Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans

Eguiguren, Ana; Pirotta, Enrico; Cantor, Maurício; Rendell, Luke; Whitehead, Hal

doi:10.3354/meps12822

Cited by 19 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Shaded areas represent 95% confidence intervals as calculated by the generalized estimation equation (GEE). Rug plots along the x-axis represent the sampling intensity across the variables range autocorrelation caused by this continuous method of data collection, generalized estimation equations (GEEs) were used in combination with GAMs (Eguiguren, Pirotta, Cantor, Rendell, & Whitehead, 2019;Pirotta et al, 2011) within R 3.3.3 (R Core Team, 2017. All GPS points were grouped into individual blocks (Pirotta et al, 2011), defined as the set of continuous search points up to a dolphin sighting or the set of points associated with a dolphin group follow.…”

Section: Modelling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area in Greece to support spatial management planning

Bonizzoni¹,

Furey

Santostasi

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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Understanding marine mammal distributions is essential for conservation, as it can help identify critical habitat where management action can be taken. The semi‐enclosed Gulf of Corinth, Greece, has been identified as an Important Marine Mammal Area by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force, based on the regular occurrence of odontocete populations. A 7‐year (2011–17) dataset of boat‐based surveys was used to model and predict the distribution of striped dolphins, Stenella coeruleoalba, common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, and common bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus, in the entire Gulf (2400 km2). Multiple geographic, bathymetric, oceanographic, and anthropogenic variables were incorporated in a combined generalized additive model and generalized estimation equation (GAM‐GEE) framework to describe dolphin occurrence and produce distribution maps. Modelling indicated that striped and common dolphins prefer deep waters (>300 m) in the central and southern part of the Gulf, whereas bottlenose dolphins prefer shallow waters (<300 m) and areas close to fish farms along the northern–central shore. Model‐based maps of the predicted distribution identified a preferred habitat encompassing most of the Gulf, also revealing: (i) hot spots of dolphin distribution covering about 40% of the Gulf's surface; (ii) an almost complete overlap of striped and common dolphin distribution, consistent with the hypothesis that common dolphins modified their habitat preferences to live in mixed species groups with striped dolphins; (iii) a clear partitioning of striped/common and bottlenose dolphin habitat; and (iv) the important role played by fish farms for bottlenose dolphins, consistent with studies conducted elsewhere in Greece. Evidence provided by this study calls for area‐specific and species‐specific management measures to mitigate anthropogenic impacts.

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Section: Modelling Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modelling dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area in Greece to support spatial management planning

Bonizzoni¹,

Furey

Santostasi

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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“…Other individuals, in contrast, did not engage in bubble net feeding at all, appeared to practice deep-feeding behavior (likely targeting krill; [138]), occurred more commonly deeper into the fjord system, arrived later in the year, were more socially fluid, but engaged in more purely 'social' behavior in the sense that their interactions were often not tied in any apparent way to feeding. The fact that these social niches are manifest along a continuum differs from examples of social niche partitioning observed in odontocetes such as sperm whales (e.g., [45]) and killer whales (e.g., [57]), and may reflect the fact that this feeding habitat was only recently reoccupied by humpback whale populations that are still in the process of recovering, in terms of both abundance and ecological role, from commercial whaling [81,108]. Furthermore, it is unknown whether or not the social and ecological roles manifest within this population will recover in step with its abundance, if at all, nor is it known whether or not the patterns emerging in the KFS even reflect those that existed before and during commercial whaling.…”

