[MARMAM] New publication: humpback calling, whale-watching impacts & the Covid pandemic (Amelie Laute)

[Amelie Laute]

Dear MARMAMers,
 

My co-authors and I are pleased to share with you our new publication in Marine Ecology Progress Series "Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic" (https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/meps/v701/p159-173/). We have listened to an Icelandic foraging ground for humpback whales (Skjálfandi Bay) before and during the Covid pandemic. Interestingly, it wasn't much quieter over all during the pandemic, but we could still here the whales a lot more often. We had the opportunity to show, that the whales seem to call less often when there is vessel noise around. If you want to know more, check out the abstract below and email me (amelie-la...@gmx.de) if you would like a copy of the paper.

 

TITLE: Impact of whale-watching vessels on humpback whale calling behavior on an Icelandic foraging ground during the Covid-19 pandemic

 

AUTHORS: Amelie Laute, Thomas J. Grove, Marianne H. Rasmussen, Adam Smith, Olli Loisa, Michelle E. H. Fournet

 

ABSTRACT: Whale-watching vessels contribute to elevated ambient sound levels in marine habitats. The reduction in maritime tourism activities during the Covid-19 pandemic provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the acoustic response of marine mammals to noise associated with whale-watching activities. In this study, we used acoustic recordings, visual observations, and Automatic Identification System data to determine the changes in humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae calling behavior associated with whale-watching vessels on a foraging ground in Skjálfandi Bay, Iceland. We compared pre-pandemic summer months (2018) with pandemic (2020) conditions to quantify reductions in vessel activity and determine changes in calling behavior. Broadband ambient sound pressure levels were low in both years (median ~90 dBRMS (25-1300 Hz) re 1 µPa). During the Covid-19 pandemic (2020), the number of whale-watching trips was reduced by 68.6%. The number of humpback whale call detections increased nearly 2-fold. Ambient sound pressure levels stayed the same. We found that humpback whales reduce their calling effort in the presence of vessel sound independent of the overall ambient sound. As whale-watching vessel traffic rebounds and continues to grow, demonstrating behavioral responses should inform management plans such as vessel codes of conduct and marine spatial planning.

 

Best

 

Amelie Laute (amelie-la...@gmx.de)

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[MARMAM] New publications - two papers on kinship and parentage in bottlenose dolphins

[Shark Bay Dolphin Research Project]

Dear colleagues,

On behalf of all the co-authors we are pleased to share two recent
publications on kinship and parentage in bottlenose dolphins in Shark Bay,
Western Australia:

***
"Small effects of family size on sociality despite strong kin preferences
in female bottlenose dolphins"

Vivienne Foroughirad, Celine H. Frère, Alexis L. Levengood, Anna M.Kopps,
Ewa Krzyszczyk, Janet Mann

Abstract:
The quantity and quality of individual social relationships is a
fundamental feature of social structure for group-living species. In many
species, individuals preferentially associate with close relatives, which
can amplify social benefits through inclusive fitness. Reproductive
variation, dispersal and other factors may nevertheless impact relative kin
availability, especially for species with slow life histories. As such,
variation in family size can affect the social integration of the
individual. Here, we investigated the effects of family size on female
sociality in a population of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops
aduncus, in Shark Bay, Australia. This population exhibits high
fission–fusion dynamics, with females varying widely in gregariousness and
both sexes remaining philopatric, providing females with both matrilineal
and nonmatrilineal kin as potential associates. We used genetic relatedness
data obtained from a large single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) panel and a
spatially explicit null model to measure females' propensities to form
affiliations with both related and unrelated individuals. We found that
females had strong social preferences for matrilineal close (first, second
and third degree) kin, but also significant preferences for nonmatrilineal
close and more distant kin compared to unrelated individuals. Despite these
preferences, we found only small effects of kin availability on individual
social position. Stronger and more consistent effects were attributable to
individual foraging ecology, although much of the variation remains
unexplained. Overall, our models suggest that while female dolphins have
strong kin preferences, their social connectivity is not determined by
family size; rather, individual foraging strategies and high fission–fusion
dynamics enable a diverse repertoire of social strategies to coexist within
a population.

Link to article:
https://authors.elsevier.com/a/1g9rkmjL~dpv

***
"Reproductive timing as an explanation for skewed parentage assignment
ratio in a bisexually philopatric population"

Vivienne Foroughirad, Molly H.F. McEntee, Anna M. Kopps, Alexis L.
Levengood, Celine H. Frère, Janet Mann

Abstract
In mammals, reproductive success can often be directly observed for
females, but not males. Early-life correlates of female reproductive
success can also be easier to observe due to higher rates of philopatry.
Though relatively uncommon, populations in which both sexes remain in their
natal home ranges can facilitate studies of mate choice and sex-specific
drivers of reproductive success. Genetic parentage assessment in these
systems should be more complete due to spatial philopatry since the pool of
potential mothers and fathers should be equally accessible for sampling.
Nevertheless, many studies still report more maternities than paternities
even when individuals are randomly sampled with respect to age and sex.
This discrepancy is often attributed to unobserved outbreeding. Here, we
investigate two potential drivers for biased genetic parentage assignment
in a bisexually philopatric community of bottlenose dolphins in which twice
as many maternities as paternities are assigned to randomly sampled adults.
We examine whether this pattern can best be explained by (1) sex
differences in reproductive timing or (2) high levels of extra-community
mating. We use long-term data on female calving success to search for
biases in our genetic data collection and to constrain simulations of male
reproductive timing patterns that could generate our observed data. We find
that the majority of the skew in parentage assignment could be explained by
differences in reproductive timing, with a smaller putative role of
extra-community mating. We discuss how explicitly considering age effects
as well as outbreeding can improve our understanding of sex-specific
drivers of reproductive success.

