Finally I gave them a unique sample ID. See name file if you need more information. 2017_07_04 has the data from miseq. and 2017_07_04_merged_fastq_files has the merged files. Samples were clustered using zero radius OTU's. 4.Results See Results database. The spreadsheet has all of the possible name combinations from the run. It also contains the Haul ID and date, time, lat, long etc. There is a morph taxa ID which refers to what the observer has identified the fish and then there is Seq_Taxa_ID which is the sequencing result. There is also a list of primers that were used to identify the fish. 0 indicated that the primer wasnt used, 1 indicates it was. The second tab has all of the info for the samples that failed. *************************************************************************************************

Adelie penguin foraging trip duration records for Bechervaise Island, Mawson since 1991-92. Data include average male and female foraging trip durations for both the guard and creche stages of the breeding season. Data based on records of tagged birds crossing the APMS for in and out crossings. Durations determined from difference between out and in crossings in conjunction with nest census records. Data included only for birds which were known to be foraging for a live chick. This work was completed as part of ASAC Project 2205, Adelie penguin research and monitoring in support of the CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Project. The fields in this dataset are: Year trip duration (hours) Mean , standard error, count and standard deviation for male and female foraging trips during guard and creche stages of the breeding season.

This dataset is a document describing the Decapoda of the Southern Ocean. It lists all the known species and with illustrated diagrams provides a guide to their taxonomic identification. The document is available for download as a pdf from the provided URL.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.

Taken from the report prepared by R Kenny: In this report our comparatively brief knowledge of the Elephant Seal at Macquarie Island (based only on one year's observations) have been augmented by abstracting notes from "The Natural History of the Elephant Seal" by L. Harrison Matthews Discovery Reports, vol. 1 p. 233. 1929., based on observations at South Georgia. The Elephant Seal herds at the two islands are comparable - at South Georgia the animals had been overfished almost to the point of extinction by 1885, but were then not hunted for many years, and by 1929 had "increased in numbers till at the present time they are probably as numerous as ever", and are now fished under Government regulation to prevent extermination; the Macquarie Island herd has a similar history.

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.

The factors that control the number of animals in a population are often difficult to understand. However, this basic understanding is central to managing those populations and assessing how they might respond to human induced pressures. For animals living in the Antarctic, like penguins, the marine environment that they depend on for food can vary due to natural events such as El Nino, and potentially due to human induced changes such as global warming. This study uses modern computer technology to track Royal penguins at sea and to monitor their time on land. By relating where the birds go to feed, what they feed on, and how successfully they catch their food to the survival rates of their chicks, this study will describe how fluctuations in a major Antarctic oceanographic feature (the Antarctic Polar Front) can influence the size of the Royal penguin population at Macquarie Island. Information on breeding success, diet and foraging success were collected each year between 1997-2001. Diving behaviour and at-sea movements were also quantified between 1997 and 1999. These data will also be available in the ARGOS satellite tracking database. Attached to this metadata record are ARGOS tracking data collected by Cindy Hull between 1994 and 2000. The tracking data have been collected from 19 different royal penguins. The download file contains a csv file with tracking data.

The configuration of the East-Antarctic Atlantis model included several pages of documentation from SOKI (the Southern Ocean Knowledge and Information wiki, hosted at soki.aq in 2019). There is also an associated software package angstroms was used to couple Atlantis models to Regional Ocean Model System (ROMS). The documentation pages have been archived in PDF and WORD format here in 11 separate documents. The software package is included as an archive of the Australian Antarctic Division github repository as at 2019-07-22 with commit '2b7b10e86963195df049ded6ca842255b2335de1'. https://github.com/AustralianAntarcticDivision/angstroms

To quantify the dietary preferences and trophic level consumption of post-breeding adult female Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella), we analysed the carbon:nitrogen composition of whiskers and blood samples from the females. Females were captured towards the end of the lactation period (March/April) and whiskers and a blood sample were collected at this time. Females were generally recaptured just prior to or after giving birth the following season and a further whisker and blood sample were collected at this time. Metadata for each individual include: Site, GLS ID, year, flipper tag number, season, sampling date, tissue type, whisker segment number, cumulative length along whisker of the segment, d15N, d13C, percentage N, percentage C and CN ratio.