December 2017 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

New paper on The humpback whale caving range along the western Australian coast
by Lyn Irvine 01 Dec '17

01 Dec '17

Dear MARMAM subscribers, My co-authors and I are pleased to announce early view access to the publication: Irvine, Lyn G., Thums, Michele, Hanson, Christine E., McMahon, Clive R., Hindell, Mark A. (2017) Evidence for a widely expanded humpback whale calving range along the Western Australian coast. Marine Mammal Science DOI: 10.1111/mms.12456 <http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12456/full> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mms.12456/full Abstract: The recognized calving grounds of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) that breed along the Western Australian coast (Breeding Stock D) extend along the Kimberley coast between Camden Sound and Broome (15° -18°S). However, there are reports of neonates further south, suggesting that the calving areas may be poorly defined. During aerial photogrammetric research in 2013 and 2015, we sighted large numbers of humpback whale calves along North West Cape (21°47′-22°43′S). We estimated the minimum relative calf abundance to be 463-603 in 2013 and 557-725 in 2015. We categorized the calves as either neonate or post neonate according to their color and size. The majority of calves sighted in both years (85% in 2013; 94% in 2015) were neonates. Our observations indicate that a minimum of approximately 20% (17.1%-24.3%) of the expected number of calves of this population are born near, or south of, North West Cape. We thus demonstrate that the calving grounds for the Breeding Stock D population extend south from Camden Sound in the Kimberley (15°S) to at least North West Cape (22° 43′S), 1,000 km southwest of the currently recognized calving area. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me at Lynette.irvine(a)utas.edu.au <mailto:Lynette.irvine@utas.edu.au> Warm regards, Lyn Lyn Irvine PhD Candidate Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) University of Tasmania * Tel +61 (0)8 9949 2298 |* Mob +61 (0)417 383 769| * <mailto:Lynette.Irvine@utas.edu.au> Lynette.Irvine(a)utas.edu.au

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New Publication announcement: Call types of Bigg's killer whales in western Alaska
by Deborah Sharpe 01 Dec '17

01 Dec '17

My co-authors and I are pleased to announce the recent online release of the following article in Bioacoustics: Call types of Bigg’s killer whales (Orcinus orca) in western Alaska: using vocal dialects to assess population structure. Sharpe DL, Castellote M, Wade PR, and Cornick LA ABSTRACT Bigg’s killer whales (Orcinus orca; i.e. ‘transient’ ecotype), as apex predators, are important to the dynamics of marine ecosystems, but little is known about their population structure in western Alaska. Currently, all Bigg’s killer whales in western Alaska are ascribed to a single broad stock for management under the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. However, recent nuclear microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses indicate that this stock is likely comprised of genetically distinct sub-populations. In accordance with what is known about killer whale vocal dialects in other locations, we used the spatial distribution of group-specific call types to investigate the population structure of Bigg’s killer whales in this part of Alaska. Digital audio recordings were collected from 33 Bigg’s killer whale encounters throughout the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands in the summers of 2001–2007 and 2009–2010. Recorded calls were qualitatively classified into discrete types and then quantitatively described using 12 structural and time-frequency measures. Resulting call categories were validated using a random forest approach. A total of 36 call types and subtypes were identified across the entire study area, and regional patterns of call type use revealed three distinct dialects which correspond to proposed genetic delineations. Our results suggest that there are at least three acoustically and genetically distinct sub-populations in western Alaska, and we present an initial catalogue for this area describing the regional vocal repertoires of Bigg’s killer whale call types. For students, professors, and other scientists who are interested in our paper and have institutional access to articles, please use the following link: https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2017.1396562 For interested parties without the ability to circumvent pay-walls, a free copy can be obtained by clicking here: http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/DwjAi5wHpjqzSFI5Ctzz/full . Please use this link only once. If you are unable to access the full article through either of these channels, don’t hesitate to contact me directly: dlynnsharpe(a)hotmail.com Thank you for your interest, Deborah L. Sharpe, MSc

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New publication on bottlenose dolphin neuroanatomy and asymmetry
by Alexandra Wright 01 Dec '17