Link to article:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-022-03233-2

Please contact infommdolp...@gmail.com if you would like a PDF of either
article
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[MARMAM] Montenegro Dolphin Research (MDR) positions available

[DMAD Marine Mammals Research Association]

THE PROJECT

The Montenegro Dolphin Research is a scientific project run by Marine
Mammals Research Association (DMAD). Our study is the only long term
research study of marine mammals in Montenegrin and Albanian coastal
waters.  We aim to address questions about marine mammal abundance,
distribution and behavior, define critical habitats and investigate the
impact of major threats, ranging from tourism to seismic practices.  Our
wider attention focuses on the promotion and implementation of awareness
initiatives targeted at the local community, particularly youth and women.



WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR

We offer several volunteering and internship positions: this is a valuable
opportunity for graduates that wish to gain experience in the marine mammal
research field, and undergraduates that would like to obtain internship
academic credits.  It could be used to develop a scientific project for BSc
and MSc thesis. However, we are also open to accept applications from
anyone whose love for dolphins is strong and sincere.

Opportunities are available starting from January 2023 onwards. This
project runs year round with prefered arrival within the first week, or
just before, of candidates prefered month. The minimum duration of the
placements is 2 MONTHS, with possible exceptions for skilled candidates.



FIELD WORK AND RESPONSIBILITIES

-Performing land-based surveys at least three times a week, including
sunrise and sunset hours;

-Performing boat-based surveys once a month, (more if the weather allows it)

-Collecting dolphins sighting and behavior data, as well as environmental
and anthropogenic data;

-Operating theodolite and managing its software Pythagoras;

-Data entry and analysis;

-Cataloging and matching individuals of target species for photo-ID studies
via Discovery software;

-Raising stakeholder awareness through conservation actions.

-Promoting citizen-science activities



TRAINING

The Montenegro Dolphin Research team provides intensive lectures and field
work training as well as constant mentoring every week.

You will be given the chance to learn the most popular methodologies used
in marine mammals research such as:

-ArcGIS mapping

-Theodolite operation and Pythagoras software;

-Photo-identification;

-Discovery software;

-Systematic data collection and data analysis;

-Visual and acoustic behaviour of marine mammals

-Scientific manuscript and technical report writing skills



PROJECT PARTICIPATION FEE

The positions require a contribution fee; for volunteers it is €840/month
for the first 2 months and €780 for any month more; for interns, it's
€940/month for the first 2 months and €880 for any month more. All of which
goes directly to supporting the projects and the participation fee includes:

-Accommodation

-Transportation between the project sites within and between Montenegro and
Albania

-Training and lectures

-Scientific support

-Field work

-Use of  equipment

Applicants are responsible for their transportation to/from Montenegro,
meals, insurance (all participants should have health and/or travel
insurance) and personal expenses.



HOW TO APPLY

Email your CV and motivation letter to i...@dmad.org.tr, explaining why you
are the perfect asset for our team and which goals you hope to achieve with
us!

Please mention the PERIOD OF INTEREST AND DURATION OF AVAILABILITY!

If you wish to have more info about our work and get to know us better
follow our websites:

DMAD - Marine Mammals Research Association

www.dmad.org.tr

https://www.instagram.com/DMADforNature/

https://www.facebook.com/DMADforNature/

All the best,


*Thalia de Haas*

*Volunteer Coordinator of Montenegro Dolphin Research*

*Researcher of DMAD-Marine Mammals Research Association *

*WhatsApp +31645402061*

*Skype: thalia.dehaas*

*thalia.deh...@dmad.org.tr *

*https://www.instagram.com/marinevagabond
*


*General*

*info@d m ad.org.tr *

*www.dmad.org.tr *

*https://www.instagram.com/DMADforNature/
*

*https://www.facebook.com/DMADforNature/
*


[image: MDR Logo.jpg]
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[MARMAM] Publication - winter distribution of common dolphins

[Charlotte Lambert]

Dear MARMAMers,
We are pleased to announce the publication of our paper entitled "Delayed 
response to environmental conditions and infra-seasonal dynamics of the 
short-beaked common dolphin distribution" in Royal Society Open Science. The 
article is available in open access at 
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220379

Abstract: Cetaceans adjust their distribution and abundance to encountered 
conditions across years and seasons, but we poorly understand such small-scale 
changes for many species, especially in winter. Crucial challenges confront 
some populations during this season, such as the high levels of 
fisheries-induced mortality faced by the common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) in 
the Northeast Atlantic shelves. For such species, understanding the winter 
fine-scale dynamics is crucial. We aimed to identify the dolphin distribution 
drivers during the winters of 2020 and 2021, with a focus on determining the 
lag between changes in oceanographic conditions and dolphin distribution. The 
changes were related to temporal delays specific to the nature and cascading 
effects that oceanographic processes had on the trophic chain. By determining 
the most important conditions and lags to dolphin distributions, we shed light 
on the poorly understood intrusions of dolphins within coastal waters during 
winter: they displayed a strong preference for the coastal-shelf waters front 
and extensively followed its spatial variations, with their overall densities 
increasing over the period and peaking in March–April. The results presented 
here provide invaluable information on the winter distribution dynamics and 
should inform management decisions to help reduce the unsustainable mortalities 
of this species in the by-catch of fisheries.

Best,
Charlotte Lambert


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