Research areas
I am a quantitative ecologist based in the Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling (CREEM) and the School of Biology.
I work on multiple aspects of the ecology, behaviour, physiology and population biology of marine mammals and other marine predators, at the interface between biology and statistics. I am interested in developing and applying robust analytical tools to quantify the relationships of these species with their environment and their interactions with human activities. In particular, a lot of my research so far has focused on the assessment of the effects of both natural and anthropogenic stressors on marine mammals, ranging from individual responses through to consequences for populations.
I strive for my work to inform policy makers, managers, and the industry, and therefore to support the sustainable use of marine resources and the long-term conservation of marine wildlife.
Selected publications
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Open access
A matter of scale: identifying the best spatial and temporal scale of environmental variables to model the distribution of a small cetacean
Goh, T., Jessopp, M., Rogan, E. & Pirotta, E., 6 Aug 2024, In: Ecology and Evolution. 14, 8, 16 p., e70102.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Bubble blasts! An adaptation for buoyancy regulation in shallow foraging gray whales
Bird, C., Pirotta, E., New, L., Bierlich, K. C., Hildebrand, L., Fernandez Ajó, A. & Torres, L., 6 Aug 2024, In: Ecology and Evolution. 14, 8, 13 p., e70093.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Decreasing body size is associated with reduced calving probability in critically endangered North Atlantic right whales
Pirotta, E., Tyack, P. L., Durban, J. W., Fearnbach, H., Hamilton, P., Harris, C. M., Knowlton, A., Kraus, S. D., Miller, C., Moore, M., Pettis, H., Photopoulou, T., Rolland, R., Schick, R. & Thomas, L., 28 Feb 2024, In: Royal Society Open Science. 11, 2, 8 p., 240050.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Estimating age and investigating epigenetic changes related to health across multiple bottlenose dolphin populations
Barratclough, A., Takeshita, R., Thomas, L., Photopoulou, T., Pirotta, E., Rosel, P., Wilcox Talbot, L., Vollmer, N., Wells, R., Smith, C., Rowles, T., Horvath, S. & Schwacke, L., 1 May 2024, In: Biological Conservation. 293, 9 p., 110570.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Growing into it: evidence of an ontogenetic shift in grey whale use of foraging tactics
Bird, C., Pirotta, E., New, L., Bierlich, K., Donnelly, M., Hildebrand, L., Fernandez Ajó, A. & Torres, L., Aug 2024, In: Animal Behaviour. 214, p. 121-135 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Modeling individual growth reveals decreasing gray whale body length and correlations with ocean climate indices at multiple scales
Pirotta, E., Bierlich, K., New, L., Hildebrand, L., Bird, C., Fernandez Ajó, A. & Torres, L., 7 Jun 2024, In: Global Change Biology. 30, 6, 13 p., e17366.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
New data on the distribution of sperm whales in the Western Mediterranean highlights insufficiency of currently proposed protection measures
Brotons, J. M., Cerdà, M., Pirotta, E. & Rendell, L. E., 21 Nov 2024, In: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 34, 11, 5 p., e70020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Using accelerometry tags to quantify gray whale foraging behavior
Colson, K., Pirotta, E., New, L., Cade, D. E., Calambokidis, J., Bierlich, K., Bird, C. N., Fernandez Ajó, A., Hildebrand, L., Trites, A. W. & Torres, L. G., 29 Nov 2024, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. Early View, 24 p., e13210.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Assessing variation in faecal glucocorticoid concentrations in gray whales exposed to anthropogenic stressors
Pirotta, E., Fernandez Ajó, A., Bierlich, K., Bird, C., Buck, C. L., Haver, S., Haxel, J., Hildebrand, L., Hunt, K., Lemos, L., New, L. & Torres, L., 11 Nov 2023, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Conservation Physiology. 11, 1, 20 p., coad082.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Open access
Growth in marine mammals: a review of growth patterns, composition and energy investment
Adamczak, S. K., McHuron, E. A., Christiansen, F., Dunkin, R., McMahon, C. R., Noren, S., Pirotta, E., Rosen, D., Sumich, J. & Costa, D. P., 21 Jun 2023, In: Conservation Physiology. 11, 19 p., coad035.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review