Food intake and body measurements of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in captivity

Kastelein, Ronald A.; Vaughan, N. D.; Walton, Susan; Wiepkema, P.R.

doi:10.1016/s0141-1136(01)00123-4

Cited by 73 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The cost of such vocal modification would be the equivalent of 7 kJ in caloric content. For comparison, the average energy content of food consumed by adult bottlenose dolphins in captivity ranges between 36,438 and 48,219 kJ day −1 (Kastelein et al, 2002(Kastelein et al, , 2003. It is also important to emphasize that in the current study, dolphins A and B vocalized at a relatively high average repetition rate of 28.6 whistles min −1 and 99.6 squawks min −1 , respectively, during oxygen consumption measurements (Table 1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: implications for animals communicating in noisy environments

Holt

Noren

Dunkin

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Many animals produce louder, longer or more repetitious vocalizations to compensate for increases in environmental noise. Biological costs of increased vocal effort in response to noise, including energetic costs, remain empirically undefined in many taxa, particularly in marine mammals that rely on sound for fundamental biological functions in increasingly noisy habitats. For this investigation, we tested the hypothesis that an increase in vocal effort would result in an energetic cost to the signaler by experimentally measuring oxygen consumption during rest and a 2 min vocal period in dolphins that were trained to vary vocal loudness across trials. Vocal effort was quantified as the total acoustic energy of sounds produced. Metabolic rates during the vocal period were, on average, 1.2 and 1.5 times resting metabolic rate (RMR) in dolphin A and B, respectively. As vocal effort increased, we found that there was a significant increase in metabolic rate over RMR during the 2 min following sound production in both dolphins, and in total oxygen consumption (metabolic cost of sound production plus recovery costs) in the dolphin that showed a wider range of vocal effort across trials. Increases in vocal effort, as a consequence of increases in vocal amplitude, repetition rate and/or duration, are consistent with behavioral responses to noise in free-ranging animals. Here, we empirically demonstrate for the first time in a marine mammal, that these vocal modifications can have an energetic impact at the individual level and, importantly, these data provide a mechanistic foundation for evaluating biological consequences of vocal modification in noise-polluted habitats.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: implications for animals communicating in noisy environments

Holt

Noren

Dunkin

et al. 2015

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…6) following the hurricane, indicating there may have also been an increased need for food consumption. Females in the late stages of pregnancy and lactating females require much higher energy levels for milk production than nonreproductively active adults (Reddy et al 1991) and therefore consume higher quantities of food during this time (Kastelein et al 2002). It is unknown whether calf survivorship and/or overall reproductive success of females in the Sound also increased but evidence suggests that there was enough food to at least support a temporary increase in feeding needs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hurricane impacts on the foraging patterns of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Mississippi Sound

Smith¹,

Hurley²,

Toms³

et al. 2013

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Acute catastrophic events, such as hurricanes, have various degrees of impact on marine mammal populations. Although changes in environmental conditions of affected areas have been examined for many storms, little attention has been given to the ecological effects on top-level predators. A longitudinal study on bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus behavior and distribution in Mississippi Sound has been ongoing since 2003, allowing the unique opportunity to examine the impacts of the passage of Hurricane Katrina on this coastal dolphin population. Previous research showed an increase in reproductive rates within this population following Hurricane Katrina, most likely due to an increase in prey density following the sharp decline in commercial fishing efforts. In this paper, the frequency and distribution of dolphin foraging encounters in Mississippi Sound were examined from 2003 to 2009, revealing both short-and potentially long-term effects on dolphin foraging patterns following the hurricane. A pulse in dolphin foraging encounters was observed, which increased by ~15% in the 2 yr following the hurricane before returning to pre-Katrina levels. Statistically significant hot spots were identified through the use of the Getis-Ord Gi* hot spot analysis and revealed spatial shifts in foraging habitat consistent with prey selectivity. The results of this study support previous findings that coastal bottlenose dolphins in the southeastern United States are selective feeders, preferring to forage in deeper water known for soniferous prey species. Furthermore, this study presents important baseline information for future studies investigating other acute catastrophic events in Mississippi Sound, such as cumulative impacts following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

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“…These animals comprise a closed or semi-closed population, based on 12 yr of continuous study over which investigators did not observe immigrations or emmigrations, and only rare excursions outside the fjord were recorded (Schneider 1999, Lusseau et al 2003. The population of 67 dolphins in 2002 required in excess of 200 t of fish per year for maintenance, based on calculations using nutritional requirements from captive animals (Kastelein et al 2002). This resource requirement is likely supported by a mixture of primary production generated inside the fjord (phytoplankton, macroalgae, and terrestrial input) and an influx of oceanic production into the system in the form of migrating pelagic fishes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Importance of local production versus pelagic subsidies in the diet of an isolated population of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops sp.

Lusseau¹,

Wing²

2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Food intake and body measurements of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncates) in captivity

Cited by 73 publications

References 11 publications

Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: implications for animals communicating in noisy environments

Vocal performance affects metabolic rate in dolphins: implications for animals communicating in noisy environments

Hurricane impacts on the foraging patterns of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Mississippi Sound

Importance of local production versus pelagic subsidies in the diet of an isolated population of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops sp.

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