Principal Investigator: Mariano Alberto Coscarella
Funding year: 2022
Main objectives:
- The aim of this project is to gain a better understanding of the population dynamics, structure and viability of bottlenose dolphins in Argentina.
- Specific scientific objectives of this project are:
- Establish a network with Argentinean colleagues to stimulate national collaboration and the generation of one large national dataset.
- Conduct photo-identification surveys in the main concentration areas (see map below) to assess:
o Abundance and population dynamics
o Survival and birth demographics, with a special focus on recruitment rate
o Population viability (extinction risk under several management scenarios)
o Movement patterns and population connectivity
- Obtain skin and blubber biopsy samples to:
o Further investigate genetic diversity and population structure within Argentina, and their relationship with the southern Brazil-Uruguay ESU.
o Assess pollutant load in blubber samples (PCB, DDT, HBC)
o Investigate hormone levels in adult females to assess reproductive status and/or pregnancy
Main Outcomes:
To follow.
Reports/Papers:
To follow.