{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,15]],"date-time":"2026-10-15T07:24:09Z","timestamp":1792049049246,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":63,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,28]],"date-time":"2023-09-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1695859200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/100002322","name":"Schlumberger Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100002322","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Ecology and Evolution"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2023,10]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:p>The age of an individual is an essential demographic parameter but is difficult to estimate without long\u2010term monitoring or invasive sampling. Epigenetic approaches are increasingly used to age organisms, including nonmodel organisms such as cetaceans. M\u0101ui dolphins (<jats:italic>Cephalorhynchus hectori maui<\/jats:italic>) are a critically endangered subspecies endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand, and the age structure of this population is important for informing conservation. Here we present an epigenetic clock for aging M\u0101ui and Hector's dolphins (<jats:italic>C.\u2009h.\u2009hectori<\/jats:italic>) developed from methylation data using DNA from tooth aged individuals (<jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\u2009=\u200948). Based on this training data set, the optimal model required only eight methylation sites, provided an age correlation of .95, and had a median absolute age error of 1.54\u2009years. A leave\u2010one\u2010out cross\u2010validation analysis with the same parameters resulted in an age correlation of .87 and median absolute age error of 2.09\u2009years. To improve age estimation, we included previously published beluga whale (<jats:italic>Delphinapterus leucas<\/jats:italic>) data to develop a joint beluga\/dolphin clock, resulting in a clock with comparable performance and improved estimation of older individuals. Application of the models to DNA from skin biopsy samples of living M\u0101ui dolphins revealed a shift from a median age of 8\u20139\u2009years to a younger population aged 7\u20138\u2009years 10\u2009years later. These models could be applied to other dolphin species and demonstrate the ability to construct a clock even when the number of known age samples is limited, removing this impediment to estimating demographic parameters vital to the conservation of critically endangered species.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1002\/ece3.10562","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,28]],"date-time":"2023-09-28T07:43:32Z","timestamp":1695887012000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":12,"title":["Using epigenetic clocks to investigate changes in the age structure of critically endangered M\u0101ui dolphins"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9847-1158","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Keith M.","family":"Hernandez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University  Oregon Newport USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Kaimyn B.","family":"O'Neill","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University  Oregon Newport USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1751-1467","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eleanor K.","family":"Bors","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University  Oregon Newport USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Debbie","family":"Steel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University  Oregon Newport USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6309-0291","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joseph A.","family":"Zoller","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics University of California  California Los Angeles USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rochelle","family":"Constantine","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Biological Sciences &amp; Institute of Marine Science University of Auckland \u2013 Waipapa Taumata Rau  Auckland New Zealand"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4110-3589","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Steve","family":"Horvath","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Fielding School of Public Health, Department of Biostatistics University of California  California Los Angeles USA"},{"name":"David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics University of California  California Los Angeles USA"},{"name":"Altos Labs  California San Diego USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"C. Scott","family":"Baker","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Marine Mammal Institute Oregon State University  Oregon Newport USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_10_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S0022\u20102836(05)80360\u20102"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/s41467\u2010022\u201028355\u2010z"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/75556"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_5_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/03014223.2002.9517717"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_6_1","unstructured":"Baker C. S. Boren L. Childerhouse S. Constantine R. vanHelden A. Lundquist D. Rayment W. &Rolfe J. R.(2019).Conservation status of New Zealand marine mammals 2019. New Zealand Threat Classification Series 29 Department of Conservation \u2013 Te Papa Atawhai.http:\/\/www.doc.govt.nz"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_7_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1469\u20101795.2012.00590.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_8_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1365\u2010294X.1994.tb00071.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_9_1","unstructured":"Baker C. S. Steel D. Hamner R. M. Hickman G. Boren L. Arlidge W. &Constantine R.(2016).Estimating the abundance and effective population size of M\u0101ui dolphins using microsatellite genotypes in 2015\u20132016 with retrospective matching to 2001\u20132016. Final report to the Department of Conservation \u2013 Te Papa Atawhai Auckland.http:\/\/www.doc.govt.nz"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fmars.2019.00561"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetimm.2009.06.019"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.tree.2006.12.002"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_13_1","unstructured":"Betty E. L. Palmer E. &Stockin K. A.(2022).Improving age estimation for Hector's and M\u0101ui dolphins from tooth samples. Final report to the Department of Conservation \u2013 Te Papa Atawhai.http:\/\/www.doc.govt.nz"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/eva.13195"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_15_1","first-page":"98","volume-title":"Marine mammal ecology and conservation: A handbook of techniques","author":"Bowen W. 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Horvath S. Bors E. Constantine R. Hillock K. vanHelden A. Roe W. Steel D. &Baker C. S.(2022).Epigenetic aging of Hector's and M\u0101ui dolphins. Progress report to the Department of Conservation \u2013 Te Papa Atawhai.http:\/\/www.doc.govt.nz"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_33_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/mec.15720"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_34_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1748\u20107692.1999.tb00881.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/gb-2013-14-10-r115"},{"key":"e_1_2_10_36_1","unstructured":"Horvath S. Bors E. &Baker S.(2021).Genome methylation in wild beluga whales; Gene Expression Omnibus; GSE164465. [dataset]."},{"key":"e_1_2_10_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Horvath S. Haghani A. Zoller J. A. Fei Z. 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