Section: Habitat Usementioning

confidence: 87%

“…This process has been observed among various vertebrate groups, including terrestrial mammals, e.g., Hapalemur griseus in Madagascar [39], marine mammals, e.g., the sympatric communities of killer whales in the Pacific Northwest and Southern Ocean [31,32] and sperm whales in the Mediterranean [40], as well as in other taxa (see next paragraph). For many such cases, we know that niche partitioning is the direct result of behavioral traits that are socially learned and shared, and thus constitute a form of culturally-mediated niche partitioning [31,[41][42][43][44][45]. Examples are found among mountain sheep [46], sea otters [47], tool-using apes and monkeys [48-100 50], and passerine birds that learn about feeding areas, prey sizes, and predator dangers from parents as sperm whales of the Galapagos archipelago [16,45,[53][54][55][56], ecologically and acoustically specialized pods of killer whales [57], bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Moreton Bay, Australia [58], dusky dolphins of New Zealand's South Island [59], and tool-using dolphins elsewhere [60].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For many such cases, we know that niche partitioning is the direct result of behavioral traits that are socially learned and shared, and thus constitute a form of culturally-mediated niche partitioning [31,[41][42][43][44][45]. Examples are found among mountain sheep [46], sea otters [47], tool-using apes and monkeys [48-100 50], and passerine birds that learn about feeding areas, prey sizes, and predator dangers from parents as sperm whales of the Galapagos archipelago [16,45,[53][54][55][56], ecologically and acoustically specialized pods of killer whales [57], bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Moreton Bay, Australia [58], dusky dolphins of New Zealand's South Island [59], and tool-using dolphins elsewhere [60]. In these examples, patterns in habitat partitioning and ecological role within a shared space correspond closely to the social structure of the population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social survival: humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) use social structure to partition ecological niches within proposed critical habitat

Wray¹,

Keen

O’Mahony

2020

Preprint

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Animal culture and social bonds are relevant to wildlife conservation because they influence patterns of geography, behavior, and strategies of survival. Numerous examples of socially-driven habitat partitioning and ecological-niche specialization can be found among vertebrates, including toothed whales. But such social-ecological dynamics, described here as ‘social niche partitioning’, are not known among baleen whales, whose societies -- particularly on foraging grounds -- are largely perceived as unstructured and incidental to matters of habitat use and conservation. However, through 16 years of behavioral and photo-identification observations of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding within a fjord system in British Columbia, Canada, we have documented long-term pair bonds (lasting up to 12 years) as well as a complex societal structure, which corresponds closely to persistent patterns in feeding strategy, long-term site fidelity (extended seasonal occupancy and annual rate of return up to 75%), specific geographic preferences within the fjord system, and other forms of habitat use. Randomization tests of network congruency and clustering algorithms were used to test for overlap in patterns of social structure and habitat use, which confirmed the occurrence of social niche partitioning on the feeding grounds of this baleen whale. In addition, we document the extensive practice of group bubble net feeding in Pacific Canada. This coordinated feeding behavior was found to strongly mediate the social structure and habitat use within this humpback whale society. Additionally, during our 2004 – 2019 study, we observed a shift in social network structure in 2010 – 2012, which corresponded with environmental and demographic shifts including a sudden decline in the population’s calving rate. Our findings indicate that the social lives of humpback whales, and perhaps baleen whales generally, are more complex than previously supposed and should be a primary consideration in the assessment of potential impacts to important habitat.

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“…Part of what makes the perceived significance of cultural groups in animals difficult to determine is the interactions between groups or lack thereof. Sperm whales have distinct cultural clans marked by their vocal dialects, yet these clans have rarely been documented as coming into contact with one another, despite the lack of clear geographical boundaries between them and the existence of overlapping habitat usage . Therefore, we must ask: what is the significance of these clan distinctions?…”

Section: What Perceived Significance Does Culture Have To Animal Commmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community through Culture: From Insects to Whales

Allen

2019

BioEssays

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It has become increasingly clear that social learning and culture occur much more broadly, and in a wider variety of animal communities, than initially believed. Recent research has expanded the list to include insects, fishes, elephants, and cetaceans. Such diversity allows scientists to expand the scope of potential research questions, which can help form a more complete understanding of animal culture than any single species can provide on its own. It is crucial to understand how culture and social learning present in different communities, as well as what influences community structure and culture may have on one another, so that the results across these different studies may most effectively inform one another. This review presents an overview of social learning in species across a spectrum of community structures, providing the necessary infrastructure to allow a comparison of studies that will help move the field of animal culture forward.

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Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans

Cited by 19 publications

References 80 publications

Modelling dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area in Greece to support spatial management planning

Modelling dolphin distribution within an Important Marine Mammal Area in Greece to support spatial management planning

Social survival: humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) use social structure to partition ecological niches within proposed critical habitat

Community through Culture: From Insects to Whales

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