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Article

Comparison of abundance and habitat usage for common bottlenose dolphins between sites exposed to differential anthropogenic stressors within the estuaries of southern Georgia, U.S.A

  1. Brian C. Balmer1,2,*,
  2. Lori H. Schwacke3,
  3. Randall S. Wells1,
  4. Jeffrey D. Adams4,
  5. R. Clay George5,
  6. Suzanne M. Lane3,
  7. William A. McLellan2,
  8. Patricia E. Rosel6,
  9. Kate Sparks5,
  10. Todd Speakman3,
  11. Eric S. Zolman3,
  12. D. Ann Pabst2

Article first published online: 4 SEP 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00598.x

Issue

Marine Mammal Science

Marine Mammal Science

Volume 29, Issue 2, pages E114–E135, April 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

Balmer, B. C., Schwacke, L. H., Wells, R. S., Adams, J. D., Clay George, R., Lane, S. M., McLellan, W. A., Rosel, P. E., Sparks, K., Speakman, T., Zolman, E. S. and Ann Pabst, D. (2013), Comparison of abundance and habitat usage for common bottlenose dolphins between sites exposed to differential anthropogenic stressors within the estuaries of southern Georgia, U.S.A. Marine Mammal Science, 29: E114–E135. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-7692.2012.00598.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Chicago Zoological Society, ℅ Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida, U.S.A

  2. 2

    Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.A

  3. 3

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science, Hollings Marine Laboratory, Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.A

  4. 4

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland, U.S.A

  5. 5

    Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Nongame Wildlife Conservation, Brunswick, Georgia, U.S.A

  6. 6

    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S.A

*Corresponding author (e-mail: bbalmer@mote.org).

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 4 APR 2013
  2. Article first published online: 4 SEP 2012
  3. Manuscript Accepted: 4 JUN 2012
  4. Manuscript Received: 14 MAR 2010

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Keywords:

  • abundance;
  • anthropogenic stressors;
  • bottlenose dolphin;
  • density;
  • habitat use;
  • Tursiops truncatus

Abstract

The health of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) within southern Georgia estuaries is of particular concern due to high levels of anthropogenic contaminants in their tissues. Dolphins in this region have the highest polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations recorded for any marine mammal and these concentrations correlate to distance from a Superfund point-source in the Turtle/Brunswick River Estuary (TBRE). Currently, little is known about the population structure of dolphins in this region. This study identifies and compares baseline data on abundance, habitat use, site-fidelity, and ranging patterns of dolphins across two adjacent field sites; Brunswick, including the TBRE, and Sapelo, including the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve. Sapelo is relatively undeveloped and was selected for comparison to the more contaminated TBRE. Dolphin densities increased with tributary size in both sites but dolphin density and total abundance were significantly higher in Sapelo than in Brunswick. Anthropogenic stressors within the TBRE may be an important factor contributing to the differences in abundance, density, and habitat use observed in this study.

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