September 2020 - MARMAM - devlists.uvic.ca

Survey on definitions of delphinid groups and related terms - Invitation to participate
by Jonathan Syme 02 Sep '20

02 Sep '20

Dear MARMAM community, My name is Jonathan Syme and I am a PhD student with the Cetacean, Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) at Flinders University, Australia, under the supervision of Associate Professor Guido Parra (CEBEL, Flinders University) and Assistant Professor Jeremy Kiszka (Marine Conservation Ecology Lab, Florida International University). As part of my thesis, I am conducting a review into how group and associated terms are defined in regard to the study of delphinid behavioural ecology. I plan to use an online survey, accompanied by a literature review, to gather information on how researchers define delphinid groups. To this end, I would appreciate it if you would kindly take 10 - 15 minutes to complete a questionnaire regarding your opinions on this subject via the following link: https://qualtrics.flinders.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_3CwSUztVdqFBgEt Participation is entirely voluntary, and all responses will be anonymous and treated in confidence. Please see the Participant Information Sheet for more information and if you have any enquiries, please contact me by email at jonathan.syme(a)flinders.edu.au<mailto:jonathan.syme@flinders.edu.au>. Thank you for your time and assistance. Kind regards, Jonathan Jonathan Syme PhD Candidate Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL), Flinders University, South Australia jonathan.syme(a)flinders.edu.au<mailto:jonathan.syme@flinders.edu.au> @jonathan_syme @CEBELresearch

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New Publication: Identifying priority habitat for conservation and management of Australian humpback dolphins within a marine protected area
by Guido Parra Vergara 01 Sep '20

01 Sep '20

Dear Colleagues, On behalf of all authors, I am pleased to announce the following open access paper recently published in Scientific Reports: Hunt TN, Allen SJ, Bejder L, Parra GJ. 2020. Identifying priority habitat for conservation and management of Australian humpback dolphins within a marine protected area. Scientific Reports 10:14366.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69863-6 Abstract: Increasing human activity along the coast has amplified the extinction risk of inshore delphinids. Informed selection and prioritisation of areas for the conservation of inshore delphinids requires a comprehensive understanding of their distribution and habitat use. In this study, we applied an ensemble species distribution modelling approach, combining results of six modelling algorithms to identify areas of high probability of occurrence of the globally Vulnerable Australian humpback dolphin in northern Ningaloo Marine park (NMP), north-western Australia. Model outputs were based on sighting data collected during systematic, boat-based surveys between 2013 and 2015, and in relation to various ecogeographic variables. Water depth and distance to coast were identified as the most important variables influencing dolphin presence, with dolphins showing a preference for shallow waters (5-15 m) less than 2 km from the coast. Areas of high probability (> 0.6) of dolphin occurrence were primarily (90%) in multiple use areas where extractive human activities are permitted, and were poorly represented in sanctuary (no-take) zones. This spatial mismatch emphasises the need to reassess for future spatial planning and marine park management plan reviews for NMP. Shallow, coastal waters identified here should be considered priority areas for the conservation of this Vulnerable species. The paper is freely available for download at: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69863-6<http://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-69863-6> All the best, Guido ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Guido J. Parra, PhD Associate Professor | College of Science and Engineering Research leader | Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab (CEBEL) Staff: http://www.flinders.edu.au/people/guido.parra [cid:image001.png@01D68120.8AE7EC40]@GuidoJParra<https://twitter.com/GuidoJParra> | @CEBELresearch | <https://twitter.com/CEBELresearch> GoogleScholar<https://scholar.google.com.au/citations?hl=en&user=7YisEoAAAAAJ> | ResearchGate<https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Guido_Parra> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/guido-j-parra-093217183/> Flinders University, GPO Box 2100 Adelaide, SA 5001 Australia Tel: +61 8 8201 3565|email: guido.parra(a)flinders.edu.au<mailto:guido.parra@flinders.edu.au> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please consider the environment before printing this email

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IMMS Winter/Spring Dolphin Photo ID Research Internship
by Jessica Post 01 Sep '20

