1. © File copyright Colin Purrington. You may use for making your poster, of course, but please do not plagiarize, adapt, or put on your own site. Also, do not upload this file, even if modified, to third-party file-sharing sites such as doctoc.com. If you have insatiable need to post a template onto your own site, search the internet for a different template to steal. File downloaded from http://colinpurrington.com/tips/academic/pos terdesign. Research Questions How have humans impacted the Humpback Whale population in the North Pacific? Has the Humpback Whale population rebounded from the decline it faced 20 years ago? Technology, Materials, and Methods The SPLASH program was the first ever comprehensive field study of the humpback whale population. The program was a collaborative effort between over 50 research groups and more than 400 researchers. The study was designed to encompass all known feeding areas as well as wintering areas known of for humpback whales. The sampling period was from 2004-2006. Data was collected by photo sampling and biopsy sampling. To collect photographs digital SLR cameras equipped with telephoto lenses. Biopsy samples were taken by using stainless steel biopsy darts shot from crossbow or modified rifles. Samples were usually immediately frozen after sampling or submerged in a saline solution to preserve the genetic material. After samples were collected photos had to be analyzed, and the photos were released to Zooniverse where individuals were asked to help identify individual whales. NGSS standards: MS-LS2-4. Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations. Crosscutting concepts: Cause and effect relationships may be used to predict phenomena in natural or designed systems. (MS-LS2-1) Stability and change: small changes in one system may result in large changes in another. Students can look at the data and make the conclusion that human factors have played a role in the fluctuations in the humpback whale population, by changing the ecosystem. Findings In the initial SPLASH project 18,469 photographs were viewed and 7,971 individual whales were identified from photos alone. Using this data along with where the photographs were taken the SPLASH team was able to map migration routes between winter and feeding grounds. Using the photo identification method as well as the biopsy samples the SPLASH team was able to use a mark recapture sampling method from all regions sampled to create a predicted population abundance of anywhere from 18,347 to 21,452 individual humpback whales. Conclusions and Implications Looking at the population numbers we can conclude that the whale population has likely increased from the previously estimated numbers in the 1990 study. This may be from a variety of different reasons. One consideration that must be addressed is the reliability of the previous study. The SPLASH study was a much larger study than previously conducted, so it is likely that it provided more reliable data. One possibility for the increased population numbers may be attributed to the modern efforts to save the whale population. These populations are also only in the North Pacific, areas in Asia the population levels are much lower than historic lows in the area. This may be attributed to a high rate of incidental mortality caused by the large volume of human traffic in that specific area. By: Jessee Wilson Date: October 29, 2015 Scientific Research Poster Presentation Data analysis and Literature Cited Pictures of the whale tails I analyzed were provided through https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/tedcheese/whales-as- individuals/research/ in cooperation with the SPLASH (Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance and Status of Humpbacks) project. Conclusions were made from the final (working) report of the SPLASH project. https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Projects/Resea rch_Cruises/Hawaii_and_Alaska/SPLASH/SPLASH-contract- Report-May08.pdf https://swfsc.noaa.gov/uploadedFiles/Divisions/PRD/Projects/Resea rch_Cruises/Hawaii_and_Alaska/SPLASH/SPLASH-contract- Report-May08.pdf Photos were taken from Zooniverse under the creative commons license. Population Estimation of Humpback Whales by Photo Analysis