Distribution and behaviour of striped dolphins in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea based on whale-watching data

Canales Cáceres, Rosa; Gomariz Castillo, Francisco; Alonso Sarria, Francisco; Abel, Isabel; Gimenez Casalduero, Francisca

Publication:
Distribution and behaviour of striped dolphins in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea based on whale-watching data

dc.contributor.author	Canales Cáceres, Rosa
dc.contributor.author	Gomariz Castillo, Francisco
dc.contributor.author	Alonso Sarria, Francisco
dc.contributor.author	Abel, Isabel
dc.contributor.author	Gimenez Casalduero, Francisca
dc.contributor.department	Geografía
dc.date.accessioned	2024-02-01T12:29:10Z
dc.date.available	2024-02-01T12:29:10Z
dc.date.copyright	© 2023 The Author(s)
dc.date.issued	2023-10-31
dc.description.abstract	The striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is a cosmopolitan cetacean and the most commonly sighted dolphin in the Mediterranean Sea. It usually appears in groups of very different sizes, ranging from less than ten to more than 500 individuals, although it is usually found in groups of between 21 and 50 individuals. In the western Mediterranean, and more specifically in the Gulf of Mazarrón, S. coeruleoalba was the most frequently sighted cetacean during the 1042 whale-watching trips. The goal of this study was to establish the spatial and temporal distribution of striped dolphin sightings along the Gulf of Mazarrón between 2004 and 2014. Spatial patterns were analysed using a Random Forest based Species Distribution Model to estimate the presence of the species. Twentythree variables (three geographic, one temporal, eight geomorphometric and twelve oceanographic) were used as predictors. Out of the 1042 cruises, 872 records of striped dolphins were obtained. Some variations in the grouping patterns of these mammals were observed during the years 2006–2007, with an average shift in the size of the groups to fewer individuals (3−10). This variation is probably related to an epizootic event of morbillivirus occurring during those years, which was responsible for an abnormal rate of strandings of striped dolphins and long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). The Random Forest model allowed to select 6 predictors related to morphometry and sea currents, suggesting the importance of specific habitat in offshore areas between 1000 and 3000 m depth in the continental slope	es
dc.format	application/pdf	es
dc.format.extent	14	es
dc.identifier.citation	Regional Studies in Marine Science 68 (2023) 103256
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2023.103256
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10201/138412
dc.language	eng	es
dc.publisher	Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd	es
dc.relation	This research was supported by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge “Optimización de la información para la mejora la planificación espacial marina en los cañones del Escarpe de Mazarrón, Seco de Palos y 'campo de pockmarks” (CAMONMAR3) [grant number FBIO18-01], through the EMFF PLEAMAR Programme	es
dc.relation.publisherversion	https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485523004462	es
dc.rights	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivates 4.0 International
dc.rights.accessRights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.uri	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivates 4.0 International
dc.subject	Striped dolphin	es
dc.subject	Epizootics	es
dc.subject	Whale watching	es
dc.subject	Species distribution models	es
dc.subject	Random Forest	es
dc.subject.other	CDU::9 - Geografía e historia	es
dc.title	Distribution and behaviour of striped dolphins in the southwestern Mediterranean Sea based on whale-watching data	es
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article	es
dc.type.version	info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersión
dspace.entity.type	Publication	es