Ecology

These posts are about ecology studies conducted by the SDRP.

A Tangled Food Web

2024-09-19T12:29:27+00:00

Paper Provides New Insights on How Microplastics are Moving From Prey to Predator A new research paper based on studies conducted in Sarasota Bay is providing insights on how microplastics are moving from prey to predator — indicating that dolphins are ingesting microplastics contained in the fish they eat and potentially providing

A Tangled Food Web2024-09-19T12:29:27+00:00

What’s on the Menu?

2023-09-03T13:53:41+00:00

Since 1970, we’ve been studying Sarasota Bay’s dolphin community — getting to know their lineages, their companions and even their favorite hangouts. But understanding the dynamics of a population of animals also includes understanding how they interact with their environment, especially learning about the types of food they prefer, the places where they find

What’s on the Menu?2023-09-03T13:53:41+00:00

Dolphins and Microplastics

2022-12-16T15:26:47+00:00

Study Finds Evidence that Dolphins are Ingesting Microplastics A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Marine Science has found evidence that members of the Sarasota Bay dolphin community are inadvertently ingesting microplastics as part of their diet — a finding that has implications for another long-lived apex predator that eats seafood:

Dolphins and Microplastics2022-12-16T15:26:47+00:00

Understanding Animal Residency

2022-08-24T13:24:18+00:00

What is animal residency and how do we define and measure it? In marine mammal research, residency is often used to describe the place that animals (or groups of animals) occupy in a given geographic space over a long period of time. In fact, the SDRP made the discovery that bottlenose dolphins can form

Understanding Animal Residency2022-08-24T13:24:18+00:00

Fatty Acid Signatures

2022-08-12T14:11:35+00:00

If they are what they eat, what are dolphins eating? Thanks to our long-term studies — including seasonal fish surveys — we know what the most common prey fish are in Sarasota Bay dolphin diets. But how do their diets change during events like red tides? SDRP’s Theresa Tatom-Naecker is testing a technique called

Fatty Acid Signatures2022-08-12T14:11:35+00:00

2021 Baby Boom

2021-12-09T12:55:22+00:00

The Chicago Zoological Society’s Sarasota Dolphin Research Program has documented 22 dolphin births in 2021 to the long-term resident bottlenose dolphin community of Sarasota Bay, Florida, exceeding the record of 21 set in 2017. The newest calf was first observed with its mother, known as Squarenotch, on Dec. 2. Forty-four-year-old Squarenotch

2021 Baby Boom2021-12-09T12:55:22+00:00

When the Prey is Gone

2021-11-10T15:19:38+00:00

When the Prey is Gone Gaining a fuller understanding of dolphins also means studying how they interact with their environment, including learning about one of the main ecological drivers for their behavior: prey availability. A new study published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science has taken the first step in identifying how

When the Prey is Gone2021-11-10T15:19:38+00:00

When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix

2021-11-09T18:35:46+00:00

What Happens When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix? Prolonged exposure to freshwater is linked to adverse health conditions, immune deficiencies, and even dolphin deaths, but there’s still a lot we don’t understand. SDRP Post-doctoral Scientist Dr. Christina Toms was conducting photo identification surveys in Pensacola Bay, Florida, as part of an

When Dolphins and Freshwater Mix2021-11-09T18:35:46+00:00

Seagrass Matters

2021-10-05T15:23:08+00:00

Seagrass Matters This summer (2021), we've continued our purse-seine catch-and-release fish surveys in Sarasota Bay. These surveys, conducted seasonally since 2004, allow us to gain an indication of the relative abundance of fish in Sarasota Bay — important information for understanding one of dolphins’ main ecological drivers: their prey. Our

Seagrass Matters2021-10-05T15:23:08+00:00
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