Sangam: A Confluence of Knowledge Streams

The significance of non-human culture for the conservation of cetaceans and other vertebrates

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dc.contributor Dall, Sasha
dc.contributor Townley, Stuart
dc.creator Brakes, P
dc.date 2023-02-14T10:05:42Z
dc.date 2023-01-16
dc.date 2023-02-14T02:43:51Z
dc.date 2023-02-14T10:05:42Z
dc.date.accessioned 2023-02-23T12:19:58Z
dc.date.available 2023-02-23T12:19:58Z
dc.identifier ORCID: 0000-0002-2846-1701 (Brakes, Philippa)
dc.identifier ScopusID: 55587960500 (Brakes, Philippa)
dc.identifier http://hdl.handle.net/10871/132468
dc.identifier.uri http://localhost:8080/xmlui/handle/CUHPOERS/258790
dc.description The central proposition of this thesis is that non-human cultural transmission can interface with population dynamics to generate patterns and processes which can cause population level effects and thus inform conservation science, policy and practice. Culture can provide insights for both how conservation is conducted and what managers should be aiming to conserve (the ‘unit to conserve’). In this research, available evidence was gathered and a wide collaboration with experts in this field was established. This enabled the development of a conceptual framework to help guide researchers and practitioners towards ‘future-proofing’ populations by conserving both cultural variation and the capacity for innovation and social learning to maximize the resilience of vulnerable populations. To illuminate some of the underlying processes, theoretical models were then constructed to investigate the dual dynamics of cultural transmission and population dynamics. Here it is shown that social learning can generate transient dynamics which may inform the timing of some conservation interventions. It is also demonstrated that under certain parameter regimes social learning can bring about cultural bistability, cultural hysteresis, or cultural exclusion. Further, it is shown how in a density dependent system, cultural transmission could generate chaos. These findings are considered within the context of conservation and policy. It is concluded that given the complexity of the coupled processes of population dynamics and cultural transmission - and the practical challenges associated with collecting fine scale data on how culture may influence vital rates - that conservation policy makers and practitioners should aim to conserve cultural diversity, within and between populations, as an essential source of adaptive behaviour.
dc.publisher University of Exeter
dc.publisher Centre for Ecology and Conservation, Biological Sciences
dc.rights 2024-06-30
dc.rights Three chapters of this thesis are being prepared for journal publication.
dc.rights http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
dc.subject animal culture
dc.subject soical learning
dc.subject conservation
dc.subject social transmission
dc.subject maladaptive behaviour
dc.title The significance of non-human culture for the conservation of cetaceans and other vertebrates
dc.type Thesis or dissertation
dc.type PhD in Biological Sciences
dc.type Doctoral
dc.type Doctoral Thesis


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