Publications

Rojas-Bracho, L., Taylor, B., Booth, C., Thomas, L., Jaramillo-Legorreta, A., Nieto-García, E., Cárdenas Hinojosa, G., Barlow, J., Mesnick, S., Gerrodette, T., Olson, P., Henry, A., Rizo, H., Hidalgo-Pla, E., & Bonilla-Garzón, A. (2022). More vaquita porpoises survive than expected. Endangered Species Research, 48, 225–234. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01197

Sanjurjo-Rivera, E., Mesnick, S. L., Ávila-Forcada, S., Poindexter, O., Lent, R., Felbab-Brown, V., Cisneros-Montemayor, A. M., Squires, D., Sumaila, U. R., Munro, G., Ortiz-Rodriguez, R., Rodriguez, R., & Sainz, J. F. (2021). An Economic Perspective on Policies to Save the Vaquita: Conservation Actions, Wildlife Trafficking, and the Structure of Incentives. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 644022. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.644022

Miller, E. C., Mesnick, S. L., & Wiens, J. J. (2021). Sexual Dichromatism Is Decoupled from Diversification over Deep Time in Fishes. The American Naturalist, 198(2), 232–252. https://doi.org/10.1086/715114

Brakes, P., Carroll, E. L., Dall, S. R. X., Keith, S. A., McGregor, P. K., Mesnick, S. L., Noad, M. J., Rendell, L., Robbins, M. M., Rutz, C., Thornton, A., Whiten, A., Whiting, M. J., Aplin, L. M., Bearhop, S., Ciucci, P., Fishlock, V., Ford, J. K. B., Notarbartolo di Sciara, G., … Garland, E. C. (2021). A deepening understanding of animal culture suggests lessons for conservation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 288(1949), rspb.2020.2718, 20202718. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.2718

Gulland, F., Danil, K., Bolton, J., Ylitalo, G., Okrucky, R. S., Rebolledo, F., Alexander-Beloch, C., Brownell, R. l, Mesnick, S., Lefebvre, K., Smith, C. R., Thomas, P. O., & Rojas-Bracho, L. (2020). Vaquitas ( Phocoena sinus ) continue to die from bycatch not pollutants. Veterinary Record, 187(7), e51–e51. https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.105949

Orbach, D. N., Brennan, P. L. R., Hedrick, B. P., Keener, W., Webber, M. A., & Mesnick, S. L. (2020). Asymmetric and Spiraled Genitalia Coevolve with Unique Lateralized Mating Behavior. Scientific Reports, 10(1), 3257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60287-w

Brakes, P., Dall, S. R. X., Aplin, L. M., Bearhop, S., Carroll, E. L., Ciucci, P., Fishlock, V., Ford, J. K. B., Garland, E. C., Keith, S. A., McGregor, P. K., Mesnick, S. L., Noad, M. J., di Sciara, G. N., Robbins, M. M., Simmonds, M. P., Spina, F., Thornton, A., Wade, P. R., … Rutz, C. (2019). Animal cultures matter for conservation. Science, 363(6431), 1032–1034. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw3557

Rojas-Bracho, L., Brusca, R. C., Álvarez-Borrego, S., Brownell, R. L., Camacho-Ibar, V., Ceballos, G., de la Cueva, H., García-Hernández, J., Hastings, P. A., Cárdenas-Hinojosa, G., Jaramillo–Legorreta, A. M., Medellín, R., Mesnick, S. L., Nieto-García, E., Urbán, J., Velarde, E., Vidal, O., Findley, L. T., & Taylor, B. L. (2019). Unsubstantiated Claims Can Lead to Tragic Conservation Outcomes. BioScience, 69(1), 12–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biy138

Ralls, K., & Mesnick, S. L. (2019). Sex in Cetaceans. In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (Second, pp. 547–555). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-809633-8.90129-8

Mesnick, S. L., Ballance, L. T., Wade, P. R., Pryor, K., & Reeves, R. R. (2019). Oceanic Dolphin Societies: Diversity, Complexity, and Conservation. In B. Würsig (Ed.), Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Odontocetes (pp. 183–209). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-16663-2_9

