[MARMAM] New publication on noise and attention in dolphins during COVID-19 anthropause
On behalf of my co-authors I’m pleased to announce a new publication. Stevens, P.E.; Allen, V.; Bruck, J.N. A Quieter Ocean: Experimentally Derived Differences in Attentive Responses of Tursiops truncatus to Anthropogenic Noise Playbacks before and during the COVID-19-Related Anthropause. Animals 2023, 13, 1269. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13071269Abstract:The effects of anthropogenic noise continue to threaten marine fauna, yet the impacts of human-produced sound on the broad aspects of cognition in marine mammals remain relatively understudied. The shutdown of non-essential activities due to the COVID-19-related anthropause created an opportunity to determine if reducing levels of oceanic anthropogenic noise on cetaceans affected processes of sensitization and habituation for common human-made sounds in an experimental setting. Dolphins at Dolphin Quest Bermuda were presented with three noises related to human activities (cruise ship, personal watercraft, and Navy low-frequency active sonar) both in 2018 and again during the anthropause in 2021 via an underwater speaker. We found that decreased anthropogenic noise levels altered dolphin responses to noise playbacks. The dolphins spent significantly more time looking towards the playback source, but less time producing burst pulse and echolocation bouts in 2021. The dolphins looked towards the cruise ship sound source significantly more in 2021 than 2018. These data highlight that different sounds may incur different habituation and sensitization profiles and suggest that pauses in anthropogenic noise production may affect future responses to noise stimuli as dolphins dishabituate to sounds over time.Keywords: anthropause; anthropogenic noise; attention; cognition; noise pollution; cetaceans; dolphins--Jason N. Bruck Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorDepartment of BiologyFaculty SenatorStephen F. Austin State Universityjason.br...@sfasu.eduMiller Science Building 112P.O. Box 13003, SFA StationNacogdoches, 75962(936) 468-2267Editorial Board Journal of Animal Behavior and Cognition / International Journal of Comparative Psychology. Consider submitting your next manuscript to AB&C or IJCP**The views and opinions expressed in this message are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Stephen F. Austin State University, its Board of Regents or the State of Texas.___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
[MARMAM] LAST CHANCE: SMM MASTER WORKSHOP
Some space still available Date Saturday October 28-All day SMM Master Workshop: Experimental Science in wild and captive animals Format: We will have nine 30-minute presentations (25 min lecture and 5 min questions), each from world renowned senior marine mammal scientists with experience conducting experiments on wild as well as managed care animals. We have planned two panel discussions each of one hour to discuss past, current and future opportunities for marine mammal research and how to find ways to connect work on animals under managed care with those in the wild Schedule 8:00-8:10, Intro: Jason Bruck, 10 min overview A) Experimental Animal Welfare Science (What is it and what is it not) 1) 8:15-8:45 Xavi Manteca: Welfare of marine mammals: what is it and how can be assessed? 2) 8:45-9:15 Kathleen Dudzinski: Understanding tactile dyadic exchange in both wild and captive dolphins – how they are similar and what we can learn to elevate animal welfare in both settings 3) 9:15-9:45 Michael Moore: Experiments that enable conservation and welfare of Anthropocene cetaceans 9:45-10:00 Questions 10:00-10:30 Break B) Studies on managed care animals to help conservation efforts 4) 10:30-11:00 Vincent Janik: How does zoo research support conservation efforts in the wild? 5) 11:00-11:30 Terrie Williams: Creating a Conservation Toolbox for Winning the Race Against Marine Mammal Extinctions 11:30-12:30 Panel Discussion 12:30-13:30 Lunch C) What can we learn from marine mammals in multiple settings 6) 13:30-14:00 Sam Ridgway: The Navy's fastest divers and what they can teach us 7) 14:00-14:30 Peter Tyack: Synergy between studies of vocal learning in wild and managed populations of marine mammals 14:30-14:45 Questions 14:45-15:00 Break 8) 15:00-15:30 Paul Ponganis: Medical technology to study marine mammal diving physiology 9) 15:30-16:00 Gerry Kooyman: Tales from the past about “bends”, lung function and HPNS 16:00-17:00 Panel discussion Talk Abstracts: -Xavi Manteca Title: Welfare of marine mammals: what is it and how can be assessed? Synopsis: The objectives of this presentation would be (1) to define the concept of animal welfare, (2) to discuss how welfare of marine mammals can be assessed using science-based indicators, (3) to discuss how poor / good animal welfare can affect the quality of research