[MARMAM] New publication on dolphin occupancy during flood events

[Christine Fury]

Hi all,

I pleased to announce the publication of the following paper in 
Marine Mammal Science on the impact of floods on dolphins inhabiting 
estuaries in Australia.

Christine A. Fury and Peter L. Harrison.


Impact of flood events on dolphin occupancy patterns

Marine Mammal Science. Article first published online: 7 FEB 2011 | 
DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00447.x
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2010.00447.x/abstract

Abstract:
The aim of this study was to assess potential impacts of water quality changes
associated with floods on the occupancy of Indo-Pacific bottlenose 
dolphins (Tursiops
aduncus) in two subtropical estuaries inAustralia.Boat-based 
surveyswere conducted
in the Clarence River estuary (CR) and Richmond River estuaries (RR) over 3 yr.
Principal components analysis (PCA) showed that when the dolphins were absent
from the estuaries, three water quality components were extracted in the CR and
two components in the RR. The PCA1 component included high loadings for
salinity, turbidity, and pH for the CR (46%); and salinity, turbidity, pH, and
dissolved oxygen (DO) for theRR(51%). Randomization tests showed that dolphins
abandoned both estuaries at times of lower salinity, and during 
periods of higher
turbidity and of lower levels of pH and dissolved oxygen in the RR that were
associated with floods. The time until dolphins returned to the 
estuary postflood
depended on the length and severity of the flood, but generally dolphins were
observed in waters with salinity levels above 29. Their delayed 
return postflood
could be for their physiological health, or because their prey 
returned to the estuaries
under these higher salinity conditions, or more likely a combination 
of both factors.

Pdf copies can be obtained from cfury10 at gmail.com

Note my new email address.

Regards
Christine Fury

Christine Fury, PhD
Marine Ecologist
Mobile 0408-264-330
Webpage: http://scu-au.academia.edu/ChristineFury/About
http://www.scu.edu.au/research/whales/index.php/30/
cfury10 at gmail.com
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