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Assessment of genetic population structure, promiscuity, and paternity in free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis, in the Bahamas
Title
Assessment of genetic population structure, promiscuity, and paternity in free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins, Stenella frontalis, in the Bahamas.
Creator
Green, Michelle L., Florida Atlantic University, Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
This study investigated a resident community of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on Little Bahama Bank (LBB) in the Bahamas utilizing a noninvasive molecular approach. Genetic template material was collected and extracted from fecal material of S. frontalis. Fine-scale population structure was found within LBB according to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites (Fst = 0.25317, P
Show moreThis study investigated a resident community of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) on Little Bahama Bank (LBB) in the Bahamas utilizing a noninvasive molecular approach. Genetic template material was collected and extracted from fecal material of S. frontalis. Fine-scale population structure was found within LBB according to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and microsatellites (Fst = 0.25317, P < 0.0001 and Fst = 0.04491, P < 0.0001, respectively). Three main social clusters (North, Central, South/Roam) exist on LBB and all clusters were found to be genetically distinct according to microsatellite analyses. Mitochondrial haplotypes revealed North and South/Roam were not differentiated, but Central was different from both. When separated by sex, males were less genetically structured than females. Males showed no evidence of structure according to Ost or Rst., Females of all clusters were differentiated according to microsatellites whereas mtDNA revealed the same pattern in females as was seen for the total population. The structuring patterns of the sexes clearly indicate a pattern of male dispersal and female philopatry for the LBB population. Genetic investigation of mating revealed patterns in the mating system of S. frontalis on LBB. Genotypes of females and offspring were analyzed and revealed that more than two males were required to explain the progeny arrays, indicating promiscuous mating among females. In addition, paternity assessment assigned seven males as fathers to ten of 29 mother-calf pairs. A pattern of reproductive skew according to age was revealed because reproductively successful males were in the oldest age class at the estimated time of conception of the calves., Patterns in social cluster mating revealed that males from the Central cluster sired offspring with females from both the Central and North clusters, while Roaming males sired offspring with South and Central females indicating that males mate within their social cluster or with females from the next closest cluster. The study has important implications for cetacean research, specifically delphinids. Fine-scale population structure and mating patterns of male and female S. frontalis were revealed through noninvasive methodology presenting a valuable genetic framework with which to support ongoing investigations of life history, behavior, communication and social structure.
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Date Issued
2008
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/58004
Subject Headings
Dolphins, Social behavior in animals, Population genetics, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Dolphins, Geographical distribution
Format
Document (PDF)
Maternal and alloparental discipline in Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas
Title
Maternal and alloparental discipline in Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas.
Creator
Weinpress, Meghan., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Discipline was implemented by mothers and alloparent spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) mothers and alloparents on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Disciplinarians were significantly more likely to be adults than juveniles. Although most disciplinarians were female, males were also observed to perform discipline. The recipients of discipline were male and female, and significantly more likely to be calves than juveniles. Pursuit, contact, and display behaviors were used in discipline, however...
Show moreDiscipline was implemented by mothers and alloparent spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) mothers and alloparents on Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. Disciplinarians were significantly more likely to be adults than juveniles. Although most disciplinarians were female, males were also observed to perform discipline. The recipients of discipline were male and female, and significantly more likely to be calves than juveniles. Pursuit, contact, and display behaviors were used in discipline, however pursuit behaviors were most often observed. Variables such as age class, sex, and parity were not found to influence how discipline was implemented. The durations of all disciplinary pursuits were under thirty seconds, and successful pursuits had slightly shorter duration than unsuccessful pursuits. Disciplinarian success was not significantly influenced by age class, sex, parity, or behavior used.
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Date Issued
2013
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/3361254
Subject Headings
Animal behavior, Behavior evolution, Atlantic mammals, Behavior, Parent-child relationships, Social behavior in animals, Discipline of children, Atlantic spotted dolphin
Format
Document (PDF)
Home on the range
Title
Home on the range: spatial ecology of Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the Bahamas.
Creator
Augliere, Bethany., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
I examined summer home range use of Altantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas from 1991-2004. Home ranges for 86 dolphins using the 95% Fixed Kernel Density (FKD) estimator averages 62.o km2+=22.96 km2 and ranged from 24.8 km2 to 148.4 km2. Older animals and males had the largest ranges. Home range size did not vary with female reproductive status. core areas were defined by the 50% FKD contour and averaged 10.32 km2 +=5.47 km2. Habitat use was different between reproductive states for females...
