[MARMAM] Research Assistant position for Marine Mammals Research projects in Spain

[Bruno Diaz Lopez]

Research Assistant position for Marine Mammals Research projects in Spain. 

The Bottlenose Dolphin Research Institute (BDRI) , is 
a marine science centre dedicated to promote the conservation of marine mammal 
species and their habitat through education and research. From our headquarter 
in O Grove, Galicia (NW Spain), we work to protect marine life in the Atlantic 
Ocean and beyond by encouraging research and training in marine conservation 
biology.

The project is based in the North-western coast of Spain (Galicia), an 
important hotspot for cetaceans, and offers the participants the chance to work 
during many steps of the field research and data analysis. Overlooking the 
Atlantic Ocean, and an important area of upwelling, Galicia is considered to be 
one of the most productive oceanic regions on the world; nor surprisingly this 
is Spain's main fishing region. No fewer than 22 cetacean species have been 
recorded in Galician waters over the years. Some, such as bottlenose dolphins, 
minke whales, harbour porpoises, short-beaked common dolphins, and Risso's 
dolphins have been recorded quite frequently by the BDRI since 2014. For this 
summer/fall research season one of the BDRI's objetives will be to record the 
presence of other species also observed in open waters as orcas, fin whales, 
and long-finned pilot whales. Moreover, BDRI is a cooperative regional 
stranding network partner and works to respond to cetaceans, seals, and marine 
turtles strandings.

Program Description: 
The BDRI internship program is an exciting opportunity for students and recent 
graduates interested in a career in marine science to obtain field and 
laboratory training in marine mammals and marine birds research. Interns can 
expect to gain a solid foundation in ecology and sociobiology with a focus on 
cetaceans ethology, habitat use, and communication. As an intern, you will be 
encouraged to work hard and gain an insight of what it is actually like to work 
as a marine mammal researcher. Interns will be trained to participate with 
multiple research projects involving a combination of boat-based and land-based 
surveys, laboratory work (photo-identification, GIS, bioacoustics, diet 
analysis, diving behaviour, video analysis, database work, etc), and strandings 
(response, rescue, necropsy, and data collection). The BDRI is a very 
international environment, and the everyday working language is English. 

Intern Responsibilities & Qualifications:
The internship is open to all applicants 18 years of age or older. An academic 
background in biology, veterinary or natural science, coupled with motivation, 
willingness to work hard and interest in field research make the most qualified 
individuals. This post brings the opportunity to be trained by the BDRI' 
researchers in data collection and processing.A strong interest in marine 
biology and conservation, self-motivation, and the desire to spend long hours 
in the field and office are required. The field schedule is variable and 
involves working at night (as part of our new research project about 
noctural/acoustic behaviour of bottlenose dolphins) and during the day. 
Laboratory work days typically last six hours and field days typically exceed 
seven hours and occur approximately three-four times per week. There will be 
one/two days off per week. 

If the intern intends to receive academic credit, he/she will be responsible 
for making all arrangements with their educational institutions. Undergraduate 
and postgraduate student thesis projects can also be supported. 

Internship start and end dates are flexible but the position requires a minimum 
of 30 days continuous commitment sometime between 1st August through to end 
November 2017. 

The BDRI is a private and self-funded centre, hence, there is an 
internships/tuition fee including the accommodation in an apartment, 
supervision, training, use of equipment, and other expenses derived of your 
participation (access to wifi, field trips, use of research vessel). Successful 
applicants will be responsible for their own transportation expenses to and 
from the research centre (O Grove, Galicia, Spain). 
 
Approved applications are accepted on a first-come, first serve basis. 
Positions are open until filled. 

Please download the internships general information at:


Interested candidates should submit an application with the following:

  - A cover letter including your availability, i.e. preferred time period (1 
page only);
  - A resume describing training, experience and relevant skills (2 pages only);
  - BDRI's application form, you can download from 


Please send these items as e-mail attachments (PDF preferred) to: 
sever...@thebdri.com

For more information about BDRI's research and conservation work, please visit 
www.thebdri.com or our Facebook page.

Best regards, and see you on site!
 