Lewis, L. A., Calambokidis, J., Stimpert, A. K., Fahlbusch, J., Friedlaender, A. S., McKenna, M. F., Mesnick, S. L., Oleson, E. M., Southall, B. L., Szesciorka, A. R., & Širović, A. (2018). Context-dependent variability in blue whale acoustic behaviour. Royal Society Open Science, 5(8), 180241. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.180241

Morin, P. A., Foote, A. D., Baker, C. S., Hancock‐Hanser, B. L., Kaschner, K., Mate, B. R., Mesnick, S. L., Pease, V. L., Rosel, P. E., & Alexander, A. (2018). Demography or selection on linked cultural traits or genes? Investigating the driver of low mtDNA diversity in the sperm whale using complementary mitochondrial and nuclear genome analyses. Molecular Ecology, 27(11), 2604–2619. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14698

Orbach, D. N., Hedrick, B., Würsig, B., Mesnick, S. L., & Brennan, P. L. R. (2018). The evolution of genital shape variation in female cetaceans. Evolution, 72(2), 261–273. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13395

Mesnick, S. L., & Ralls, K. (2018). Sexual Dimorphism. In W. F. Perrin, J. G. M. Thewissen, & B. G. Würsig (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals (3rd edition). Academic.

Orbach, D. N., Marshall, C. D., Mesnick, S. L., & Würsig, B. (2017). Patterns of cetacean vaginal folds yield insights into functionality. PLOS ONE, 12(3), e0175037. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175037

Rosel, P. E., Taylor, B. L., Hancock-Hanser, B. L., Morin, P. A., Archer, F. I., Lang, A. R., Mesnick, S. L., Pease, V. L., Perrin, W. F., Robertson, K. M., Leslie, M. S., Berta, A., Cipriano, F., Parsons, K. M., Viricel, A., Vollmer, N. L., & Martien, K. K. (2017). A review of molecular genetic markers and analytical approaches that have been used for delimiting marine mammal subspecies and species. Marine Mammal Science, 33(S1), 56–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12412

Taylor, B. L., Archer, F. I., Martien, K. K., Rosel, P. E., Hancock-Hanser, B. L., Lang, A. R., Leslie, M. S., Mesnick, S. L., Morin, P. A., Pease, V. L., Perrin, W. F., Robertson, K. M., Parsons, K. M., Viricel, A., Vollmer, N. L., Cipriano, F., Reeves, R. R., Krützen, M., & Baker, C. S. (2017). Guidelines and quantitative standards to improve consistency in cetacean subspecies and species delimitation relying on molecular genetic data. Marine Mammal Science, 33(S1), 132–155. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12411

Greggor, A. L., Berger-Tal, O., Blumstein, D. T., Angeloni, L., Bessa-Gomes, C., Blackwell, B. F., St Clair, C. C., Crooks, K., de Silva, S., Fernández-Juricic, E., Goldenberg, S. Z., Mesnick, S. L., Owen, M., Price, C. J., Saltz, D., Schell, C. J., Suarez, A. V., Swaisgood, R. R., Winchell, C. S., & Sutherland, W. J. (2016). Research Priorities from Animal Behaviour for Maximising Conservation Progress. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 31(12), 953–964. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2016.09.001

Berger‐Tal, O., Blumstein, D. T., Carroll, S., Fisher, R. N., Mesnick, S. L., Owen, M. A., Saltz, D., Claire, C. C., & Swaisgood, R. R. (2016). A systematic survey of the integration of animal behavior into conservation. Conservation Biology, 30(4), 744–753. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12654

Alexander, A., Steel, D., Hoekzema, K., Mesnick, S. L., Engelhaupt, D., Kerr, I., Payne, R., & Baker, C. S. (2016). What influences the worldwide genetic structure of sperm whales ( Physeter macrocephalus )? Molecular Ecology, 25(12), 2754–2772. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.13638

Orbach, D. N., Marshall, C. D., Würsig, B., & Mesnick, S. L. (2016). Variation in Female Reproductive Tract Morphology of the Common Bottlenose Dolphin ( T ursiops truncatus ): Reproductive Tract Morphology of Female Bottlenose Dolphin. The Anatomical Record, 299(4), 520–537. https://doi.org/10.1002/ar.23318

Dines, J. P., Mesnick, S. L., Ralls, K., May-Collado, L., Agnarsson, I., & Dean, M. D. (2015). A trade-off between precopulatory and postcopulatory trait investment in male cetaceans: PRECOPULATORY AND POSTCOPULATORY TRADE-OFFS. Evolution, 69(6), 1560–1572. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12676

Schakner, Z. A., Lunsford, C., Straley, J., Eguchi, T., & Mesnick, S. L. (2014). Using Models of Social Transmission to Examine the Spread of Longline Depredation Behavior among Sperm Whales in the Gulf of Alaska. PLoS ONE, 9(10), e109079. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109079

Mesnick, S. (2014). Family Physeteridae (Sperm Whale). In D. E. Wilson & R. A. Mittermeier (Eds.), Handbook of the mammals of the world. Lynx Ediciones.

