Ana Dinis

MARE/ARDITI-OOM

The ingestion of microplastics (MPs - plastic particles <5 mm) by planktivorous organisms represents a significant threat to marine food webs. To investigate how seasonality might affect plastic intake in oceanic islands' ecosystems, relative abundances and composition of MPs and mesozooplankton samples collected off Madeira Island (NE Atlantic) be...

Marine megafauna serve valuable ecological and economical roles globally, yet, many species have experienced precipitous population declines. The significance of marine megafauna is particularly evident in Macaronesia, a complex of oceanic archipelagos in the Northeast Atlantic Ocean. Macaronesian islands provide important habitats for marine megaf...

Knowledge of the role of individual associations has provided an insightful understanding of the structures of animal societies, especially in highly social mammals such as primates. Yet, this is unbalanced towards marine mammals, particularly to beaked whales, due to their elusive nature. In addition, information on the fundamental drivers of the...

In the present study, the ammonium formate version of the QuEChERS method, considered highly advantageous in relation to instrument maintenance and other issues, was applied for the first time to extract a group of twelve phthalic acid esters (PAEs, i.e. dipropyl phthalate, DPP; diisobutyl phthalate, DIBP; dibutyl phthalate, DBP; diisopentyl phthal...

The whale-watching industry can represent a critical anthropogenic stressor for the targeted populations. Identifying and characterizing the individual exposure to wildlife tourism in island-associated cetacean communities is especially relevant in small, remote oceanic regions relying on tourism. This study characterized the spatial and temporal v...

• The conservation of marine megafauna presents numerous difficulties owing to their high mobility over difficult-to-access oceanic areas that impairs the collection of basic, but essential, biological information. • The Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera edeni) is one of the most elusive species of baleen whales, and although it is known to be a seasonal...

Over the last decades global warming has caused an increase in ocean temperature, acidification and oxygen loss which has led to changes in nutrient cycling and primary production affecting marine species at multiple trophic levels. While knowledge about the impacts of climate change in cetacean's species is still scarce, practitioners and policyma...

Species distributional estimates are an essential tool to improve and implement effective conservation and management measures. Nevertheless, obtaining accurate distributional estimates remains a challenge in many cases, especially when looking at the marine environment, mainly due to the species mobility and habitat dynamism. Ecosystems surroundin...

Wide-ranging connectivity patterns of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops trunca-tus) are generally poorly known worldwide and more so within the oceanic archipelagos of Macaronesia in the North East (NE) Atlantic. This study aimed to identify long-range movements between the archipelagos of Macaronesia that lie between 500 and 1,500 km apart, and...

Nucleic acid-derived indices such as RNA/DNA ratios have been successfully applied as ecophysiological indicators to assess growth, nutritional condition and health status in marine organisms given that they provide a measure of tissue protein reserves, which is known to vary depending on changes in the environment. Yet, the use of these biochemica...

The common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) occur year-round in the waters off the Madeira Archipelago, and present island-associated populations, yet no literature is found about their diet composition in this region. Bottlenose dolphins usually are opportunistic feeders inhabiti...

Aim The knowledge of a species biogeographical patterns greatly enhances our understanding of geographical ecology, which can improve identifying key conservation needs. Yet, this knowledge is still scarce for many marine top predators. Here, we aim to analyse movement patterns and spatial structuring of a large predator, the short‐finned pilot wha...

Movement patterns of delphinid populations are generally known to occur within specific geographical areas; with the exception of the killer whale (Orcinus orca). Additionally, knowledge of wide-ranging migrations in these animals are mainly attributed to individual records with limited information on their social structure, residency status or pur...

Management and conservation issues are addressed through the identification of areas of particular importance, which requires the acquisition of baseline information on species distribution and dynamics. These types of data are particularly difficult to obtain at high resolution for large marine vertebrates like cetaceans, given that dedicated surv...

The whale-watching industry considerably increased worldwide in the last decades, leading the scientific community to urge for more studies and assessments. Indeed, several studies suggested that the cumulative effect of repeated exposure of cetacean populations to this disturbance can affect their behaviour, reproductive success and even mortality...

In order to investigate social structure, 11 years of individual photo-identification data of bottlenose dolphin were analysed. We examined the type of association indices between pairs of identified individuals; the patterns of affiliation between individual dolphins and the probabilities of association between individuals over time. Between 2001...

Laterally bent dorsal fins are rarely observed in free-ranging populations of cetaceans, contrary to captivity, where most killer whale Orcinus orca adult males have laterally collapsed fins. This topic has been poorly explored, and data/information on its occurrence and possible causes are limited. The present study: (i) undertakes a review of the...

Sightings of anomalously all-white (leucistic) or all-black (melanistic) individuals are rare in nature, with information on hypo- and hyper-pigmented short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) being scarce in the literature. This study describes seven sightings of anomalously pigmented D. de...

The use of ferries as platforms of opportunity for cetacean monitoring is wide spreading from several years. This is a cost-effective and efficient system, allowing a regular and continuous effort, both in space and in time, through fixed transect surveys. In order to start a long-term monitoring programme in the ferry route between Madeira and Por...

