Speaker this Thursday, 2/13 during common hour
"The Gulf of Mexico is habitat for at least 29 species of marine mammals, ranking in the top 25% of habitats for marine mammal biodiversity in the world. Despite this diversity, there are remarkably poor baseline data to understand resiliency of these species and their habitats to perturbations in the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGOM). Marine mammals can have a significant effect on trophic structure and function of ecosystems because they are relatively large, abundant and broad-based consumers (from vegetation to predatory fish and other mammals). Hence, data on population dynamics or status, migratory patterns, trophic relationships, patterns in major life history events, and linkages among marine mammal populations is important to inform system-wide assessment and response to pulse events like hurricane Katrina or the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (DWHOS) as well as to future or longer-term events such as climate change. Marine mammals are also useful sentinels of ecological and human health risks because their body composition favors accumulation and retention of some contaminants, and they have similar life spans, physiology and trophic niches as humans. The lack of comprehensive data on marine mammals in the nGOM reflects a lower intensity of scientific study and reporting in the region. The Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Marine Mammal Research Program (including the DISL Manatee Sighting Network and Alabama Marine Mammal Stranding Network) helps to close data gaps regarding marine mammal distributions, resource use, and causes of death. A combination of primary research and targeted outreach through this program has enhanced our understanding of basic marine mammal ecology and informed management and conservation efforts in the region. This talk with summarize the scope of work, research outputs (distribution, movement, diet, relationships to disease), and applications of data collected by Dauphin Island Sea Lab’s Marine Mammal Research Program."