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Dr Barbara Cheney

Dr Barbara Cheney
Dr Barbara Cheney
Dr Barbara Cheney

Advanced Research Fellow

About
Email Address
b.cheney@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address

The Lighthouse Field Station

University of Aberdeen

George Street

Cromarty

Ross-shire IV11 8YL

School/Department
School of Biological Sciences
Pure
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Biography

I am a research fellow in the School of Biological Sciences, based at the University's Lighthouse Field Station, where I manage our long-term bottlenose dolphin individual based study.

My current research interest centres on the use and development of techniques, including photo-ID, photogrammetry and acoustics, to study aspects of individual marine mammals to inform ecology and conservation.

Spy in the sky

Long-term individual-based studies provide a unique opportunity to apply unoccupied aerial system (UAS) photogrammetry to non-invasively measure body morphometrics of individuals with known life history information. Our latest study demonstrates that UAS measurements of body width can accurately assign pregnancy status in bottlenose dolphins.

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Qualifications

  • PhD Ecology 
    2017 - University of Aberdeen 

    Temporal variation in the demographics and dynamics of a bottlenose dolphin population.

  • BSc Marine Biology 
    2004 - University of Aberdeen 
  • BA Business Studies 
    1992 - Glasgow Caledonian University 

Latest Publications

  • Reduced adult survival estimated in areas of decline of harbour seal populations in Scotland

    Arso Civil, M., Tapp, S., Dickens, J., Langley, I., Hiley, H., Terrapon, M., Hague, E., Hewitt, R., Cordes, L. S., Graham, I., Cheney, B., Thompson, P., Hall, A. J., Sparling, C. E.
    Ecology and Evolution, vol. 15, no. 10, e72349
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Density-dependent network structuring within and across wild animal systems

    Albery, G., Becker, D. J., Firth, J. A., De Moor, D., Ravindran, S., Silk, M., Sweeny, A. R., Vander Wal, E., Webber, Q., Allen, B., Babayan, S. A., Barve, S., Begon, M. M., Birtles, R. J., Block, T. A., Block, B., Bradley, J. E., Budischak, S., Buesching, C. D., Burthe, S. J., Carlisle, A. B., Caselle, J. E., Cattuto, C., Chaine, A. S., Chapple, T. K., Cheney, B. J., Clutton-Brock, T., Collier, M., Curnick, D. J., Delahay, R. J., Farine, D. R., Fenton, A., Ferretti, F., Feyrer, L., Fielding, H., Foroughirad, V., Frere, C., Gardner, M. G., Geffen, E., Godfrey, S. S., Graham, A. L., Hammond, P. S., Henrich, M., Heurich, M., Hopwood, P., Ilany, A., Jackson, J. A., Jackson, N., Jacoby, D. M., Jacoby, A., Ježek, M., Kirkpatrick, L., Klamm, A., Klarevas-Irby, J. A., Knowles, S., Koren, L., Krzyszczyk, E., Kusch, J. M., Lambin, X., Lane, J. E., Leirs, H., Leu, S. T., Lyon, B. E., Macdonald, D. W., Madsen, A. E., Mann, J., Manser, M., Mariën, J., Massawe, A., McDonald, R. A., Morelle, K., Mourier, J., Newman, C., Nussear, K., Nyaguthii, B., Ogino, M., Ozella, L., Packer, C., Papastamatiou, Y. P., Paterson, S., Pinter-Wollman, N., Payne, E., Pederson, A. B., Pemberton, J. M., Planes, S., Raulo, A., Rodríguez-Muñoz, R., Rudd, L., Sabuni, C., Sah, P., Schallert, R. J., Sheldon, B. C., Shizuka, D., Sih, A., Sinn, D. L., Sluydts, V., Spiegel, O., Telfer, S., Thomason, C. A., Tickler, D. M., Tregenza, T., VanderWaal, K., Walmsley, S., Walters, E. L., Wanelik, K. M., Whitehead, H., Wielgus, E., Wilson-Aggarwal, J., Wohlfeil, C., Bansal, S.
    Nature Ecology & Evolution
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Optimizing automated photo identification for population assessments

    Patton, P. T., Pacifici, K., Baird, R. W., Oleson, E. M., Allen, J. B., Ashe, E., Athayde, A., Basran, C. J., Cabrera, E., Calambokidis, J., Cardoso, J., Carroll, E. L., Cesario, A., Cheney, B. J., Cheeseman, T., Corsi, E., Currie, J. J., Durban, J. W., Falcone, E. A., Fearnbach, H., Flynn, K., Franklin, T., Franklin, W., Vernazzani, B. G., Genova, T., Hill, M., Johnston, D. R., Keene, E. L., Lacey, C., Mahaffy, S. D., McGuire, T. L., McPherson, L., Meyer, C., Michaud, R., Miliou, A., Olson, G. L., Orbach, D. N., Pearson, H. C., Rasmussen, M. H., Rayment, W. J., Rinaldi, C., Rinaldi, R., Siciliano, S., Stack, S. H., Tintore, B., Torres, L. G., Towers, J. R., Moore, R. B., Weir, C. R., Wellard, R., Wells, R. S., Yano, K. M., Zaeschmar, J. R., Bejder, L.
    Conservation Biology, vol. 39, no. 4, e14436
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Site Condition Monitoring of bottlenose dolphins within the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation 2017-2022: NatureScot Research Report 1360

