Mr Nick Davison
- Research Associate (Ecology & Environmental Change)
Biography
I am a research associate and the strandings coordinator for the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS). I have worked with the scheme since 2012. I am also an experienced microbiologist, and I am the consultant determinative bacteriologist for the scheme. I have a Master’s degree in Infection and Immunology from the University of Edinburgh. I have worked in marine mammal pathology since the mid 1980’s carrying out and assisiting in many necropsies and was involved with the development of the UK post-mortem protocols for cetaceans and pinnipeds in the early 1990’s. Prior to 2012 I previously worked with the Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) and as a microbiologist on stranded marine mammals for the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) in Cornwall for nearly 27 years. I have published extensively on marine mammal and many species of wildlife. I ama member of the European Cetacean Society (ECS) and the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM)and an invited expert on diseases of concern to the International Whaling Commission (IWC). I am also a JNCC registered marine mammal observer.
Publications
2023
Gose, M.-A. et al. (2023) Stranding collections indicate broad-scale connectivity across the range of a pelagic marine predator, the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus). ICES Journal of Marine Science, (doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsad050) (Early Online Publication)
Kitchener, A. C., Herman, J. S., ten Doeschate, M. , Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Schwarz, T., Kinze, C. C. and Hantke, G. (2023) The prevalence of vestigial teeth in two beaked whale species from the North Atlantic. Mammalia, 87(2), pp. 190-200. (doi: 10.1515/mammalia-2022-0099)
2022
Onoufriou, A. B. et al. (2022) Biogeography in the deep: hierarchical population genomic structure of two beaked whale species. Global Ecology and Conservation, 40, e02308. (doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02308)
Cipriani, P. et al. (2022) Distribution and genetic diversity of Anisakis spp. in cetaceans from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Scientific Reports, 12, 13664. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17710-1)
Ball, R. J., Kitchiner, A., Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Berrow, S., McKeown, N. J., IJsseldijk, L. L., Geary, M., McDowall, I. and Muir, A. P. (2022) New haplotypes found in stranded long‐finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the eastern North Atlantic and adjacent waters. Marine Mammal Science, 38(3), pp. 898-912. (doi: 10.1111/mms.12893)
2021
Foote, A. D. et al. (2021) Runs of homozygosity in killer whale genomes provide a global record of demographic histories. Molecular Ecology, 30(23), pp. 6162-6177. (doi: 10.1111/mec.16137) (PMID:34416064)
Carroll, E. L. et al. (2021) Speciation in the deep: genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale Mesoplodon eueu. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 288(1961), 20211213. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1213) (PMID:34702078) (PMCID:PMC8548795)
Smith, K. J. et al. (2021) Stable isotope analysis of specimens of opportunity reveals ocean-scale site fidelity in an elusive whale species. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2, 653766. (doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.653766)
Williams, R. S. et al. (2021) Polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with reduced testes weights in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Environment International, 150, 106303. (doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106303) (PMID:33454091)
Dagleish, M. P., Perri, A., Maley, M., Ballingall, K. T., Baily, J. L., Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. C. and Rocchi, M. S. (2021) Novel dermatitis and relative viral nucleic acid tissue loads in a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) with systemic cetacean morbillivirus infection. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 183, pp. 57-62. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2021.01.005) (PMID:33714433)
Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Ten Doeschate, M. , Dale, E.-J., Foster, G., Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Dagleish, M. P. (2021) Neurobrucellosis due to Brucella ceti ST26 in three Sowerby's beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens). Journal of Comparative Pathology, 182, pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.10.005) (PMID:33494901)
Davison, N. J. , Dagleish, M. P., Dale, E.-J., ten Doeschate, M. , Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Brownlow, A. C. (2021) First confirmed reports of the isolation of Brucella ceti from a Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus and a killer whale Orcinus orca. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 145, pp. 191-195. (doi: 10.3354/dao03612) (PMID:34263734)
Davison, N. J. , Dagleish, M. P., ten Doeschate, M. , Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Brownlow, A. (2021) Meningoencephalitis in a common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata associated with Brucella pinnipedialis and gamma-herpesvirus infection. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 144, pp. 231-235. (doi: 10.3354/dao03590) (PMID:34042070)