01 Sep '20

The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS) Research Internship Program is designed as a way for students interested in a career in marine science to gain valuable research experience in a real-world setting. As an intern, you will be trained in all aspects of dolphin photo-ID research as well as any other current research projects at IMMS that may involve species such as: bottlenose dolphins, sea turtles, or diamondback terrapins. Interns will also participate in other operations at IMMS including: stranding response, aquarist and reptile care, and animal care. Our goal is to give interns a well-rounded experience in a variety of areas while providing expert training and experience in marine science research. Interns must: - Commit to a minimum of 12 weeks. The internship can be extended depending on work performance - Be available to work Mon-Fri and must be available for all boat-based surveys. Some field days may fall on the weekends. - Have a strong sense of responsibility, work ethic, attention to detail, and ability to admit mistakes. - Produce high quality research efforts and exhibit strong interpersonal skills Principle Duties include: data entry, learning all research protocols, cropping and sorting photo-ID fin images, learning to use photo-ID programs such as Darwin (fin matching software) and FinBase (Microsoft Access), boat based field research (21' boat), and learn how to use ArcGIS Secondary Duties include: assisting animal care staff, attending marine mammal necropsies, responding to marine mammal and sea turtle strandings, and assisting educational staff Field Days: Interns must be able to spend many hours on the water and on shore in sometimes extreme seasonal conditions. Seasonal temperatures range from over 100 °F in summer to 30 °F in winter. Field days typically exceed eight hours and occur at least two or three times a week. Eligibility Requirements Applicants must be 18 or older and must have a genuine interest in marine research. Applicants should be actively pursuing a college degree or be a recent graduate in oceanography, marine science/biology, biology, or a related field. Previous research experience in any capacity is a plus. Applicants must be able and willing to fulfill all duties outlined for this internship program. This is an unpaid position and interns are responsible for their own housing and transportation. Once accepted, IMMS staff will assist interns in finding rooms available to rent, usually with other staff members. The deadline to apply for the Winter/Spring sessions (January 4-March 26, 2021 or March 1-May 21, 2021) is November 1, 2020. For application and full details on how to apply please visit our website at http://imms.org/internship/ Jessica Post Research Assistant Research Intern Coordinator The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies 10801 Dolphin Lane Gulfport, MS 39503

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Harbour porpoise habitat modelling based on satellite telemetry
by Jonas Teilmann 01 Sep '20

01 Sep '20

Dear All, We are pleased to announce our new publication harbour porpoise habitat modelling based on satellite telemetry in Marine Ecology Progress Series: Stalder D, van Beest FM, Sveegaard S, Dietz R, Teilmann J, Nabe-Nielsen J (2020). Influence of environmental variability on harbour porpoise movement. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 648: 207-219. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13412 ABSTRACT: The harbour porpoise Phocoena phocoena is a small marine predator with a high conservation status in Europe and the USA. To protect the species effectively, it is crucial to understand its movement patterns and how the distribution of intensively used foraging areas can be predicted from environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the influence of both static and dynamic environmental conditions on large-scale harbour porpoise movements in the North Sea. We used long-term movement data from 57 individuals tracked during 1999−2017 in a state-space model to estimate the underlying behavioural states, i.e. whether animals used area-restricted or directed movements. Subsequently, we assessed whether the probability of using area-restricted movements was related to environmental conditions using a generalized linear mixed model. Harbour porpoises were more likely to use area-restricted movements in areas with low salinity levels, relatively high chlorophyll a concentrations and low current velocity, and in areas with steep bottom slopes, suggesting that such areas are important foraging grounds for porpoises. Our study identifies environmental parameters of relevance for predicting harbour porpoise foraging hot spots over space and time in a dynamic system. The study illustrates how movement patterns and data on environmental conditions can be combined, which is valuable to the conservation of marine mammals. The paper is open access and can be downloaded here: https://www.int-res.com/articles/meps_oa/m648p207.pdf or I can send you a pdf. All the best, Jonas Teilmann

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New publication on risk propensity in reproductive strategy
by Enrico Pirotta 01 Sep '20

01 Sep '20

Dear MARMAM colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the following paper is now available online: Enrico Pirotta, Vincent Hin, Marc Mangel, Leslie New, Daniel P. Costa, André M. de Roos, and John Harwood. 2020. Propensity for risk in reproductive strategy affects susceptibility to anthropogenic disturbance. The American Naturalist 196(4). Abstract: Animals initiate, interrupt or invest resources in reproduction in light of their physiology and the environment. The energetic risks entailed in an individual’s reproductive strategy can influence the ability to cope with additional stressors, such as anthropogenic climate change and disturbance. To explore the trade-offs between internal state, external resource availability and reproduction, we applied State-Dependent Life-History Theory (SDLHT) to a Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) model for long-finned pilot whales ( Globicephala melas). We investigated the reproductive strategies emerging from the interplay between fitness maximization and propensity to take energetic risks, and the resulting susceptibility of individual vital rates to disturbance. Without disturbance, facultative reproductive behavior from SDLHT and fixed rules in the DEB model led to comparable individual fitness. However, under disturbance, the reproductive strategies emerging from SDLHT increased vulnerability to energetic risks, resulting in lower fitness than fixed rules. These fragile strategies might therefore be unlikely to evolve in the first place. Heterogeneous resource availability favored more cautious, and thus more robust, strategies, particularly when knowledge of resource variation was accurate. Our results demonstrate that the assumptions regarding the dynamic trade-offs underlying an individual’s decision-making can have important consequences for predicting the effects of anthropogenic stressors on wildlife populations. A PDF copy of the paper can be downloaded from: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/710150 Please do not hesitate to contact me for any question regarding our work. Best Regards, Enrico Pirotta

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