Acoustic behaviour, ecology and social structure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu 1821) in the North Atlantic

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dc.check.opt-outNoen
dc.check.reasonThis thesis is due for publication or the author is actively seeking to publish this materialen
dc.contributor.advisorRogan, Emeren
dc.contributor.advisorIngram, Simon N.en
dc.contributor.authorEnglund, Anneli
dc.contributor.funderIrish Research Council for Science Engineering and Technologyen
dc.contributor.funderNational Parks and Wildlife Service, Irelanden
dc.contributor.funderZoology, Ecology and Plant Science, College of Science, Engineering and Food Science, University College Corken
dc.date.accessioned2014-04-30T13:45:32Z
dc.date.available2015-05-01T04:00:09Z
dc.date.issued2014
dc.date.submitted2014
dc.description.abstractCommunication is important for social and other behavioural interactions in most marine mammal species. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu, 1821) is a highly social species that use whistles as communication calls to express identity and to initiate and maintain contact between socially interactive individuals. In this thesis, the degree of variability in whistle behaviour and whistle characteristics was examined between different habitats on a range of spatial scales. The whistle characteristics that best discriminated between different communities were investigated, along with exploration of whistle variation in relation to habitat type, levels of social interaction and relatedness. Finally, the use and variability of individually distinctive calls (signature whistles) within and between Irish and US waters were also examined. Relatively high levels of whistle variation were found within a genetically and socially isolated population of dolphins in the Shannon Estuary, reflecting the need for individual identification and distinctive whistles in a population with long term site fidelity and high levels of social cohesion. Variation between reproductively separate communities in Irish waters was relatively small except between animals in inshore compared with continental shelf waters. The greatest differences in whistle structure overall were evident between dolphins using inshore and offshore US waters, likely reflecting social isolation of the two distinct ecotypes that occur in these waters but also variation in behaviour or habitat conditions. Variation found among inshore communities in US waters reflected similarities in habitat use and levels of social interaction. These findings suggest that vocal variation is socially mediated, behaviourally maintained and dependent on levels of social contact between individuals. The findings contribute to our understanding of the interaction of factors influencing vocalisation behaviour in this behaviourally complex and ecologically plastic species.en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationEnglund, A. 2014. Acoustic behaviour, ecology and social structure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu 1821) in the North Atlantic. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage170
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/1546
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2014, Anneli Englunden
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/en
dc.subjectBottlenose dolphinen
dc.subjectTursiops truncatusen
dc.subjectNorth Atlanticen
dc.subjectWhistle variationen
dc.subjectPopulation structureen
dc.subjectHabitat useen
dc.subjectEcotypeen
dc.thesis.opt-outfalse
dc.titleAcoustic behaviour, ecology and social structure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus, Montagu 1821) in the North Atlanticen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePhD (Science)en
ucc.workflow.supervisore.rogan@ucc.ie
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