Year
2019
Season
Fall
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science in Biology (MS)
Department
Biology
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Quincy Gibson
Second Advisor
Dr. Adam Rosenblatt
Third Advisor
Dr. J. David Lambert
Abstract
Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in estuarine systems are often subjected to natural and anthropogenic risks, which may impact their health and behaviors. Effective management for this species should incorporate continual, updated information on behavioral patterns of a stock’s individuals. Currently, the Jacksonville Estuarine System stock assessment report, which includes dolphins in the St. Johns River (SJR) in northeast Florida, is based on data from the 1990s. Since then, dolphins’ use of the SJR has shifted, and the population has been impacted by two unusual mortality events (UME). This study analyzed site fidelity, space use and overlap, and social mixing with respect to the disease-caused 2013-2015 UME. In Chapter 1, examination of residency status determined that a majority of dolphins sighted in the river were year-round residents (mean = 44.92% ± 3.20). Space use and overlap of core areas varied among residency categories, between seasons, and across time. In Chapter 2, social network analyses determined key, highly connected individuals that may have influenced disease transmission during the UME. Additionally, disease-positive individuals stranded during the UME shared overlapping core areas with each other, and with individuals from different residency categories. Altogether, this information on site fidelity, spatial overlap, and social mixing will help improve management plans for SJR dolphins, better response efforts to future unusual mortality events, and increase the understanding of disease transmission through socially-complex species.
Suggested Citation
Szott, Emily A., "Assessment of Spatial Overlap and Social Mixing as a Pathway for Disease Transmission in a Northeast Florida Estuarine Dolphin Population" (2019). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 926.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/926