Marine Vertebrate Ecology Lab
Publications
2026
Peters KJ, Stockin KA, Hanninger EMF, Gerber L (2026). PFAS exposure is associated with accelerated epigenetic ageing in a wild marine mammal. Biorxiv.
Stokes L, Stockin KA, Stevenson G, de Araujo J, Saltré F, Peters KJ (accepted). Global patterns and predictors of PFAS contamination in odontocetes. Marine Pollution Bulletin.
Gerber L, Papageorgiou D, Sudermann M, Yousefi P, Bizzozzero M, King SL, Marfurt SM, Peters KJ, Allen SJ, Connor RC, Rollins LA, Krützen M (accepted). A culturally transmitted foraging technique in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins can be predicted by DNA-methylation levels. Philosophical Transactions B.
Hanninger E, Barratclough A, Betty EL, Anderson MJ, Perrott MR, Bowler J, Palmer EI, Peters KJ, Stockin KA (2026). Radiographic assessment of bone maturation: A tool to estimate sexual maturity in common dolphins (Delphinus delphis)?. Marine Mammal Science 42(3):e70175.
Hanninger E, Barratclough A, Betty EL, Dittmer K, Saltré F, Perrott MR, Bowler J, Peters KJ, Stockin KA (2026). Cross-species applicability of a bone-aging method in Delphinids. Royal Society Open Science 13(3):252005.
Saltré F, Peters KJ, Rogers D, Chadoeuf J, Weisbecker V, Bradshaw CJA (2026). Balancing high densities and conservation targets to optimise koala management strategies. Ecology and Evolution 16:e72470.
2025
Gerber L, Peters KJ, King SL, Allen SJ, Connor RC, Forbes O, Holmes KG, Kearns AM, Willems EP, Krützen M, Rollins LA (2025). Social bonds decrease epigenetic age in male bottlenose dolphins. Communications Biology 8:1765.
Stockin KA, Peters KJ, Saltré F, Machovsky-Capuska GE, Betty EL, Tremblay LA, Yi S (2025). No place to hide: Marine habitat does not determinate per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in odontocetes. Science of the Total Environment 1007:180701.
Hanninger E, Peters KJ, Gerber L, Barratclough A, Betty EL, Palmer E, Horvath S, Stockin K (2025). Dental aging offers new insights to the first epigenetic clock for common dolphins. Ecology and Evolution 15:e724524.
Nunny L, Bossley M, Boys RM, Brakes P, Genov T, Parsons EMC, Peters KJ, Rose NA, Someone CA, Stockin KA, Vail CS. van der Linde K, Visser IN, Simmonds MP (2025). Out of habitat marine mammals - identification, causes and management recommendations. Marine Policy 177:106652.
2024
Peters KJ & Gerber, L (2024). Epigenetic clocks: Using DNA to estimate the age of dolphins. Frontiers for Young Minds.
Bury SJ, Peters KJ, Sabadel AJM, St John Glew K, Trueman C, Wunder M, Cobain MRD, Schmitt N, Donnelly D, Magozzi S, Owen K, Brown JCS, Escobar-Flores PC, Constantine R, O'Driscoll RL, Double M, Gales N, Childerhouse S, Pinkerton M (2024). Southern Ocean humpback whale trophic ecology. I. Combining multiple stable isotope methods elucidates diet, trophic position and foraging areas. Marine Ecology Progress Series 734:123-155.
2023
Haghani A, ... Peters KJ, ... Horvath S (2023). DNA methylation networks underlying mammalian traits. Science.
Lu AT, ... Peters KJ, ... Horvath S (2023). Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues. Nature Aging 3:1144-1166.
Nicholls CR, Peters KJ, Cagnazzi D, Hanf D, Parra GJ (2023). Incidence of shark-inflicted bite injuries on Australian snubfin (Orcaella heinsohni) and Australian humpback (Sousa sahulensis) dolphins in coastal waters off east Queensland, Australia. Ecology and Evolution.
Boys RM, Stockin KA, Peters KJ, (2023). Why do marine mammals strand on land and how can we help? Frontiers for Young Minds.
Peters KJ, Gerber L, Scheu L, Cicciarella R, Zoller JA, Fei Z, Horvath S, Allen SJ, King SL, Conor RC, Rollins LA, Krützen M (2023). An epigenetic DNA methylation clock for age estimates in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Evolutionary Applications 16:126-133
2022
Bossley M, Steiner A, Parra GJ, Saltré F, Peters KJ (2022). Dredging activity in a highly urbanized estuary did not affect the long-term occurrence of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and long-nosed fur seals. Marine Pollution Bulletin 114183.
Hinton B, Stockin KA, Bury SJ, Peters KJ, Betty EL (2022). Isotopic niche analysis of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas edwardii) in Aotearoa, New Zealand waters. Biology 11(10): 1414.
Codilean AT, Munack H, Saktura WM, Cohen TJ, Jacobs Z, Ulm S, Hesse PP, Heyman J, Peters KJ, Gillespie R, Williams AN, Saktura RBK, Rui X (2022). OCTOPUS Database v.2. Earth System Science Data 14: 3695-3713.
Peters KJ, Bury SJ, Hinton B, Betty EL, Casano-Bally D, Parra GJ, Stockin KA (2022). Too close for comfort? Isotopic niche segregation in New Zealand’s odontocetes. Biology 11(8):1179.
Peters KJ, Stockin KA, Saltré F (2022). On the rise: Climate change in New Zealand will cause sperm and blue whales to seek higher latitudes. Ecological Indicators 142: 109235.
