Laura J May-Collado

Laura J May-Collado
University of Vermont | UVM · Department of Biology

Ph.D.

About

118
Publications
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Publications

Publications (118)
Article
Full-text available
Keywords: population dynamics, breeding areas, migration patterns, sightings, threats.
Preprint
Ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation are expected to intensify without significant climate mitigation. In tropical regions, rising ocean temperatures may push marine species to their thermal limits, leading to redistributions and cascading effects on communities and ecosystems. We evaluate how the future climate change scenarios could im...
Article
Full-text available
Dolphins produce narrowband and frequency modulated sounds called whistles during a variety of behavioral contexts. Dolphin species vary in their whistle contour composition, frequency range, modulation, and duration, and these differences can be useful in their identification. Here, we compare the whistle contours of two sympatric dolphin species...
Preprint
Full-text available
1. While cetaceans are known to produce large and complex acoustic repertoires, the challenges of exhaustively sampling sounds at sea and counting relevant signals has precluded an understanding of their true repertoire diversity. 2. Here we quantify and compare the whistle repertoires of 16 populations in the genus Sotalia, belonging to two sister...
Article
Full-text available
Many marine mammals exhibit diel trends in vocal production, which can provide information on habitat use and behavioral activity. In Belize, Antillean manatees (Trichechus manatus manatus) commonly inhabit small depressions in the substrate or deep-water coves known as “resting holes”. Determining if manatees exhibit diel temporal trends in their...
Article
Full-text available
Introduction: Boat traffic is recognized as a major contributor of underwater noise. Increasing presence of boats in coastal habitats is predicted to have important repercussions on the communication of marine mammals. In Costa Rica, the waters of the Caño Island Biological Reserve are an important breeding area for humpback whales from the Breedin...
Article
Full-text available
The pantropical spotted dolphin in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is found in two genetically and phenotypically diverged ecotypes, coastal and offshore. These habitats have distinct acoustic characteristics, which can lead to the evolution of distinct acoustic communication. Whistles are sounds widely used by dolphins to mediate species and in...
Article
The pantropical spotted dolphin in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) is found in two genetically and phenotypically diverged ecotypes, coastal and offshore. These habitats have distinct acoustic characteristics, which can lead to the evolution of distinct acoustic communication.The results of this study suggest that acoustic adaptations to coastal...
Article
Full-text available
Intraspecific whistle variation in dolphins has been explained in the context of geographical isolation, soundscape, and social structure. Whistles of two ecotypes of bottlenose dolphins from La Paz Bay, Gulf of California, were analyzed. Both ecotypes showed similar whistle contours. However, they could be identified by contour maximum frequency w...
Article
Full-text available
Islands—whether classic oceanic islands or habitat islands such as isolated thermal vents, mountain tops, or caves—often promote the diversification of lineages that colonize them. We examined CO1 mtDNA sequence divergences within the tailless whip spider genus Phrynus Lamarck, 1809 (Amblypygi: Phrynidae) among oceanic islands and among cave ’islan...
Article
Full-text available
The dorsal fin plays important kinematic and hydrodynamic roles in dolphins and are related to physiological and environmental adaptation processes. Differences in dorsal fin shape have been recently associated with geographic variation, habitat specialization between ecotypes, and ontogenetic factors. We studied dorsal fin variation across several...
Article
Full-text available
Vocal activity and signal characteristics of mammals are driven by several factors that result in both stability and plasticity over multiple time scales. All three extant species of manatee communicate with several calls that are especially important for maintaining contact between cows and calves. Determining if calf calls differ across manatee s...
Article
Full-text available
Underwater noise from human activities is recognized as a world-wide problem, with important repercussions on the acoustic communication of aquatic mammals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government of Panama went into a nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of the virus. This lockdown resulted in the closing of tourism infrastructure and limi...
Poster
Full-text available
Differences in the whistle repertoire of two common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ) ecotypes in the Gulf of California.
Poster
Full-text available
An extensive ongoing survey of Caribbean arachnids continues to uncover, across multiple genera and families, greater species richness than hitherto appreciated. Here, we focus on a clade of jumping spiders endemic to the Caribbean, currently all placed in the genus Antillattus. Phylogenetic analyses were conducted on Antillattus s. l., and the gro...
Article
Full-text available
Acoustical geographic variation is common in widely distributed species and it is already described for several taxa, at various scales. In cetaceans, intraspecific variation in acoustic repertoires has been linked to ecological factors, geographical barriers, and social processes. For the common bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ), studies o...
Article
In 2014, a Resolution was approved by the IWC for establishing new, specific Terms of Reference to consolidate the Scientific Committee’s mandate on small cetaceans within its broader working program. This program opens the possibility of periodic reviews about the current knowledge and threats, as well as the possibility to implement Conservation...
Article
Full-text available
Bottlenose dolphins’ whistles are key in social communication, conveying information about conspecifics and the environment. Therefore, their study can help to infer habitat use and identify areas of concern due to human activities. Here we studied the whistles of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in two sites of the archipelago of Bocas del...
Poster
Full-text available
Conference Paper
Full-text available