01 Dec '17

Dear MARMAM Community, We are pleased to announce our new publication on bottlenose dolphin white matter anatomy and asymmetry in *Brain Structure and Function*: *Wright, A.K., Theilmann, R.J., Ridgway, S.H., Scadeng, M. Diffusion tractography reveals pervasive asymmetry of cerebral white matter tracts in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus).* Brain Struct Funct (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1525-9 *Abstract: *Brain enlargement is associated with concomitant growth of interneuronal distance, increased conduction time, and reduced neuronal interconnectivity. Recognition of these functional constraints led to the hypothesis that large-brained mammals should exhibit greater structural and functional brain lateralization. As a taxon with the largest brains in the animal kingdom, Cetacea provides a unique opportunity to examine asymmetries of brain structure and function. In the present study, diffusion tensor imaging and tractography were used to investigate cerebral white matter asymmetry in the bottlenose dolphin (*Tursiops truncatus*). Widespread white matter asymmetries were observed with the preponderance of tracts exhibiting leftward structural asymmetries. Leftward lateralization may reflect differential processing and execution of behaviorally variant sensory and motor functions by the cerebral hemispheres. The arcuate fasciculus, an association tract linked to human language evolution, was isolated and exhibited rightward asymmetry suggesting a right hemisphere bias for conspecific communication unlike that of most mammals. This study represents the first examination of cetacean white matter asymmetry and constitutes an important step toward understanding potential drivers of structural asymmetry and its role in underpinning functional and behavioral lateralization in cetaceans. This publication is *open access* and available at the following links: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-017-1525-9 *or* http://rdcu.be/z5fa <http://em.rdcu.be/wf/click?upn=KP7O1RED-2BlD0F9LDqGVeSIW97nt-2BnPrduZynh837…> Kind regards, Alexandra ------------------------------------------------ *Alexandra Wright*, PhD alexandra.k.wright(a)vanderbilt.edu alexandrakwright(a)gmail.com ------------------------------------------------

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U.S. Marine Mammal Commission FY 2018 Funding Opportunity - deadline 11 January 2018
by Dee Allen 01 Dec '17

01 Dec '17

The U.S. Marine Mammal Commission is requesting pre-proposals for our current Fiscal Year 2018 funding opportunity. The focal area for this year is "Community-driven conservation approaches to eliminate, manage, or mitigate threats to marine mammals". Marine mammals continue to face an array of threats ranging from fisheries, noise, and vessel traffic to environmental change. Conservation action is needed to eliminate, manage, or mitigate these threats. Successful conservation programs require not only an understanding of species and ecosystems, but also of the needs, values, perceptions, and cultures of the relevant human communities. Individuals need to become engaged, informed, and inspired to work toward altering human behavior. The Commission believes that increased awareness of examples of successful innovative, community-driven approaches to conservation will help. Proposals must include a component to evaluate the effectiveness of measures to eliminate, manage, or mitigate threats to marine mammals. Particular consideration will be given to proposals that include a social science component where it is shown how greater understanding of human interests and motivation can inform management and improve the effectiveness of conservation efforts. Proposals that are both empirically informed and linked to tangible management problems, and solutions, and that concern populations at extreme risk, may be given preference. Pre-proposal deadline: Thursday, January 11th 2018 11:59pm EST Notification of requests for full proposals: Monday, March 12th 2018 Full proposal submission deadline (invited applicants only): Monday, April 9th2018 Applicant notification: Monday, July 2nd 2018 More details can be found on the Commission's webpages below: Current funding opportunities: https://www.mmc.gov/grants-and-research-survey/current-funding-opportunitie… Proposal requirements: https://www.mmc.gov/grants-and-research-survey/current-funding-opportunitie… For questions or additional information, please contact Samantha Simmons, Acting Scientific Program Director (ssimmons(a)mmc.gov<mailto:ssimmons@mmc.gov>) or Dee Allen, Research Program Officer (dallen(a)mmc.gov<mailto:dallen@mmc.gov>). Dee Allen Research Program Officer Marine Mammal Commission 4340 East-West Highway, Suite 700 Bethesda, MD 20814-4498 301-504-0087 Follow us on Twitter: @MarineMammalCom Visit us online: www.mmc.gov<http://www.mmc.gov/> The Marine Mammal Commission is an independent agency of the U.S. Government.

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