Keledjian, A., & Mesnick, S. (2013). The Impacts of El Niño Conditions on California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) Fisheries Interactions: Predicting Spatial and Temporal Hotspots Along the California Coast. Aquatic Mammals, 39(3), 221–232. https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.39.3.2013.221

Caro, T., Stankowich, T., Mesnick, S. L., Costa, D. P., & Beeman, K. (2012). Pelage coloration in pinnipeds: functional considerations. Behavioral Ecology, 23(4), 765–774. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ars025

Rendell, L., Mesnick, S. L., Dalebout, M. L., Burtenshaw, J., & Whitehead, H. (2012). Can Genetic Differences Explain Vocal Dialect Variation in Sperm Whales, Physeter macrocephalus? Behavior Genetics, 42(2), 332–343. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10519-011-9513-y

Wade, P. R., Reeves, R. R., & Mesnick, S. L. (2012). Social and Behavioural Factors in Cetacean Responses to Overexploitation: Are Odontocetes Less “Resilient” Than Mysticetes? Journal of Marine Biology, 2012, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1155/2012/567276

Godard-Codding, C. A. J., Clark, R., Fossi, M. C., Marsili, L., Maltese, S., West, A. G., Valenzuela, L., Rowntree, V., Polyak, I., Cannon, J. C., Pinkerton, K., Rubio-Cisneros, N., Mesnick, S. L., Cox, S. B., Kerr, I., Payne, R., & Stegeman, J. J. (2011). Pacific Ocean–Wide Profile of CYP1A1 Expression, Stable Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Ratios, and Organic Contaminant Burden in Sperm Whale Skin Biopsies. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119(3), 337–343. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.0901809

Mesnick, S. L., Taylor, B. L., Archer, F. I., Martien, K. K., Treviño, S. E., Hancock-Hanser, B. L., Moreno Medina, S. C., Pease, V. L., Robertson, K. M., Straley, J. M., Baird, R. W., Calambokidis, J., Schorr, G. S., Wade, P., Burkanov, V., Lunsford, C. R., Rendell, L., & Morin, P. A. (2011). Sperm whale population structure in the eastern and central North Pacific inferred by the use of single-nucleotide polymorphisms, microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA: SNP GENOTYPING AND APPLICATIONS. Molecular Ecology Resources, 11, 278–298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2010.02973.x

Barlow, J., Rojas-Bracho, L., Munoz-Pina, C., & Mesnick, S. (2010). Conservation of the vaquita (Phocoena sinus) in the northern Gulf of California, Mexico. In R. Q. Grafton, R. Hilborn, D. Squires, M. Tait, & M. Williams (Eds.), Handbook of marine fisheries conservation and management. Oxford University Press.

McDonald, M., Hildebrand, J., & Mesnick, S. (2009). Worldwide decline in tonal frequencies of blue whale songs. Endangered Species Research, 9, 13–21. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00217

Engelhaupt, D., Rus Hoelzel, A., Nicholson, C., Frantzis, A., Mesnick, S., Gero, S., Whitehead, H., Rendell, L., Miller, P., De Stefanis, R., Cañadas, A., Airoldi, S., & Mignucci-Giannoni, A. A. (2009). Female philopatry in coastal basins and male dispersion across the North Atlantic in a highly mobile marine species, the sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus): SPERM WHALE FEMALE PHILOPATRY AND MALE DISPERSAL. Molecular Ecology, 18(20), 4193–4205. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04355.x

Morin, P. A., Manaster, C., Mesnick, S. L., & Holland, R. (2009). Normalization and binning of historical and multi‐source microsatellite data: overcoming the problems of allele size shift with ALLELOGRAM. Molecular Ecology Resources, 9(6), 1451–1455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-0998.2009.02672.x