Show moreI examined summer home range use of Altantic spotted dolphins in the Bahamas from 1991-2004. Home ranges for 86 dolphins using the 95% Fixed Kernel Density (FKD) estimator averages 62.o km2+=22.96 km2 and ranged from 24.8 km2 to 148.4 km2. Older animals and males had the largest ranges. Home range size did not vary with female reproductive status. core areas were defined by the 50% FKD contour and averaged 10.32 km2 +=5.47 km2. Habitat use was different between reproductive states for females. Non-reproductively active (NRA) females used deeped habitat. Behavioral use of the home range varied spatially. The core area was an important foraging area for males and reproductively active females. NRA females foraged more outside their core area compared to the core area.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3358277
Subject Headings
Social behavior of animals, Dolphins, Geographical distribution, Dolphins, Habitat
Format
Document (PDF)
Does size really matter
Title
Does size really matter: how synchrony and size affect the dynamic of aggression between two sympatric species of dolphin in the Bahamas.
Creator
Cuksick, Jessica A., Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, Department of Biological Sciences
Abstract/Description
Bottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins are sympatric species, resident to Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. A unique, dynamic methodology quantified how interspecific aggression changed over time in terms of the individuals participating, context, and behaviors used. The timing of human observation relative to the onset of aggression did not result in differences in the proportion of behaviors observed. Highly intense behaviors were used most often. The...
Show moreBottlenose (Tursiops truncatus) and spotted (Stenella frontalis) dolphins are sympatric species, resident to Little Bahama Bank, Bahamas. A unique, dynamic methodology quantified how interspecific aggression changed over time in terms of the individuals participating, context, and behaviors used. The timing of human observation relative to the onset of aggression did not result in differences in the proportion of behaviors observed. Highly intense behaviors were used most often. The synchronous state of spotted dolphin groups, not the presence alone, was a crucial factor in determining the onset and progression of aggression. When synchronous, spotted dolphins successfully dominated the larger bottlenose dolphins. Two levels of dominance were observed. Within a single encounter ("encounter level"), one species did dominate the other. When all aggressive encounters were considered collectively over the long term ("gross level"), one species did not dominate the other. The combination of contextual factors best determined the dynamic of interspecific aggression.
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Date Issued
2012
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/3342044
Subject Headings
Bottlenose dolphin, Behavior, Research, Atlantic spotted dolphin, Behavior, Research, Mammals, Behavior, Aggressive behavior in animals
Format
Document (PDF)
Preacher's Cave
Title
Preacher's Cave: developing a national heritage tourism site in Eluthera, Bahamas.
Creator
Day, Jane S., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of Anthropology
Abstract/Description
Preacher's Cave, an archaeological site in North Eleuthera, Bahamas, is arguably one of the most important historical places in that country. This large cave, isolated in a natural setting, has long been associated in the popular imagination with the first English colonists who shipwrecked in the Bahamas in 1648 and laid the foundation for the modern nation. Before the present work, no systematic scientific archaeological work had ever been conducted at this site. While Project Director for...
Show morePreacher's Cave, an archaeological site in North Eleuthera, Bahamas, is arguably one of the most important historical places in that country. This large cave, isolated in a natural setting, has long been associated in the popular imagination with the first English colonists who shipwrecked in the Bahamas in 1648 and laid the foundation for the modern nation. Before the present work, no systematic scientific archaeological work had ever been conducted at this site. While Project Director for the Preacher's Cave archaeological investigations in 1991, 1992, 2005, 2006, and 2007, I acted as liaison between the Bahamian Government, local island constituents, and the team of scholars who accomplished the work, organizing all aspects of the excavations. By analyzing the recovered material assemblage from these excavations, we were able to prove that the seventeenth-century English Puritans not only used Preacher's Cave for shelter in the first period of colonization, but altered the natural rock formations of the cave for use as the first church in the Bahamas. These excavations, in conjunction with the written record, also suggest that the area surrounding the site is the location of the first free black community in the country. Finally the scientific investigation confirmed Preacher's Cave as a prehistoric burial spot for the Lucayan people who lived in the islands before Columbus landed in 1492. These burials are unique because they were recovered with grave goods and one of the five Lucayan burials appears to be a victim of human sacrifice. No where else in the country do these three compelling narratives come together and form the basis for the development of a National Heritage Tourism Site., But protecting an historic site and interpreting it for visitors in a country where tourism is one of the major industries can be challenging. This study summarizes past strategies that were successful in the development of a small museum on the nearby is Wells using the techniques of the public historian and public archaeologist to proceed with plans for the opening of Preacher's Cave as a national park. Discussions concerning constituents, park boundaries, access, and political realities in the twenty-first century Bahamas are considered while examining the larger concept of heritage and tourism as collaborative industries.
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Date Issued
2010
PURL
http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/1927305
Subject Headings
Excavations (Archaeology), Historic sites, Antiquities, Antiquities
Format
Document (PDF)