Author, maintainer and contact
Kyra Bankhead
This repository includes the R script to reproduce the figures of the manuscript:
Human influenced environmental changes can impact foraging and social behavior of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) In prep.
Kyra Bankhead 1*
1 Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences. Oregon State University. Newport OR, USA
2 Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory. Sarasota, FL, USA
* Corresponding author: kyra.bankhead@oregonstate.edu
With increased urbanization, habitat degradation, and climate change, wild animals are resorting to riskier behaviors, such as foraging on food resources provided directly or inadvertently by humans. While human-centric (HC) foraging may require less immediate effort and energy from wildlife, interactions with humans can yield profound negative consequences, including death, injury, health risks, and behavior changes that reduce fitness. In Sarasota Bay, Florida, some members of the long-term resident bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) community engage in HC foraging, especially following environmental changes caused by intense harmful algal blooms (HAB) that deplete natural prey. Here, we evaluate how varying levels of human interaction with dolphins’ foraging behaviors influence their social network structure and how HABs are associated with behavior changes. Using Bayesian inference with network analysis on a 20-yr empirical dataset on the social and foraging behaviors of dolphins, we identified high association between human-centric foragers with increased association during an intense HAB event. The results show that human interaction significantly influences social group formation, especially when limited foraging options require specialized tactics. These findings highlight the potential long-term impact of human interaction on the social cohesion of wildlife communities.