Environmental variations result in different selection pressures acting upon a species, promoting niche specialization with adaptation to a specific habitat resulting in evolution. Consequently, genetically divergent subpopulations or ecotypes are formed. Ecotype characterization involves morphologic, ecological and even genetic differentiation. Ho...
Article
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Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of the Bocas del Toro archipelago are targeted by the largest boat-based cetacean watching operation in Panama. Tourism is concentrated in Dolphin Bay, home to a population of resident dolphins. Previous studies have shown that tour boats elicit short-term changes in dolphin behavior and communication; howev...
Article
Vicariance and dispersal events, combined with intricate global climatic history, have left an imprint on the spatiotemporal distribution and diversity of many organisms. Anelosimus cobweb spiders (Theridiidae), are organisms ranging in behavior from solitary to highly social,l with a cosmopolitan distribution in temperate- to-tropical areas. Their...
Poster
Full-text available
South America hosts two stocks of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), stock A occupying southwest waters of the Atlantic, and stock G, located in the Southeast Pacific. After breeding in these locations in the austral winter and spring, both stocks travel in the austral summer to the feeding areas located in the Magellan Strait, Corcovado Gul...
Article
Full-text available
Central American (CA) and Breeding Stock-G (BSG) humpback whales are known to winter off Caño Island, Costa Rica at different times of the year. To study their singing behavior, autonomous underwater recorders were used to record the whales. Song detection for BSG whales was higher than CA whales, and song structure was distinct for each population...
Article
A small and genetically isolated bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population resides year-round in the Bocas del Toro Archipelago-Panama (BDT). Photo-identification and genetic data showed that this dolphin population is highly phylopatric and is formed exclusively by individuals of the “inshore form”. This study aimed to investigate the tro...
Article
Full-text available
The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin (Inia araguaiaensis) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour. We analysed frequency contours of 727 signals (sampled at 10 ms temporal resol...
Data
Tonal whistle produced by an Araguaian boto and the longest sound in our recordings
Data
Short call with no non-linear phenomena produced by an Araguaian boto
Data
Short two-component calls produced by an Araguaian boto calf
Data
Short calls with subharmonics produced by an Araguaian boto
Preprint
Full-text available
The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin ( Inia araguaiaensis ) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that w...
Preprint
Full-text available
The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin ( Inia araguaiaensis ) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that w...
Preprint
The recent discovery of the Araguaian river dolphin ( Inia araguaiaensis ) highlights how little we know about the diversity and biology of river dolphins. In this study, we described the acoustic repertoire of this newly discovered species in concert with their behaviour in free-ranging, human-habituated individuals. We analysed 393 signals that w...
Article
Full-text available
The current conservation status of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) under the IUCN is ‘least concern’. However, in the Caribbean, small and localized populations of the ‘inshore form’ may be at higher risk of extinction than the ‘worldwide distributed form’ due to a combination of factors including small population size, high site fideli...
Data
Graphic representation of Evanno et al. [71] ad hoc statistic ∆K, which shows a clear peak in K = 2. (DOCX)
Data
Mean and Stdev LnPK, and DeltaK results for all K (1 to 10), according to STRUCTURE analyses. (DOCX)
Chapter
Full-text available
The cetacean species richness of Costa Rica and Panama represents about 36% of the species described worldwide. Within the economical coastal waters of these countries bottlenose dolphins, the pantropical spotted dolphins, the Guiana dolphin, and humpback whales are the most commonly observed. Their high sight fidelity and predictability has result...
Article
The small resident population of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro, is the target of the largest dolphin-watching industry in Panama. Previous work has shown that intense dolphin-watching activity is negatively affecting this dolphin population. Thus, understanding tourist’s preferences and views on dolphin wat...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The Araguaian boto (Inia araguaiaensis), a newly described species of river dolphin, is also one of the most threatened cetaceans as it inhabits the most modified riverine system in the Amazon. To enable passive acoustic surveys of this species, we conducted a pilot study of a population associated with the municipal market of Mocajuba, Pará State,...
Article
In Bocas del Toro, Panama, unregulated dolphin-watching tourism has resulted in international concern. There are less than 100 resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) in Bocas del Toro that are genetically isolated from other populations in the Caribbean. Over just three years (2012-2014), at least 10 resident dolphins have died due to boat co...
Chapter
Full-text available
Several studies have shown how current climate change and human 4 threats to aquatic environments are signi cantly impacting aquatic mammals world- 5 wide. In response to these threats it is important to prioritize conservation efforts. A 6 recent approach to evaluate conservation priorities is to combine information on 7 species status from the In...
Article
Full-text available
Mating with multiple partners is common across species, and understanding how individual males secure fertilization in the face of competition remains a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. Game theory stipulates that males have a fixed budget for reproduction that can lead to a trade-off between investment in precopulatory traits like body si...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The resident population of bottlenose dolphins in Bocas del Toro sustains the largest dolphin watching industry in Panama. Our previous work shows that these dolphins respond to boat presence by increasing whistle duration and lowering their minimum frequency. The usual assumption is that the noise associated with dolphin-watching boats is responsi...
Article
Full-text available
