Journal Article
The Seabed Makes the Dolphins: Physiographic Features Shape the Size and Structure of the Bottlenose Dolphin Geographical Units
Guido Gnone; Michela Bellingeri; Yvan Molinari; Frank Dhermain; Hélène Labach; Bruno Díaz López; Léa David; Nathalie Di Meglio; Georges Azzinari; Caroline Azzinari; Sabina Airoldi; Caterina Lanfredi; Joan Gonzalvo; Valentina De Santis; Silvio Nuti; Carla Álvarez Chicote; Manel Gazo; Alberta Mandich; Jessica Alessi; Arianna Azzellino; Nicolas Tomasi; Marie-Catherine Santoni; Cecilia Mancusi; Marta Falabrino; Ana Maria Cañadas
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering · Vol. 10, Issue 8 · pp. 1036 · 2022
Abstract
The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a cosmopolitan delphinid, regularly present in the Mediterranean Sea. According to previous studies, this dolphin tends to form resident geographical units scattered on the continental shelf. We investigated how the physiographic characteristics of the area of residence, with special reference to the size and shape of the continental shelf, affect the home range and the group size of the local units. We analysed and compared data collected between 2004–2016 by 15 research groups operating in different study areas of the Mediterranean Sea: the Alboran Sea, in the South-Western Mediterranean, the Gulf of Lion and the Pelagos Sanctuary for the marine mammals, in the North-Western Mediterranean, and the Gulf of Ambracia, in the North-Central Mediterranean Sea. We have found that in areas characterised by a wide continental platform, dolphins have wider home ranges and aggregate into larger groups. In areas characterized by a narrow continental platform, dolphins show much smaller home ranges and aggregate into smaller groups. The results obtained from this collective research effort highlight the importance of data sharing to improve our scientific knowledge in the field of cetaceans and beyond.