Occurrence, residency patterns and habitat use of the bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus truncatus, on two Marine Protected Areas in Southeastern Brazil

Most studies of cetacean habitat use do not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. We investigated the influence of environmental and anthropogenic variables on habitat use by humpback Megaptera novaeangliae and Bryde’s whales Balaenoptera brydei off the coast of the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Although there are 2 marine protected areas (MPAs) in this area, few data are available on cetacean habitat use or on the overlap of different cetacean species within these MPAs. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MPAs and propose a buffer zone to better protect the biodiversity of the study area. We conducted systematic surveys and developed spatial eigenvector generalized linear models to characterize habitat use by the species in the study area. Habitat use by humpback whales was influenced only by depth, whereas for Bryde’s whales there was the additional influence of anthropogenic variables. For Bryde’s whales, which use the area for feeding, sea surface temperature and the distance to anchorages had a major influence on habitat use. We also showed that neither of the MPAs in the study area adequately protects the hotspots of either whale species. Most of the humpback whale grid cells with high sighting predictions were located within 2 km of the MPAs, while areas of high sighting prediction of Bryde’s whales were located up to 5 km from the MPAs, closer to beaches. Our findings provide important insights for the delimitation of protected areas and zoning of the MPAs.

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California spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) movement behaviour and habitat use: implications for the effectiveness of marine protected areas

Marine and Freshwater Research ◽

10.1071/mf12127 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 359 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kira R. Withy-Allen ◽

Kevin A. Hovel

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Protected Areas ◽

Time Scales ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Southern California ◽

Survival Rates ◽

Movement Patterns ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Home Ranges ◽

Panulirus Interruptus

The effectiveness of conservation efforts, including marine protected areas (MPAs), hinges on adequate knowledge of movement patterns, habitat associations and habitat-specific survival rates of mobile organisms. California spiny lobsters (Panulirus interruptus) support commercial and recreational fishing in southern California; however, we lack basic information to determine whether MPAs planned for the region will enhance abundance. Working within and outside a small southern California MPA, we (1) quantified the movement patterns and home ranges of the lobster over two time scales, (2) determined lobster day and night habitat associations and (3) determined habitat-specific predation risk. Lobsters exhibited high site fidelity and small home ranges (geometric mean of 651 m2 and 5912 m2 per week, on the basis of 50% and 95% kernel utilisation distributions, respectively). Lobsters were associated with rocky habitat during the day and with the red algae Plocamium cartilagineum while feeding at night. Relative survival rates of lobsters were high across vegetated and unvegetated habitats at night, and were highest in surfgrass (Phyllopsadix torreyi) habitat during the day. Our results highlight the need to consider how movement patterns vary over short and long time scales, and how habitat use may vary from day to night for nocturnally active species such as lobsters, when planning MPAs.

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Long-term acoustic monitoring of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in marine protected areas in the Spanish Mediterranean Sea

Ocean & Coastal Management ◽

10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.05.017 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 113 ◽

pp. 54-66 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Manuel Castellote ◽

José María Brotons ◽

Carla Chicote ◽

Manel Gazo ◽

Margalida Cerdà

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Mediterranean Sea ◽

Marine Protected Areas ◽

Tursiops Truncatus ◽

Bottlenose Dolphins ◽

Acoustic Monitoring

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Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, SeasonalHabitat Use and Associations with Habitat Characteristics inRoanoke Sound, North Carolina

International Journal of Comparative Psychology ◽

10.46867/ijcp.2019.32.02.01 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

Author(s):

Shauna McBride-Kebert ◽

Jessica S. Taylor ◽

Krystan A. Wilkinson ◽

Heidi Lyn ◽

Frank R. Moore ◽

...

Keyword(s):

North Carolina ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Tursiops Truncatus ◽

Hot Spot ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

Limited Information ◽

Common Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Group Density ◽

And Behavior

Understanding how habitat characteristics influence common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, distribution and behavior can be useful for conservation. The dolphin community in Roanoke Sound, North Carolina primarily exhibits seasonal residency and there is limited information on their habitat use. The objectives of this study were to increase habitat use knowledge and determine the relationship between habitat characteristics and dolphin distribution using standardized photographic-identification data (2009 – 2017). A hot spot (Getis-Ord Gi*) analysis showed dolphins frequently use the southern region containing the mouth of the estuary for feeding and traveling. Habitat characteristics were modeled with zero-altered gamma (ZAG), generalized linear (GLM), and generalized additive (GAM) models to predict dolphin group density. Models showed that groups were more likely to be present in areas with greater benthic slope variation and shallow areas closer to land, and that different habitat characteristics were associated with feed, social, and travel activities. This study suggests that Roanoke Sound provides a seasonal foraging area and travel corridor between the estuaries and coastal waters. This information contributes baseline knowledge of how habitat potentially influences dolphin distribution and behavior which can be useful for management and conservation, especially in areas where habitat changes and impacts need to be assessed.

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Movements of the bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in the Rio de Janeiro State, Southeastern Brazil

Biota Neotropica ◽

10.1590/s1676-06032008000400020 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 8 (4) ◽

pp. 206-209 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Liliane Lodi ◽

Leonardo Liberali Wedekin ◽

Marcos Roberto Rossi-Santos ◽

Milton César Marcondes

Keyword(s):

Bottlenose Dolphin ◽

Tursiops Truncatus ◽

Rio De Janeiro ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Janeiro State

Aiming to verify the movements of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) at Rio de Janeiro State coast, southeastern Brazil, we performed a photoidentification comparison between the catalogued individuals of the Cagarras Archipelago (23° 02' S and 43° 12' W) in 2004 and 2006 (n = 26) and the images obtained (n = 179) during the Southeastern Cetaceans Expedition, conducted during months of June and November of 2005. Eight individuals (three females and five dolphins of unknown gender) identified in the Cagarras Archipelago were resighted in the Grande Island (23° 21'S and 44° 15' W), about 100 km southwestwards from Cagarras Archipelago. The observed movements include distances commonly recorded for the species elsewhere and are probably related to search for prey.

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