The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies

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Projects

Summary of collaborative research projects conducted and funded by IMMS

This project entails the study of dolphins in Mississippi, both in the wild and in captivity; and covers research in areas of their biology and natural history, ecology, behavior, immunology, parasitology, physiology, diseases, taxonomy, public education and conservation. It is a collaborative effort of scientists from several organizations and the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (“IMMS”) who are specialists in the aforementioned areas of study. Dr. Moby Solangi, Executive Director of the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, is the Principal Investigator for the entire project. The work is being done in collaboration with scientists from participating institutions that are listed below as collaborators.

Collaborator	Title	Collaborating Institution	Project Status	Project Significance
Dr. Stan Kuczaj	The effects of human activity on the behavior of free-ranging dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound	University Of Southern Mississippi	Ongoing	Provide information about the extent to which dolphins engage in interactions with humans and/or are affected by human activity in the wild. Includes photo ID study. See publication citation
Dr. Donald Baltz	Habitat use and population structure patterns of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters.	Louisiana State University	Ongoing	Gain knowledge of abundance and habitat use of bottlenose dolphins and to provide information to federal agencies to better manage the species in this sub-region. Includes photo ID study.
Dr. Stan Kuczaj	Mother-calf interactions among captive dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) during the first year of life: A developmental perspective.	University Of Southern Mississippi	Completed	Acquire knowledge of calf behavior and development and influences of the mother’s role on such development. See publication citation
Dr. Steve Stanic	Ambient noise measurements in and around the Gulfport, MS harbor and its potential influence on marine mammals	Naval Research Laboratory	Completed	Pilot study to determine the feasibility of monitoring bottlenose dolphin 24/7 by their sound production while also measuring noise levels in their environ-ment around Gulfport harbor. See publication citation
Dr. Stan Kuczaj	Does participation in dolphin-interaction programs affect the behavior of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)?	University Of Southern Mississippi	Completed	Study how dolphins’ behavior may or may not be affected by participation in human interaction programs. See publication citation
Dr. Robin Overstreet	Parasites as indicators of bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) health and biology	University Of Southern Mississippi	Completed	To identify symbionts that are either present or absent from the individual dolphins that can serve as an indicator of the hosts’ health. See publication citation
Dr. Patty Rosel	Genetic diversity of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound and adjacent waters	NOAA Fisheries	Ongoing	Provide information on the genetic stock structure of bottlenose dolphins in this understudied region. Results of this study will help federal agencies better manage and protect bottlenose dolphins in this sub-region
Dr. Mark Mitchell	Epidemiological study of hemosiderosis (iron storage disease) in a captive population of Atlantic bottlenose dolphins	Louisiana State University	Completed	Study to determine etiology and prevalence of hemosiderosis in a captive population of bottlenose dolphins.
Dr. Kenneth Goldman	Age and growth of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound and adjacent Gulf of Mexico waters	Jackson State University	Ongoing	Will yield much needed information on life history and growth rates of bottlenose dolphin in the northern central Gulf of Mexico that will enable the creation of accurate demographic models and the better understanding of its ecology and population status.
Dr. Joal Newcomb	Anthropogenic noise in the Mississippi Sound; sources, monitoring and the potential impact on resident bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)	Naval Research Laboratory	Ongoing	Study to identify and determine sources of noise in the coastal north-central Gulf of Mexico and their potential impacts on habitat use and behavior of resident bottlenose dolphins. See publication citation
Dr. Randal Buddington	The impact of long-term storage of the fish fed to dolphins - changes in food composition, blood chemistry, and systemic immune fxn	Mississippi State University	Completed	Track the nutritional changes in frozen fish over a period of time and evaluate their potential correlation with health of captive dolphins.
Dr. Karyl Buddington	Development of a non-invasive approach to detect gastric ulcers in dolphins	Mississippi State University	Completed	Develop a diagnostic procedure to detect gastro-intestinal changes by less invasive methods that will allow veterinarians to better monitor dolphins’ health and evaluate efficacy of treatment. See publication citation
Dr. Donald Baltz	Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) food habits in the Northern Gulf of Mexico	Louisiana State University	Ongoing	Results of this study will shed light on predator-prey interactions of bottlenose dolphins in this area and will help state and federal agencies manage and protect their resources.
Dr. Mark Mitchell	Evaluating the role of dietary supplementation on iron absorption in the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)	Louisiana State University	Completed	Evaluating the role of ascorbate and gastric pH on the absorption of dietary iron in a captive dolphin population, thereby enabling cetacean nutritionists to develop appropriate dietary recommendations to protect the long-term management of these animals in captivity. See publication citation
Dr. Stan Kuczaj	Recognition of gestural cues across the senses of echolocation and vision in the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)	Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition	Completed	Demonstrate that dolphins can respond to underwater gestures through echolocation without visual cues. This would have significant implications for our understanding of how information from echolocation is represented and used.
Dr. Moby Solangi	Evaluating trends and causes of mortality for stranded Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Mississippi Sound	Institute for Marine Mammal Studies	Ongoing	This research will yield valuable data on stranding trends, toxicology, pathology and infectious diseases associated with bottlenose dolphin mortality and strandings. It will provide much needed information on the biology and natural history of dolphins in the sub-region. See publication citation
Dr. Stan Kuczaj	Long-term monitoring of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin population abundance in the Mississippi Sound	Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition	Ongoing	Provide data on the bottlenose dolphin abundance and density within the Mississippi Sound. It will increase our understanding of the dynamics that influence their use of the waters of the nGOM.
Dr. Bobby Middlebrooks	Study to measure baseline levels of immunoglobulin classes in captive dolphins	University Of Southern Mississippi	Completed	Establish baseline levels of immunoglobulins in captive dolphins to be used as a parameter to evaluate health status.
Dr. Steve Stanic	The correlation of Atlantic bottlenose dolphin acoustic signatures with their observed behavior and ambient noise conditions	Naval Research Laboratory	Ongoing	An attempt to correlate bottlenose dolphin sound production with their simultaneously observed behavior.