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Lu Y, Xu XR, Chen BY, Jefferson TA, Fearnbach H, Yang G. Spatiotemporal dynamics of the social structure of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) in Xiamen waters from 2007 to 2019. Zool Res 2024; 45:439-450. [PMID: 38485511 PMCID: PMC11017072 DOI: 10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/30/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
As highly social animals, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins ( Sousa chinensis) exhibit community differentiation. Nevertheless, our understanding of the external and internal factors influencing these dynamics, as well as their spatiotemporal variations, is still limited. In the present study, variations in the social structure of an endangered Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population in Xiamen Bay, China, were monitored over two distinct periods (2007-2010 and 2017-2019) to analyze the effects of habitat utilization and the composition of individuals within the population. In both periods, the population demonstrated a strikingly similar pattern of social differentiation, characterized by the division of individuals into two main clusters and one small cluster. Spatially, the two primary clusters occupied the eastern and western waters, respectively, although the core distribution area of the eastern cluster shifted further eastward between the two periods. Despite this distribution shift, the temporal stability of the social structure and inter-associations within the eastern cluster remained unaffected. A subset of 16 individuals observed in both periods, comprising 51.6% and 43.2% of the population in each respective period, emerged as a foundational element of the social structure and may be responsible for sustaining social structure stability, especially during the 2007-2010 period. These observations suggest that the composition of dominant individuals, an internal factor, had a more substantial influence on the formation of the social network than changes in habitat use, an external factor. Consequently, the study proposes distinct conservation measures tailored to each of the two main clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Lu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Xin-Rong Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Bing-Yao Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China. E-mail:
| | | | - Holly Fearnbach
- Marine Mammal Research, SR3, SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, WA 98275, USA
| | - Guang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
- Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), No. 1119, Haibin Road, Nansha District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 511458, China. E-mail:
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Marfurt SM, Allen SJ, Bizzozzero MR, Willems EP, King SL, Connor RC, Kopps AM, Wild S, Gerber L, Wittwer S, Krützen M. Association patterns and community structure among female bottlenose dolphins: environmental, genetic and cultural factors. Mamm Biol 2022; 102:1373-1387. [PMID: 36998433 PMCID: PMC10040398 DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00259-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSocial structuring from assortative associations may affect individual fitness, as well as population-level processes. Gaining a broader understanding of social structure can improve our knowledge of social evolution and inform wildlife conservation. We investigated association patterns and community structure of female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, assessing the role of kinship, shared culturally transmitted foraging techniques, and habitat similarity based on water depth. Our results indicated that associations are influenced by a combination of uni- and biparental relatedness, cultural behaviour and habitat similarity, as these were positively correlated with a measure of dyadic association. These findings were matched in a community level analysis. Members of the same communities overwhelmingly shared the same habitat and foraging techniques, demonstrating a strong homophilic tendency. Both uni- and biparental relatedness between dyads were higher within than between communities. Our results illustrate that intraspecific variation in sociality in bottlenose dolphins is influenced by a complex combination of genetic, cultural, and environmental aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja M. Marfurt
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon J. Allen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Manuela R. Bizzozzero
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erik P. Willems
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie L. King
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | | | - Anna M. Kopps
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Sonja Wild
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78464 Constance, Germany
| | - Livia Gerber
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Samuel Wittwer
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Dynamics of short-finned pilot whales long-term social structure in Madeira. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00280-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Bertulli CG, Rasmussen MH, Rosso M. Fission-fusion dynamics of a pelagic delphinid in the arctic: the white-beaked dolphin (Lagenorhynchus albirostris). Integr Zool 2021; 16:512-526. [PMID: 33559948 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Delphinids exhibit great variability in their social structures. It is therefore important to document lesser known species, in extreme changing habitats, to compare and contrast mechanisms driving sociality. Here, we describe the first long-term assessment of social structure of white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris) using a compiled version of SOCPROG 2.8 and an 11-year photo-identification dataset (2002-2013) collected from whale-watching vessels at 2 sites (Faxaflói and Skjálfandi bays) off Iceland. We identified a total of 487 dolphins which are suggested to be part of an open population as shown by the discovery curve obtained analyzing photo-id data. The social analyses were restricted to 35 adults which were sighted on ≥5 different days. The mean residency time of white-beaked dolphins in our 2 study areas was of 95 days (SE = 35.63; 95% CI: 23-171), with the "migration-full interchange" model best describing movements of dolphins in and out of our 2 study sites. Social differentiation in this population was high (Likelihood: S = 0.87, SE = 0.04; r = 0.31, SE = 0.03) indicating diverse, non-random social relationships. Temporal associations best fit the model of "casual acquaintances" against the standardized lagged association rates with the majority of white-beaked dolphin associations being short-term, but with a few long-term across years. Testing for preferred companionship, long-term associations are favored over short-term. In this study, associations among white-beaked dolphins are short-term but with desirably long-term associations fitting into a society with fission-fusion dynamics. This information expands the latitudinal range for which social structure has been described for oceanic dolphin species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara G Bertulli
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland.,Sea Watch Foundation, New Quay, UK
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