Ecology, Population Structure and Dynamics

Current Research, January 2010

• Sarasota Bay dolphin community monitoring program 2008-2009
• Seasonal residency and abundance trends of bottlenose dolphins in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
• Eckerd College Dolphin Project update
• Autonomous acoustic recordings of dolphins on the West Florida Shelf: Preliminary results and current research
• Characterizing the bottlenose dolphin community near the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and comparison with a community in an adjacent polluted site near Brunswick, Georgia
• Stable isotope values as indicators of bottlenose dolphin foraging habits
• Prey selection by resident bottlenose dolphins
• Sarasota dolphins: Now with 50% more HAB!
• Genetic susceptibility to red tides
• Status of fish populations in Sarasota Bay post-red-tide

Previous Research

• Sarasota Bay dolphin monitoring program 2007-2008
• Stable isotopes in bottlenose dolphin teeth as tools in population differentiation
• Effects of red tide on dolphin prey fish availability
• Genetic and Contaminant sampling of mid-Sarasota Bay and new dolphins
• Long-term site fidelity, residency, and ranging patterns of bottlenose dolphins in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
• Monitoring site-fidelity of bottlenose dolphins in the St. Joseph Bay region of the Florida Panhandle following multiple Unusual Mortality Events
• Assessing bottlenose dolphin health as an indicator of overall ecosystem health; an ongoing study in the the Turtle/Brunswick River Estuary and Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve
• Bottlenose dolphins in the Big Bend region of Florida
• Sarasota Bay dolphin monitoring program
• Comparing patterns of habitat selection at the levels of the population and the individual
• Validating stranding data in feeding ecology studies of bottlenose dolphins from Sarasota Bay, using long-term observations
• Diet determination of Sarasota Bay bottlenose dolphins, using DNA-based identification of prey remains in scat samples
• Effects of red tide on dolphin prey fish availability
• Shark tracking in Sarasota Bay
• Investigating impacts of Hurricane Charley and red tide on dolphin abundance, reproductive rates, distribution, and residency in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound
• Population structure of bottlenose dolphins in and around St. Joseph Bay, Florida
• Abundance, site-fidelity, and habitat utilization patterns of bottlenose dolphins near a National Priority List polluted site and an adjacent reference site in Georgia
• Earthwatch Dolphin Monitoring Program 2005-2006
• Earthwatch Institute Dolphin Monitoring Program: Sarasota Dolphin Community Status
• Bottlenose dolphin population differentiation and trophic studies using Carbon, Nitrogen, and Sulfur stable isotopes and stomach content analyses
• Red Tide Returns in 2006
• Effects of red tide on dolphins
• Effects of Red Tide on Prey Availability
• Computer Modeling of Dolphin Habitat Use
• Investigating potential hurricane and red tide related impacts on bottlenose dolphin abundance, reproductive rates, distribution, and site fidelity in Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound.
• Echo and Misha Update: Misha's death 16 years post-release
• Population structure of bottlenose dolphins in and around St. Joseph Bay, Florida
• Earthwatch Dolphin Monitoring Program 2004-2005
• Bottlenose dolphin abundance, distribution, seasonal and long-term site fidelity in the Charlotte Harbor Ecosystem
• Genetic analyses of stock structure in Tampa Bay: Examining community structure of bottlenose dolphins in Tampa Bay using a genetic approach
• Echo and Misha Update: Fifteen years back in the wild
• Understanding bottlenose dolphin feeding ecology through combined analyses of stomach contents and stable isotopes
• Monitoring swimming, diving, and forestomach temperature changes on instrumented wild dolphins to determine post-release foraging effort and success
• Habitat quality and prey availability for bottlenose dolphins
• Red tide impacts Sarasota Bay through most of 2005
• Effects of red tide on bottlenose dolphins
• Effects of red tide on prey availability
• Population structure of bottlenose dolphins in and around St. Joseph Bay, Florida.
• Earthwatch Institute Dolphin Monitoring Program: Sarasota Dolphin Community Status
• Bottlenose Dolphin Dietary Studies in West Central Florida: Assessing Variability in Different Geographic Scales
• Expanding Capabilities of the Vortex Population Modeling Software
• Bottlenose Dolphin Abundance, Distribution, Population Structure, and Health in the Charlotte Harbor Ecosystem: Update and Findings
• Genetic Analyses of Bottlenose Dolphin Stock Structure in Tampa Bay
• Habitat Quality and Prey Availability for Bottlenose Dolphins in Sarasota Bay
• Current Status of Bottlenose Dolphin Populations in the Florida Panhandle
• Acoustic Playback Experiment Yields Clues on How Dolphins Find Food
• Assessing the Trophic Ecology of Sarasota Bay Dolphins using Conventional Analyses and Stable Isotopes
• Integration of Genetic and Behavioral Data for Bottlenose Dolphin Population Unit Definition
• Genetic Analyses of Stock Structure in Tampa Bay: Examining Community Structure of Bottlenose Dolphins in Tampa Bay using a Genetic Approach
• Genetic and Contaminant Sampling of Bottlenose Dolphins in Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay, and Sarasota Bay
• Using Genetics to Examine Population Structure of Bottlenose Dolphins along the Central West Coast of Florida
• Reproductive Success of Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins: Experience, Size, and Who You Know Make a Difference
• Abundance, Distribution and Habitat Use of Tucuxi Dolphins along the Caribbean Coast of Colombia, South America
• Earthwatch Dolphin Monitoring Program 2003-2004