Marsupials or metatherians are a group of mammals that are distinct in giving birth to young at early stages of development and in having a prolonged investment in lactation. The group consists of nearly 350 extant species, including kangaroos, koala, possums, and their relatives. Marsupials are an old lineage thought to have diverged from early th...
Article
Determining factors that facilitate the transition from a solitary to a social lifestyle is a major challenge in evolutionary biology, especially in taxa that are usually aggressive towards conspecifics. Most spiders live solitarily and few species are known to be social. Nevertheless, sociality has evolved multiple times across several families an...
Conference Paper
Full-text available
The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) population at Turneffe Atoll Marine Reserve (TAMR) in Belize faces negative impacts from habitat degradation, overfishing, and anthropogenic noise. Understanding the factors that influence changes in Turneffe dolphin communication is urgent for local conservation planning. Here we investigate the influenc...
Article
Full-text available
The bottlenose dolphins of Dolphin Bay, in the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro sustain the largest dolphin watching industry in Panama. Since the establishment of this project 10 years ago, we have observed a rapid and disorganized development of the tourism infrastructure and dolphin-watching (DW) activities. These activities continue to growth with...
Article
Full-text available
Dolphins rely on whistles to identify each other and to receive and convey information about their environment. Although capable of adjusting these signals with changing environments, there is little information on how dolphins acoustically respond to different watercraft activities and if this response depends on dolphin behavioral state. Bottleno...
Article
Full-text available
Guyana dolphins show remarkable intraspecific whistle variation. This variation has been largely explained in terms of distance among populations; however, other factors such as behavior may also be important. A broadband recording system recorded the whistles of Guyana dolphins under three behavioral states. A discriminant analysis found that duri...
Data
Full-text available
Bottlenose dolphins are among the most studied cetaceans around the globe. Across its distribution there has been an increasing understanding of many aspects of their biology, however the lack of molecular studies is hindering adequate management planning regionally and locally. A recent study in the Caribbean has shown the existence of two forms a...
Data
Full-text available
Coastal bottlenose dolphin populations are frequently in contact with humans and are targeted by dolphin-watching boats. In the past 10 years dolphin watching has become a popular and profitable tourist attraction in Panama. Profitable wildlife observation can mutually benefit humans and wild animal populations, resulting in successful conservation...
Data
Full-text available
Coastal bottlenose dolphin populations are frequently in contact with humans and are targeted by dolphin-watching boats. In the past 10 years dolphin watching has become a popular and profitable tourist attraction in Panama. Profitable wildlife observation can mutually benefit humans and wild animal populations, resulting in successful conservation...
Article
Full-text available
The coastal spotted dolphin (Stenella attenuata graffmani) is one of the most common species of dolphin in inshore Pacific waters of Costa Rica. We conducted surveys in protected waters of the Papagayo Gulf, Costa Rica, to determine relative abundance of dolphins in relation to environmental variables. We used Generalized Additive Models to investi...
Data
Consensus list of conservation priority species obtained from the multiple analysis and approaches. In bold are aquatic and semi-aquatic species. (DOC)
Data
Full data set for evolutionary distinctiveness, EDGE and HEDGE calculations using TUATARA (Carnivores = 387, Cetartiodactyls = 333). (XLS)
Article
Full-text available
Habitat loss and overexploitation are among the primary factors threatening populations of many mammal species. Recently, aquatic mammals have been highlighted as particularly vulnerable. Here we test (1) if aquatic mammals emerge as more phylogenetically urgent conservation priorities than their terrestrial relatives, and (2) if high priority spec...
Article
Full-text available
Brains are the centers of the nervous system of animals, controlling the organ systems of the body and coordinating responses to changes in the ecological and social environment. The evolution of traits that correlate with cognitive ability, such as relative brain size is thus of broad interest. Brain mass relative to body mass (BM) varies among ma...
Article
Dolphins of Bocas del Toro are known to change their communication signals when interacting with dolphin‐watching boats. In this study we examine the role of engine noise, calf presence, and behavior on the emission rate of whistles. Whistle emission rate was measured in groups where calves were and were not present and while interacting and not in...
Article
Guyana dolphins emit whistles with the widest frequency range ever reported today (1.34 to 48.4 kHz). Distance between populations has been suggested as an important factor promoting whistle variation in this dolphin species. However, other factors known to promote intra‐specific whistle variation among delphinids such as behavior have not been exp...
Article
Full-text available
Inshore cetaceans from the North and South Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Twenty nine cetacean species occur in Costa Rican waters but extensive research has been conducted only for three species. The latter shows there is a lack of general and local information about these mammals, even when the country, has shown a remarkable growth in whale watchi...
Article
Full-text available
Inshore cetaceans from the North and South Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Twenty nine cetacean species occur in Costa Rican waters but extensive research has been conducted only for three species. The latter shows there is a lack of general and local information about these mammals, even when the country, has shown a remarkable growth in whale watchi...
Article
Full-text available
Twenty nine cetacean species occur in Costa Rican waters but extensive research has been conducted only for three species. The latter shows there is a lack of general and local information about these mammals, even when the country, has shown a remarkable growth in whale watching activities. The increasing use of marine resources in coastal areas h...