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dc.contributor.authorCoxon, Jennifer
dc.contributor.authorArso Civil, Monica
dc.contributor.authorClaridge, Diane
dc.contributor.authorDunn, Charlotte
dc.contributor.authorHammond, Philip S.
dc.date.accessioned2022-09-27T11:30:03Z
dc.date.available2022-09-27T11:30:03Z
dc.date.issued2022-09-19
dc.identifier277341145
dc.identifier4c99acd5-5086-437e-af78-eb245cd12412
dc.identifier85133182894
dc.identifier000855800000001
dc.identifier.citationCoxon , J , Arso Civil , M , Claridge , D , Dunn , C & Hammond , P S 2022 , ' Investigating local population dynamics of bottlenose dolphins in the northern Bahamas and the impact of hurricanes on survival ' , Mammalian Biology , vol. Online First . https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00208-0en
dc.identifier.issn1618-1476
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0001-8239-9526/work/119628518
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-2381-8302/work/119628720
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0002-4274-7239/work/119628785
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/26075
dc.descriptionThis study was made possible with financial support from Earthwatch Institute, Atlantis Blue Project Foundation, with permission to conduct research granted by the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources.en
dc.description.abstractLittle Bahama Bank in the northern Bahamas supports several populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). We provide the first estimates of birth rate and age-class-specific apparent survival rates for the local South Abaco population using data from a long-term (1997–2014) photo-identification (photo-ID) study and use the estimated life history parameters in a population viability analysis (PVA) to predict future population trends. Hurricane events are predicted to become more intense due to climate change but knowledge of how hurricanes may impact cetacean populations is limited. Little Bahama Bank is subject to hurricane activity, so we also investigate the potential impact of hurricanes on calf, juvenile and adult survival. Photo-ID data confirmed the existence of a core adult population with relatively high site fidelity in South Abaco, but also evidence of transient animals. Estimated annual birth rate was 0.278 (95% CI: 0.241–0.337). We found strong support for a decline in apparent survival for all age-classes. Estimated survival declined by 9% in adults (0.941 in 1998, to 0.855 in 2013), 5% in juveniles (0.820 in 2000, to 0.767 in 2013) and 36% in calves (0.970 in 1997, to 0.606 in 2013). Evidence that survival was influenced by repeated hurricane activity leading to increased mortality and/or emigration was stronger for calves and juveniles than for adults. PVA simulations of an assumed isolated South Abaco population showed that declines would lead to extinction within decades, even under the most optimistic scenario. Future work should focus on establishing if South Abaco is part of natural source–sink metapopulation dynamics on Little Bahama Bank by assessing trends in abundance in local populations and establishing how they interact; this will be important for assessing their conservation status in a potentially increasingly changing environment.
dc.format.extent16
dc.format.extent2555596
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofMammalian Biologyen
dc.subjectBirth rateen
dc.subjectBottlenose dolphinen
dc.subjectHurricaneen
dc.subjectLittle Baham Banken
dc.subjectMark-recaptureen
dc.subjectPhoto-identificationen
dc.subjectPopulation declineen
dc.subjectPopulation viability analysisen
dc.subjectSurvivalen
dc.subjectTursiops truncatusen
dc.subjectGC Oceanographyen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subjectNDASen
dc.subjectSDG 10 - Reduced Inequalitiesen
dc.subjectSDG 13 - Climate Actionen
dc.subject.lccGCen
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleInvestigating local population dynamics of bottlenose dolphins in the northern Bahamas and the impact of hurricanes on survivalen
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Uniten
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Biologyen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotlanden
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Instituteen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modellingen
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00208-0
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden


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