Dear MARMAM community,

My co-authors and I are pleased to share our new article in Frontiers in Marine Science:

Tatom-Naecker, T.M., Budge, S.M., Parry, C.B., Trumble, S.J., Wells, R.S., & Costa, D.P. (2026). First application of quantitative fatty acid signature analysis in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and its implications for diet estimation in free-ranging cetaceans. Front. Mar. Sci. 13:1804181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2026.1804181 

Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) provides species-level diet estimates integrated over longer time periods, making it a valuable tool for assessing health, ecological roles, and disturbance vulnerability. However, its use in cetaceans has been limited. In this study, we derive the first blubber layer-specific calibration coefficients for bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) and evaluate QFASA performance across a range of model parameter combinations. 

We show that species- and layer-specific coefficients improve diet estimates and that blubber fatty acids reflect prey consumption integrated over weeks to months. At the same time, model parameter choices influence performance and estimate accuracy, highlighting important considerations for future applications. We hope this work will be useful for researchers seeking to better understand cetacean foraging ecology, as well as for those applying QFASA and navigating key methodological choices.  

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. 

Best,

Theresa