2020
Murphy, S., Petitguyot, M. A.C., Jepson, P. D., Deaville, R., Lockyer, C., Barnett, J., Perkins, M., Penrose, R., Davison, N. J. and Minto, C. (2020) Spatio-temporal variability of harbor porpoise life history parameters in the North-east Atlantic. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 502352. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.502352)
IJsseldijk, L. L. et al. (2020) Spatiotemporal mortality and demographic trends in a small cetacean: strandings to inform conservation management. Biological Conservation, 249, 108733. (doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108733)
Derous, D., ten Doeschate, M. , Brownlow, A. C. , Davison, N. J. and Lusseau, D. (2020) Toward new ecologically relevant markers of health for cetaceans. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 367. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00367)
Williams, R. S., Curnick, D. J., Barber, J. L., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Perkins, M., Jobling, S. and Jepson, P. D. (2020) Juvenile harbor porpoises in the UK are exposed to a more neurotoxic mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls than adults. Science of the Total Environment, 708, 134835. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134835) (PMID:31806345)
Williams, R., ten Doeschate, M. , Curnick, D. J., Brownlow, A. , Barber, J. L., Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Perkins, M., Jepson, P. D. and Jobling, S. (2020) Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls are still associated with toxic effects in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) despite having fallen below proposed toxicity thresholds. Environmental Science and Technology, 54(4), pp. 2277-2286. (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05453) (PMID:32009388)
2019
Foster, G. et al. (2019) Forensic microbiology reveals that Neisseria animaloris infections in harbour porpoises follow traumatic injuries by grey seals. Scientific Reports, 9, 14338. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50979-3) (PMID:31605019) (PMCID:PMC6789040)
Nykänen, M. et al. (2019) Postglacial colonization of northern coastal habitat by bottlenose dolphins: a marine leading-edge expansion? Journal of Heredity, 110(6), pp. 662-674. (doi: 10.1093/jhered/esz039) (PMID:31211393)
Foote, A. D. et al. (2019) Killer whale genomes reveal a complex history of recurrent admixture and vicariance. Molecular Ecology, 28(14), pp. 3427-3444. (doi: 10.1111/mec.15099) (PMID:31131963)
Simpson, V.R., Davison, N.J. and Dagleish, M.P. (2019) Causes of mortality and lesions observed Post mortem in European moles (Talpa europaea) in Cornwall, South-west England. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 167, pp. 18-25. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2018.11.006) (PMID:30898293)
Nelms, S.E., Barnett, J., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N.J. , Deaville, R., Galloway, T.S., Lindeque, P.K., Santillo, D. and Godley, B.J. (2019) Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory? Scientific Reports, 9, 1075. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37428-3) (PMID:30705316) (PMCID:PMC6355900)
2018
IJsseldijk, L. L., ten Doeschate, M. T.I. , Davison, N. J. , Gröne, A. and Brownlow, A. C. (2018) Crossing boundaries for cetacean conservation: setting research priorities to guide management of harbour porpoises. Marine Policy, 95, pp. 77-84. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.07.006)
ten Doeschate, M. T.I. , Brownlow, A. C. , Davison, N. J. and Thompson, P. M. (2018) Dead useful; methods for quantifying baseline variability in stranding rates to improve the ecological value of the strandings record as a monitoring tool. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 98(5), pp. 1205-1209. (doi: 10.1017/s0025315417000698)
IJsseldijk, L. L., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Haelters, J., Keijl, G., Siebert, U. and ten Doeschate, M. T.I. (2018) Spatiotemporal trends in white-beaked dolphin strandings along the North Sea coast from 1991–2017. Lutra, 61(1), pp. 153-163.
2017
Tierney, K. M. et al. (2017) Nuclear reprocessing-related radiocarbon (14C) uptake into UK marine mammals. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 124(1), pp. 43-50. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.07.002) (PMID:28693808)
Whatmore, A. M. et al. (2017) Characterisation of North American Brucella isolates from marine mammals. PLoS ONE, 12(9), e0184758. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184758) (PMID:28934239) (PMCID:PMC5608248)
Davison, N. J. , Perrett, L. L., Dawson, C., Dagleish, M. P., Haskins, G., Muchowski, J. and Whatmore, A. M. (2017) Brucella ceti Infection in a common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) with associated pathology. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 53(3), pp. 572-576. (doi: 10.7589/2016-08-200) (PMID:28418765)
2016
Davison, N. J. , ten Doeschate, M. T. I. , Dagleish, M. P., Read, F. L., Reid, R. J., Foster, G., Brownlow, A. and Barley, J. (2016) Twin foetuses in an Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) stranded on the coast of Scotland, UK. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 96(4), pp. 841-844. (doi: 10.1017/s0025315415002246)