Schramm, Y., Mesnick, S. L., de la Rosa, J., Palacios, D. M., Lowry, M. S., Aurioles-Gamboa, D., Snell, H. M., & Escorza-Treviño, S. (2009). Phylogeography of California and Galápagos sea lions and population structure within the California sea lion. Marine Biology, 156(7), 1375–1387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-009-1178-1

Ralls, K., & Mesnick, S. L. (2009). Sexual Dimorphism. In W. F. Perrin, J. G. M. Thewissen, & B. G. Würsig (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals (2nd ed). Academic.

Mesnick, S. L., & Ralls, K. (2009). Mating Systems. In W. F. Perrin, J. G. M. Thewissen, & B. G. Würsig (Eds.), Encyclopedia of marine mammals (2nd ed). Academic.

Morin, P. A., Aitken, N. C., Rubio-Cisneros, N., Dizon, A. E., & Mesnick, S. (2007). Characterization of 18 SNP markers for sperm whale ( Physeter macrocephalus ): PRIMER NOTE. Molecular Ecology Notes, 7(4), 626–630. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-8286.2006.01654.x

Rubio-Cisneros, N. T., Mesnick, S. L., Vázquez-Juárez, R., Urbán-Ramírez, J., Godard, C. A. J., Payne, R., & Dizon, A. E. (2006). Genetic sex determination supports the Gulf of California as an important habitat for male and female sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 5(2), 125–128. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00104

McDonald, M. A., Messnick, S. L., & Hildebrand, J. A. (2006). Biogeographic characterisation of blue whale song worldwide: using song to identify populations. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 8(1), 55–65.

Morin, P. A., Nestler, A., Rubio-Cisneros, N. T., Robertson, K. M., & Mesnick, S. L. (2005). Interfamilial characterization of a region of the ZFX and ZFY genes facilitates sex determination in cetaceans and other mammals. Molecular Ecology, 14(10), 3275–3286. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2005.02651.x

Aurioles-Gamboa, D., Schramm, Y., & Mesnick, S. (2004). Galapagos fur seals, Arctocephalus galapagoensis, in Mexico. Latin American Journal of Aquatic Mammals, 3(1), 77–80. https://doi.org/10.5597/lajam00051

Reeves, R., Perrin, W., Taylor, B., Baker, C., & Mesnick, S. (2004). Report of the Workshop on Shortcomings of Cetacean Taxonomy in Relation to Needs of Conservation and Management April 30 - May 2, 2004 La Jolla, California.

Ruiz-Cooley, R., Gendron, D., Aguíñiga, S., Mesnick, S., & Carriquiry, J. (2004). Trophic relationships between sperm whales and jumbo squid using stable isotopes of C and N. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 277, 275–283. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps277275

Mesnick, S. L., Evans, K., Taylor, B. L., Hyde, J., Escorza-Treviño, S., & Dizon, A. E. (2003). Sperm Whale Social Structure: Why It Takes a Village to Raise a Child. In F. B. M. de Waal & P. L. Tyack (Eds.), Animal Social Complexity: Intelligence, Culture, and Individualized Societies (pp. 170–174). Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674419131

Perrin, W. F., & Mesnick, S. L. (2003). Sexual ecology of the spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris: Geographic variation in mating system. Marine Mammal Science, 19(3), 462–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2003.tb01315.x

Bonness, D., Clapham, P. J., & Mesnick, S. L. (2002). Life History and Reproductive Strategies. In A. R. Hoelzel (Ed.), Marine mammal biology: an evolutionary approach (pp. 278–324). Blackwell Pub.

Pitman, R. L., Ballance, L. T., Mesnick, S. I., & Chivers, S. J. (2001). Killer whale predation on sperm whales: Observations and implications. Marine Mammal Science, 17(3), 494–507. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2001.tb01000.x

Gendron, D., & Mesnick, S. (2001). Sloughed skin: a method for the systematic collection of tissue samples from Baja California blue whales. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 3, 77–79.

Mesnick, S. L., Clapham, P. J., & Dizon, A. E. (1999). The collection of associated behavioral data with biopsy samples during cetacean assessment cruises. Journal of Cetacean Research and Management, 1(2), 205–211.