Palmer E, Alexander A, Liggins L, Guerra M, Bury SJ, Hendriks H, Stockin KA, Peters KJ (2022). A piece of the puzzle: analyses of recent strandings and historical records reveal new genetic and ecological insights on New Zealand sperm whales. Marine Ecology Progress Series 690: 201-217.
Parra GJP, Wojtkowiak Z, Peters KJ, Cagnazzi D (2022). Isotopic niche overlap between sympatric Australian snubfin and humpback dolphins. Ecology and Evolution 12(5): e8937.
Parra GJ, Bilgmann K, Peters KJ, Möller LM (2022). Corrigendum: Abundance and potential biological removal of short-beaked common dolphins subject to fishery-impacts in South Australian Waters: implications for conservation and management. Frontiers in Marine Science 784.
Kleindorfer S, Colombelli-Négrel D, Common LK, O'Connor JA, Peters KJ, Katsis AC, Dudaniec RY, Sulloway FJ, Adreani NM (2022). Functional traits and foraging behaviour: avian vampire fly larvae change the beak and fitness of their Darwin’s finch hosts. Functional Ecology 36(7): 1806-1817.
Llewelyn J, Strona G, McDowell MC, Johnson CN, Peters KJ, Stouffer DB, de Visser SN, Saltré F, Bradshaw CJA (2022). Sahul’s megafauna were vulnerable to plant-community changes due to their position in the trophic network. Ecography e06089.
2021
Parra GJ, Bilgmann K, Peters KJ, Möller LM (2021). Abundance and potential biological removal of short-beaked common dolphins subject to fishery-impacts in South Australian Waters: implications for conservation and management. Frontiers in Marine Science 8.
Peters KJ, Saltré F, Friedrich T, Jacobs Z, Wood R, McDowell MC, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2021). Addendum: FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul. Scientific Data 8 (133).
Peters KJ & Stockin KA (2021). Cetacean sighting records in the New Caledonia Basin, Tasman Sea, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 56 (1): 135-149.
2020
Peters KJ, Bury SJ, Betty EL, Parra GJ, Tezanos Pinto G, Stockin KA (2020). Foraging ecology of the common dolphin Delphinus delphis revealed by stable isotope analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 652:173-186.
Common LK, O’Connor JA, Dudaniec RY, Peters KJ, Kleindorfer S (2020). Evidence for rapid downward fecundity selection in an ectoparasite (Philornis downsi) with earlier host mortality in Darwin’s finches. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 33:524-533.
2019
Peters KJ, Saltré F, Friedrich T, Jacobs Z, Wood R, McDowell MC, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2019). FosSahul 2.0, an updated database for the Late Quaternary fossil records of Sahul. Scientific Data 6 (272).
Saltré F, Chadoeuf J, Peters KJ, Friedrich T, McDowell, MC, Timmermann A, Ulm S, Bradshaw CJA (2019). Climate-human interaction associated with southeast Australian megafauna-extinction patterns. Nature Communications 10:5311.
Shabani F, Ahmadi M, Peters KJ, Haberle S, Champreux A, Saltré F, Bradshaw CJA (2019). Climate-driven shifts in the distribution of koala browse species from the Last Interglacial to the near future. Ecography 42:1587-1599.
Kleindorfer S, Custance G, Peters KJ, Sulloway FJ (2019). Introduced parasite changes host phenotype, mating signal and hybridisation risk: Philornis downsi effects on Darwin’s finch song. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 286:1904.
Bilgmann K, Parra GJ, Holmes L, Peters KJ, Jonsen ID, Möller LM (2019). Abundance estimates and habitat preferences of bottlenose dolphins reveal the importance of two gulfs in South Australia. Scientific Reports 9:8044.
Peters KJ, Evans C, Aguirre JD, Kleindorfer S (2019). Genetic admixture predicts parasite intensity: evidence for increased hybrid performance in Darwin’s tree finches. Royal Society Open Science 6 (4): 181616.
pre-2019
Peters KJ & Kleindorfer S (2018). Avian population trends in Scalesia forest on Floreana Islan (2004-2013): Acoustical surveys cannot detect hybrids of Darwin's Tree Finches (Camarhynchus spp.). Bird Conservation International 28: 319-335.
Peters KJ, Myers S, Dudaniec RY, O’Connor JA, Kleindorfer S (2017). Females drive asymmetrical introgressive hybridization from rare to common species in Darwin’s tree finches. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 30 (11): 1940-1952.
Kleindorfer S, Peters KJ, Hohl L, Sulloway F (2016). Flight behavior of an introduced parasite affects its Galapagos Island hosts: Philornis downsi and Darwin’s finches. In: Biological Invasions and Animal Behavior (Eds. J. Weis and D. Sol), Cambridge University Press, pp. 158-179.
Peters KJ & Kleindorfer S (2015). Divergent foraging behavior in a hybrid zone: Darwin’s tree finches (Camarhynchus spp.) on Floreana Island. Current Zoology 61 (1): 181–190.
Kleindorfer S, Peters KJ, Custance G, Dudaniec RY, O’Connor JA (2014). Changes in Philornis infestation behavior threaten Darwin’s finch survival. Current Zoology 60 (4): 542–550.
Peters KJ, Parra GJ, Skuza PP, Möller LM (2013). Effects of boat based tourism on the behavior, response and group structure of southern Australian bottlenose dolphins. Marine Mammal Science 29 (4): E484–E497.