Baily, J. L., Foster, G., Brown, D., Davison, N. J. , Coia, J. E., Watson, E., Pizzi, R., Willoughby, K., Hall, A. J. and Dagleish, M. P. (2016) Salmonella infection in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), a marine mammal sentinel species: pathogenicity and molecular typing of Salmonella strains compared with human and livestock isolates. Environmental Microbiology, 18(3), pp. 1078-1087. (doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13219) (PMID:26768299)
Jepson, P. D. et al. (2016) PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters. Scientific Reports, 6, 18573. (doi: 10.1038/srep18573) (PMID:26766430) (PMCID:PMC4725908)
Articles
Gose, M.-A. et al. (2023) Stranding collections indicate broad-scale connectivity across the range of a pelagic marine predator, the Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus). ICES Journal of Marine Science, (doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsad050) (Early Online Publication)
Kitchener, A. C., Herman, J. S., ten Doeschate, M. , Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Schwarz, T., Kinze, C. C. and Hantke, G. (2023) The prevalence of vestigial teeth in two beaked whale species from the North Atlantic. Mammalia, 87(2), pp. 190-200. (doi: 10.1515/mammalia-2022-0099)
Onoufriou, A. B. et al. (2022) Biogeography in the deep: hierarchical population genomic structure of two beaked whale species. Global Ecology and Conservation, 40, e02308. (doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02308)
Cipriani, P. et al. (2022) Distribution and genetic diversity of Anisakis spp. in cetaceans from the Northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Scientific Reports, 12, 13664. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-17710-1)
Ball, R. J., Kitchiner, A., Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Berrow, S., McKeown, N. J., IJsseldijk, L. L., Geary, M., McDowall, I. and Muir, A. P. (2022) New haplotypes found in stranded long‐finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the eastern North Atlantic and adjacent waters. Marine Mammal Science, 38(3), pp. 898-912. (doi: 10.1111/mms.12893)
Foote, A. D. et al. (2021) Runs of homozygosity in killer whale genomes provide a global record of demographic histories. Molecular Ecology, 30(23), pp. 6162-6177. (doi: 10.1111/mec.16137) (PMID:34416064)
Carroll, E. L. et al. (2021) Speciation in the deep: genomics and morphology reveal a new species of beaked whale Mesoplodon eueu. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences, 288(1961), 20211213. (doi: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1213) (PMID:34702078) (PMCID:PMC8548795)
Smith, K. J. et al. (2021) Stable isotope analysis of specimens of opportunity reveals ocean-scale site fidelity in an elusive whale species. Frontiers in Conservation Science, 2, 653766. (doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2021.653766)
Williams, R. S. et al. (2021) Polychlorinated biphenyls are associated with reduced testes weights in harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Environment International, 150, 106303. (doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106303) (PMID:33454091)
Dagleish, M. P., Perri, A., Maley, M., Ballingall, K. T., Baily, J. L., Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. C. and Rocchi, M. S. (2021) Novel dermatitis and relative viral nucleic acid tissue loads in a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) with systemic cetacean morbillivirus infection. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 183, pp. 57-62. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2021.01.005) (PMID:33714433)
Davison, N. J. , Brownlow, A. , Ten Doeschate, M. , Dale, E.-J., Foster, G., Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Dagleish, M. P. (2021) Neurobrucellosis due to Brucella ceti ST26 in three Sowerby's beaked whales (Mesoplodon bidens). Journal of Comparative Pathology, 182, pp. 1-8. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2020.10.005) (PMID:33494901)
Davison, N. J. , Dagleish, M. P., Dale, E.-J., ten Doeschate, M. , Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Brownlow, A. C. (2021) First confirmed reports of the isolation of Brucella ceti from a Risso’s dolphin Grampus griseus and a killer whale Orcinus orca. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 145, pp. 191-195. (doi: 10.3354/dao03612) (PMID:34263734)
Davison, N. J. , Dagleish, M. P., ten Doeschate, M. , Muchowski, J., Perrett, L. L., Rocchi, M., Whatmore, A. M. and Brownlow, A. (2021) Meningoencephalitis in a common minke whale Balaenoptera acutorostrata associated with Brucella pinnipedialis and gamma-herpesvirus infection. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms, 144, pp. 231-235. (doi: 10.3354/dao03590) (PMID:34042070)
Murphy, S., Petitguyot, M. A.C., Jepson, P. D., Deaville, R., Lockyer, C., Barnett, J., Perkins, M., Penrose, R., Davison, N. J. and Minto, C. (2020) Spatio-temporal variability of harbor porpoise life history parameters in the North-east Atlantic. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 502352. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.502352)
IJsseldijk, L. L. et al. (2020) Spatiotemporal mortality and demographic trends in a small cetacean: strandings to inform conservation management. Biological Conservation, 249, 108733. (doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108733)