conducted on marine mammals, and (4) to discuss how studies on managed animals can help inform us about welfare in free-ranging populations. -Kathleen Dudzinksi Title: Understanding tactile dyadic exchange in both wild and captive dolphins – how they are similar and what we can learn to elevate animal welfare in both settings Synopsis: To gain insight into the behavioral exchanges and relationships in dolphin dyads requires long-term observations over years to begin to decipher patterns in interaction and social behavior. With more than two decades of observations on several study populations of both wild and captive dolphins, we have the data to tease out individual differences in behavioral patterns. Comparison with other social animals allows science to put dolphin signal exchange (e.g., tactile contact) along the continuum of our understanding of how individual relationships are formed and maintained to yield a cohesive, complex society in these non-human animals. Armed with this insight, we can better manage human behavior around wild animals and also elevate our care and welfare standards for captive individuals. -Michael Moore Title: Experiments that enable conservation and welfare of Anthropocene cetaceans Synopsis: Few cetaceans escape the heavy hand of man in today’s world. We need all possible perspectives to better understand human degradations on cetaceans. Industrial impacts include vessel collision, fishing gear entanglement and acoustic stressors. Experiments with cadavers, animals in managed care and swimming at sea have all yielded important perspectives on the costs of human activities to cetacean health. This talk will review data from: cadavers that have informed diving physiology, and vessel, implantable tag and entanglement trauma, managed care on tag drag, and free ranging animals on entanglement drag. -Sam Ridgway/Cynthia Smith: Title: The Navy's fastest divers and what they can teach us. Synopsis: Norris award winner Sam Ridgeway and Cynthia Smith will highlight the research achievements of the storied U.S. Navy marine mammal program and what we have learned from animals under human care. -Vincent Janik Title: How does zoo research support conservation efforts in the wild? Synopsis: Zoos play an important role in research to assess the impact of environmental and anthropogenic stressors on populations, since experimental approaches are often more powerful than observational studies in the wild. For example, studies on temporary hearing threshold shifts are only possible when animal hearing can be measured
[MARMAM] SMM 2017 WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT: Experimental science in wild and captive marine mammals
Dear All, We are pleased to announce the following workshop to be held on Saturday October 28th, 2017 at the upcoming SMM conference in Halifax Title: Experimental Science in wild and captive marine mammals Given the difficulty working with marine mammals, research programs often have a long-term focus on favored populations, which can separate scientists that work with wild populations from those focusing on animals in facilities. However, the body of marine mammal research shows that findings from both sources are critical to understanding marine mammal cognition, communication, physiology, biology, and conservation challenges. This workshop includes lectures from prominent scientists who have published on both facility-managed and wild animals (Sam Ridgway, Gerry Kooyman, Peter Tyack, Vincent Janik, Kathleen Dudzinski, Terrie Williams, Michael Moore, Paul Ponganis, Xavier Manteca, Cynthia Smith and Kelly Jaakkola). The workshop will provide insights into experimental science used in facilities and the wild to show how both approaches can complement each other. For example, including interrelated zoos can give greater data independence and controls absent in the wild; however! , wild populations allow the evaluation of ecology on biology/behavior. Some animals in facilities are studied in the field, bridging differences between the methods. The speakers will discuss which settings are suited to provide data for scientific problems related to conservation, pathology, physiology, behavior, cognition and communication. Speakers will also discuss welfare in the wild and in facilities and make recommendations for the best approaches to solve conservation issues. This will be a great forum to ask questions of and gather insight from some of the best experimental scientists in the field of marine mammalogy. We look forward to seeing you in Halifax. Register today! Andreas Fahlman and Jason Bruck Jason Bruck Ph.D. Marie Curie Research Fellow Scottish Oceans Institute School of Biology University of St. Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK jb...@st-andrews.ac.uk +44 7711883011 ___ MARMAM mailing list MARMAM@lists.uvic.ca https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