Bruno Díaz López
Chief biologist and Director
The Bottlenose Dolphin Research 

[MARMAM] New publication on Burst pulses of Guiana dolphin in southeastern Brazil (Luciana G. Andrade)

[Luciana Guimarães]

Dear colleagues,
On behalf of my co-authors, Iam pleased to announce our recent article on burst 
pulses of Guiana dolphin publishedin The Journal of the Acoustical Society of 
America:


Andrade, L. G., Bisi, T. L., Lailson-Brito, J. andAzevedo, F. A. (2017). Burst 
pulses of Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) in southeastern Brazil. The 
Journal of theAcoustical Society of America, 141(4) 2947-2956. 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1121/1.4981768


 
ABSTRACTAcoustic studies of Guianadolphin have been focused on whistles, with 
little known about pulse signals in this species. This study characterized 
thetemporal and spectralproperties ofGuiana dolphin burst pulses. Groups of 2 
to 23 Guiana dolphins were recordedwhile feeding and socializing in shallow 
waters in Guanabara Bay, southeasternBrazil, in 2013 and 2014. Burst pulse 
analysis involved two steps: signal detection and acoustic parameter analysis. 
Eight variables were analyzed for 197 total burst pulses: number of 
clicks,burst pulse duration, interclick interval, click duration, peak 
frequency,center frequency, −3 dB bandwidth, and −10 dB bandwidth. Mean burst 
pulseduration was 108.6 ms [standard deviation (SD) = 91.3] with a mean of 
168clicks (SD = 137.3). Burst pulses had short interclick interval (0.7 ms,SD = 
0.3) and mean click duration of 300 μs (SD = 100). Mean peak frequency and 
center frequencywere 28 kHz (SD = 11.6) and 29 kHz (SD = 11.0), respectively. 
Mean −3 dBbandwidth was 15 kHz (SD = 7.5) and mean −10 dB bandwidth was 40.5 
kHz(SD = 14.3). The quantitative characterization of Guiana dolphin burst 
pulsesis an important step in describing the full acoustic repertoire of this 
species.

Thepublication is available at: 
http://asa.scitation.org/doi/abs/10.1121/1.4981768?af=R


For anyinformation please contact me at lucianaguimandr...@gmail.com


Best wishes,


Luciana G. Andrade




-- 
Dra. Luciana Guimarães de Andrade
Doutorado em Ecologia e Evolução - PPGEE/UERJ
email: lucianaguimandr...@gmail.com ___
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[MARMAM] New publication: Genetic Kinship Analyses Reveal That Gray’s Beaked Whales Strand in Unrelated Groups

[Kirsten Thompson]

Dear MARMAM,

Myself and coauthors are are pleased to announce the following publication in 
Journal of Heredity that investigates genetic kinship in stranded Gray’s beaked 
whales:

Selina Patel, Kirsten F. Thompson, Anna W. Santure, Rochelle Constantine, Craig 
D. Millar; Genetic Kinship Analyses Reveal That Gray’s Beaked Whales Strand in 
Unrelated Groups. J Hered 2017 esx021. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esx021

*Abstract*

Some marine mammals are so rarely seen that their life history and social 
structure remain a mystery. Around New Zealand, Gray’s beaked whales 
(Mesoplodon grayi) are almost never seen alive, yet they are a commonly 
stranded species. Gray’s are unique among the beaked whales in that they 
frequently strand in groups, providing an opportunity to investigate their 
social organization. We examined group composition and genetic kinship in 113 
Gray’s beaked whales with samples collected over a 20-year period. Fifty-six 
individuals stranded in 19 groups (2 or more individuals), and 57 whales 
stranded individually. Mitochondrial control region haplotypes and 
microsatellite genotypes (16 loci) were obtained for 103 whales. We estimated 
pairwise relatedness between all pairs of individuals and average relatedness 
within, and between, groups. We identified 6 mother–calf pairs and 2 
half-siblings, including 2 whales in different strandings 17 years and 1500 km 
apart. Surprisingly, none of the adults stranding together were related 
suggesting that groups are not formed through the retention of kin. These data 
suggest that both sexes may disperse from their mothers, and groups consisting 
of unrelated subadults are common. We also found no instances of paternity 
within the groups. Our results provide the first insights into dispersal, 
social organization, and the mating system in this rarely sighted species. Why 
whales strand is still unknown but, in Gray’s beaked whales, the dead can tell 
us much about the living.


The full text can be accessed through: https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esx021 


More details or pdf requests please feel free to contact me on 
kffthomp...@gmail.com 

Kind regards,

Kirsten Thompson & Coauthors




Kirsten Thompson
Molecular Ecology and Evolution Group
Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences
University of Exeter, UK
email: k.f.thomp...@exeter.ac.uk

Skype: kirsten.thompson1
tel: +44 (0)7841 695569





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