Derous, D., ten Doeschate, M. , Brownlow, A. C. , Davison, N. J. and Lusseau, D. (2020) Toward new ecologically relevant markers of health for cetaceans. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, 367. (doi: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00367)
Williams, R. S., Curnick, D. J., Barber, J. L., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Perkins, M., Jobling, S. and Jepson, P. D. (2020) Juvenile harbor porpoises in the UK are exposed to a more neurotoxic mixture of polychlorinated biphenyls than adults. Science of the Total Environment, 708, 134835. (doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134835) (PMID:31806345)
Williams, R., ten Doeschate, M. , Curnick, D. J., Brownlow, A. , Barber, J. L., Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Perkins, M., Jepson, P. D. and Jobling, S. (2020) Levels of polychlorinated biphenyls are still associated with toxic effects in harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) despite having fallen below proposed toxicity thresholds. Environmental Science and Technology, 54(4), pp. 2277-2286. (doi: 10.1021/acs.est.9b05453) (PMID:32009388)
Foster, G. et al. (2019) Forensic microbiology reveals that Neisseria animaloris infections in harbour porpoises follow traumatic injuries by grey seals. Scientific Reports, 9, 14338. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-50979-3) (PMID:31605019) (PMCID:PMC6789040)
Nykänen, M. et al. (2019) Postglacial colonization of northern coastal habitat by bottlenose dolphins: a marine leading-edge expansion? Journal of Heredity, 110(6), pp. 662-674. (doi: 10.1093/jhered/esz039) (PMID:31211393)
Foote, A. D. et al. (2019) Killer whale genomes reveal a complex history of recurrent admixture and vicariance. Molecular Ecology, 28(14), pp. 3427-3444. (doi: 10.1111/mec.15099) (PMID:31131963)
Simpson, V.R., Davison, N.J. and Dagleish, M.P. (2019) Causes of mortality and lesions observed Post mortem in European moles (Talpa europaea) in Cornwall, South-west England. Journal of Comparative Pathology, 167, pp. 18-25. (doi: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2018.11.006) (PMID:30898293)
Nelms, S.E., Barnett, J., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N.J. , Deaville, R., Galloway, T.S., Lindeque, P.K., Santillo, D. and Godley, B.J. (2019) Microplastics in marine mammals stranded around the British coast: ubiquitous but transitory? Scientific Reports, 9, 1075. (doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-37428-3) (PMID:30705316) (PMCID:PMC6355900)
IJsseldijk, L. L., ten Doeschate, M. T.I. , Davison, N. J. , Gröne, A. and Brownlow, A. C. (2018) Crossing boundaries for cetacean conservation: setting research priorities to guide management of harbour porpoises. Marine Policy, 95, pp. 77-84. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2018.07.006)
ten Doeschate, M. T.I. , Brownlow, A. C. , Davison, N. J. and Thompson, P. M. (2018) Dead useful; methods for quantifying baseline variability in stranding rates to improve the ecological value of the strandings record as a monitoring tool. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 98(5), pp. 1205-1209. (doi: 10.1017/s0025315417000698)
IJsseldijk, L. L., Brownlow, A. , Davison, N. J. , Deaville, R., Haelters, J., Keijl, G., Siebert, U. and ten Doeschate, M. T.I. (2018) Spatiotemporal trends in white-beaked dolphin strandings along the North Sea coast from 1991–2017. Lutra, 61(1), pp. 153-163.
Tierney, K. M. et al. (2017) Nuclear reprocessing-related radiocarbon (14C) uptake into UK marine mammals. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 124(1), pp. 43-50. (doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.07.002) (PMID:28693808)
Whatmore, A. M. et al. (2017) Characterisation of North American Brucella isolates from marine mammals. PLoS ONE, 12(9), e0184758. (doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184758) (PMID:28934239) (PMCID:PMC5608248)
Davison, N. J. , Perrett, L. L., Dawson, C., Dagleish, M. P., Haskins, G., Muchowski, J. and Whatmore, A. M. (2017) Brucella ceti Infection in a common minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) with associated pathology. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 53(3), pp. 572-576. (doi: 10.7589/2016-08-200) (PMID:28418765)
Davison, N. J. , ten Doeschate, M. T. I. , Dagleish, M. P., Read, F. L., Reid, R. J., Foster, G., Brownlow, A. and Barley, J. (2016) Twin foetuses in an Atlantic white-sided dolphin (Lagenorhynchus acutus) stranded on the coast of Scotland, UK. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 96(4), pp. 841-844. (doi: 10.1017/s0025315415002246)
Baily, J. L., Foster, G., Brown, D., Davison, N. J. , Coia, J. E., Watson, E., Pizzi, R., Willoughby, K., Hall, A. J. and Dagleish, M. P. (2016) Salmonella infection in grey seals (Halichoerus grypus), a marine mammal sentinel species: pathogenicity and molecular typing of Salmonella strains compared with human and livestock isolates. Environmental Microbiology, 18(3), pp. 1078-1087. (doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13219) (PMID:26768299)
Jepson, P. D. et al. (2016) PCB pollution continues to impact populations of orcas and other dolphins in European waters. Scientific Reports, 6, 18573. (doi: 10.1038/srep18573) (PMID:26766430) (PMCID:PMC4725908)