    Cheney, B., Arso Civil, M., Hammond, P. S., Thompson, P.
    NatureScot: Scotland's Nature Agency. 39 pages
    Books and Reports: Commissioned Reports

  • Dolphin social phenotypes vary in response to food availability but not the North Atlantic Oscillation index

    Fisher, D., Cheney, B.
    Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, vol. 290, no. 2008, 20231187
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

The Lighthouse Field Station research aims to study how natural and anthropogenic variation affects the behaviour, life history and vital rates of marine top predators. I manage our long-term individual based study of bottlenose dolphins on the east coast of Scotland. My current research focuses on the application of individual based studies in marine mammal conservation and I am specifically interested in the use and development of techniques to study the ecology of individual marine mammals.

Research Areas

Biological and Environmental Sciences

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Research Specialisms

  • Ecology
  • Marine Biology
  • Population Biology
  • Population Ecology

Our research specialisms are based on the Higher Education Classification of Subjects (HECoS) which is HESA open data, published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.

Investigating fecundity and calf survival

Accurately estimating variation in reproduction and survival is critical for supporting conservation. Data from our long-term individual based bottlenose dolphin study was applied in a novel method, allowing for uncertainty in breeding status, to investigate changes in fecundity and calf survival in this protected population.

 

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Teaching

Courses

Publications

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  • Investigating individual growth rates in wild bottlenose dolphins using remote laser photogrammetry

    Cheney, B., Wells, R. S., Thompson, P. M.
    21st Biennial Society for Marine Mammalogy Conference
    Contributions to Conferences: Posters

  • Predicting the effects of human developments on individual dolphins to understand potential long-term population consequences

    Pirotta, E., Harwood, J., Thompson, P. M., New, L., Cheney, B., Arso, M., Hammond, P. S., Donovan, C., Lusseau, D.
    Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B, Biological Sciences, vol. 282, no. 1818, 20152109
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Estimating spatial, temporal and individual variability in dolphin cumulative exposure to boat traffic using spatially explicit capture-recapture methods

    Pirotta, E. E., Thompson, P. M. P., Cheney, B. B., Donovan, C. R. C., Lusseau, D. M. D.
    Animal Conservation, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 20-31
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Long-term trends in the use of a protected area by small cetaceans in relation to changes in population status.

    Cheney, B., Corkrey, R., Durban, J. W., Grellier, K., Hammond, P. S., Islas-Villanueva, V., Janik, V. M., Lusseau, S. M., Parsons, K. M., Quick, N. J., Wilson, B., Thompson, P. M.
    Global Ecology and Conservation, vol. 2, pp. 118-128
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Scale-dependent foraging ecology of a marine top predator modelled using passive acoustic data

    Pirotta, E., Thompson, P. M., Miller, P. I., Brookes, K. L., Cheney, B., Barton, T. R., Graham, I. M., Lusseau, D.
    Functional Ecology, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 206-217
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Site Condition Monitoring of bottlenose dolphins within the Moray Firth Special Area of Conservation: 2011-2013

    Cheney, B. J.
    Commissioned by SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE. Inverness: Scottish Natural Heritage. 36 pages
    Books and Reports: Commissioned Reports

  • Using Tooth Rakes to Monitor Population and Sex Differences in Aggressive Behaviour in Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)

    Marley, S. A., Cheney, B., Thompson, P. M.
    Aquatic Mammals, vol. 39, no. 2, pp. 107-115
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Modelling the biological significance of behavioural change in coastal bottlenose dolphins in response to disturbance

    New, L. F., Harwood, J., Thomas, L., Donovan, C., Clark, J. S., Hastie, G., Thompson, P. M., Cheney, B., Scott-Hayward, L., Lusseau, D.
    Functional Ecology, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 314-322
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Analyzing temporally correlated dolphin sightings data using generalized estimating equations

    Bailey, H. R., Corkrey, R., Cheney, B. J., Thompson, P. M.
    Marine Mammal Science, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 123-141
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Integrating multiple data sources to assess the distribution and abundance of bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus in Scottish waters

    Cheney, B. J., Thompson, P. M., Ingram, S. N., Hammond, P. S., Stevick, P. T., Durban, J. W., Culloch, R. M., Elwen, S. H., Mandleberg, L., Janik, V. M., Quick, N. J., Islas-Villanueva, V., Robinson, K. P., Costa, M., Eisfeld, S. M., Walters, A., Phillips, C., Weir, C. R., Evans, P. G. H., Anderwald, P., Reid, R. J., Reid, J. B., Wilson, B.
    Mammal Review, vol. 43, no. 1, pp. 71-88
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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