Show simple item record

Files in this item

Thumbnail

Item metadata

dc.contributor.advisorHammond, Philip S.
dc.contributor.advisorThomas, Len
dc.contributor.advisorZerbini, Alexandre N.
dc.contributor.authorBortolotto, Guilherme Augusto
dc.coverage.spatialviii, 200 p.en_US
dc.date.accessioned2019-11-15T09:25:51Z
dc.date.available2019-11-15T09:25:51Z
dc.date.issued2019-12-03
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/18932
dc.description.abstractThe humpback whale population breeding in Brazilian waters has greatly increased, after near extinction due to whaling in the twentieth century. Today, these animals are under pressure from human activities in the area. In this thesis, habitat use, distribution, abundance, population status and potential threat from oil spills were investigated to improve knowledge of the population’s ecology and provide useful information for conservation and management. Distribution and habitat use were investigated through spatial models applied to line transect data and to tracking data. Line transect data were also used to estimate abundance. Distribution maps from both data types were used with a simulation of oil dispersion to evaluate risk of impact from oil spills. The new abundance estimates, together with information on population increase from another study, were used to update a Bayesian population dynamics model to re-assess population status. Modelling of line transect data indicated whale density to be higher in slower currents, at shorter distances to both the coastline and shelf edge, and at sea surface temperatures between 24 and 25°C, and to be related to shelter. A higher concentration of animals was predicted in the southern portion of Abrolhos bank, an enlargement of the continental shelf. Modelling of tracking data agreed with those findings, despite differences in the nature of the data and analytical methods. Risk maps of oil spill impact indicated that areas in the south of the breeding range present highest risks to the animals. Abundance estimates (14,264, CV = 0.084, in 2008; 20,389, CV = 0.071, in 2012) provide further evidence that the population is increasing, and contributed to improved precision in the population status assessment. New information provided here will inform conservation of the humpback whale population breeding in Brazilian waters and the need for, and implementation of, any necessary management action.en_US
dc.description.sponsorship"This work was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, CNPq, Programa Ciência sem Fronteiras, scholarship 208203/2014-1)." -- Acknowledgementsen
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherUniversity of St Andrewsen
dc.rightsCreative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/*
dc.subjectHumpback whalesen_US
dc.subjectMarine mammalsen_US
dc.subjectStatistical modelsen_US
dc.subjectDistributionen_US
dc.subjectAbundanceen_US
dc.subjectHuman impactsen_US
dc.subjectWhalingen_US
dc.subjectPopulation dynamicsen_US
dc.subjectDistance samplingen_US
dc.subjectSatellite telemetryen_US
dc.subjectBayesianen_US
dc.subjectMarkov chain Monte Carloen_US
dc.subjectMigrationen_US
dc.subjectEcologyen_US
dc.subjectBreeding groundsen_US
dc.subjectOil driften_US
dc.subjectAbrolhos Banken_US
dc.subjectBrazilian coasten_US
dc.subjectConservation and managementen_US
dc.subjectMitigationen_US
dc.subject.lccQL737.C424B7
dc.subject.lcshHumpback whale--Brazilen
dc.subject.lcshHumpback whale--Effect of human beings onen
dc.titleHumpback whales in Brazil : distribution, abundance and human impactsen_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
dc.contributor.sponsorConselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico. Ciência sem Fronteirasen_US
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen_US
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD Doctor of Philosophyen_US
dc.publisher.institutionThe University of St Andrewsen_US
dc.identifier.doi https://doi.org/10.17630/10023-18932


The following licence files are associated with this item:

    This item appears in the following Collection(s)

    Show simple item record

    Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
    Except where otherwise noted within the work, this item's licence for re-use is described as Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International