G'day folks, We're pleased to announce another publication (online at this stage) on the dolphins of Shark Bay, Western Australia: ---------- Bacher, K., Allen, S.J., Lindholm, A., Bejder, L. & Krützen, M. In press. Genes or culture - Are mitochondrial genes associated with tool use in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.)? Behavior Genetics DOI 10.1007/s10519-010-9375-8 Abstract: Some bottlenose dolphins use marine sponges as foraging tools (‘sponging’), which appears to be socially transmitted from mothers mainly to their female offspring. Yet, explanations alternative to social transmission have been proposed. Firstly, the propensity to engage in sponging might be due to differences in diving ability caused by variation of mitochondrial genes coding for proteins of the respiratory chain. Secondly, the cultural technique of sponging may have selected for changes in these same genes (or other autosomal ones) among its possessors. We tested whether sponging can be predicted by mitochondrial coding genes and whether these genes are under selection. In 29 spongers and 54 non-spongers from two study sites, the noncoding haplotype at the HVRI locus was a significant predictor of sponging, whereas the coding mitochondrial genes were not. There was no evidence of selection in the investigated genes. Our study shows that mitochondrial gene variation is unlikely to be a viable alternative to cultural transmission as a primary driver of tool use in dolphins. Keywords: Social learning; Gene culture co-evolution; Bottlenose dolphins; Tool use. ---------- If you simply can't wait for online access or the hard copy to be printed, please email the lead author (kathrin.bacher@bluewin.ch) or the senior author (michael.kruetzen@aim.uzh.ch) for a copy of the PDF. Kind regards, Simon Simon Allen Research Fellow, Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology Murdoch University South St., Murdoch Western Australia 6150 mob: +61(0) 416 083 653 email: s.allen@murdoch.edu.au web: http://www.cffr.murdoch.edu.au/mucru/simon_allen.html "The opposite of courage is not cowardice; it is conformity. Even dead fish can go with the flow." (Jim Hightower)