Human population growth has resulted in an increase of marine traffic. This has been associated with wildlife disturbance and the effects are expected to increase with continued traffic expansion. A particularly impacted group is cetaceans, known to play an important role in the sustainability and regulation of marine ecosystems. An assessment of m...

Human population growth has resulted in an increase of marine traffic. This has been associated with wildlife disturbance and the effects are expected to increase with continued traffic expansion. A particularly impacted group is cetaceans, known to play an important role in the sustainability and regulation of marine ecosystems. An assessment of m...

One of the first steps in understanding the relationships between populations and their habitats is to determine which areas they use with higher frequency. This study used systematic and non-systematic survey data from 2001-2002 and 2004-2012 to determine encounter rates and investigate temporal and spatial distribution of bottlenose dolphins arou...

The bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncatus is one of the most frequently sighted cetacean species in the Madeira Archipelago (North-East Atlantic); however, little is known about its population ecology in these waters. Photo-identification undertaken during systematic, non-systematic and opportunistic surveys conducted between 2001 and 2012 was used...

Dedicated visual systematic and random ship surveys were carried out between 2007-2012 by the Madeira Whale Museum in coastal waters around the Madeira archipelago to study the distribution and abundance of cetacean species. Abundance was estimated using design-based distance sampling methods and the distribution of the density of individuals and g...

This study adds the Atlantic spotted dolphin Stenella frontalis to the list of species displaying nurturant behavior as a response to perinatal mortality. It is based on two in situ behavioral observations off Madeira Island (Portugal) (but with only one continuing uninterrupted). Additionally, postmortem exams were carried out on four fresh neonat...

Estimates of population parameters for the short-finned pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus, are scarce in literature, contributing to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status of Data Deficient. In this study, photo-identification data collected over 7 yr from Madeira were used to estimate for the first time survivorship,...

Describes the project CETACEOSMADEIRA II (CMII) carried out by the Madeira Whale museum between 2010-1013, presenting the main goals of the project, methodologies used and results obtained to promote the conservation of cetaceans in the Madeira archipelago

Six time-depth recorders attached with suction-cups were deployed in resident and transient adult short-finned pilot whales to evaluate their daytime diving characteristics in their preferred habitat area off Madeira Island. Here, data on the proportion of time spent at the surface and at different dive phases (descent, bottom and ascent), dive dep...

Short-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) are the two most abundant cetacean species in the oceanic waters of Madeira and the Azores. They are of similar size, occur in similar habitats and are regularly observed in mixed-species groups to forage together. Genetic analyses suggested that, wi...

Cetaceans’ research in the Madeira archipelago has been mainly restricted to the inshore waters (Freitas et al, 2004, Alves et al 2010, 2013). Consequently there is a lack of knowledge about cetaceans and of the interactions and impacts of human activities in the Madeira offshore waters. Therefore, between 2010 and 2012, within the CETACEOSMADEIRAI...

First results on bottlenose abundance estimates in Madeira archipelagp, using the robust distance sampling methodology

S. 2005. Habitat preference modelling as a conservating tool: proposals for marine protected areas for cetaceans in southern Spanish waters. Aquatic Conserv.Mar.Freshw. Ecosyst. 1 15:495-521 Merriman, M., Markowitz, T.M., Harlin-Cognato, A. D. and Stokin, K.A. 2009. Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops Truncatus) Abundance, Site Fidelity, and Group Dynamic...

1. Pilot whales Globicephala spp. are known to display a hierarchical social pattern, but longitudinal data to infer population structure of short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus are rare. 2. Using data collected between 2003-2011 in the oceanic archipelago of Madeira, the grouping structure of short-finned pilot whales was studied u...

With 1 figure & 1 table RESUMO. Quatorze espécies de cetáceos são descritas pela primeira vez para o mar do arquipélago da Madeira. Onze são registos confirmados, baseados em arrojamentos ou em imagens de qualidade, e três são registos não confirmados, baseados em observações visuais. As espécies confirmadas são: a baleia-azul (Balaenoptera musculu...

Several cetacean species exhibit fine-scale population structure despite their high dispersal capacities and the apparent continuity of the marine environment. In dolphins, most studies have focused on coastal areas and continental margins, and they revealed differentiated populations within relatively small geographic areas, sometimes in conjuncti...

Biological samples of free-ranging dolphins are increasingly used to gain information on population structure and ecology. In small cetaceans, the gender of individuals usually cannot be determined at sea, and population sex ratio has to be inferred indirectly. We used molecular sexing to determine the gender of 340 biopsy samples of bottlenose dol...

In areas where whales and dolphins concentrate on a regular basis, whalewatching (ww) activities tend to be implemented gradually, followed by a substantial growth. If improperly managed and regulated, this industry can have severe impacts on the cetacean populations targeted, as well as on their habitat. This paper intends to be a review of whalew...

The short-beaked common dolphin, Delphinus delphis, and the Atlantic spotted dolphin, Stenella frontalis, are two of the most abundant cetacean species in the archipelagos of Azores and Madeira but seem to show same spatial-temporal segregation. In Azores D. delphis is present year-round, but its abundance is highest in spring with a decline during...

Behaviour of sperm whales

Impact assessment of whale-watching boats on cetaceans in Madeira Archipelago, Portugal