Roose, Robert Erickson, II2022-03-242022-03-242021https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/30706Social network analyses are used by ecologists to examine the various drivers and functions of animal social structures. While social behaviors are found throughout the animal kingdom their roles in structuring marine communities are poorly understood. In addition, comparisons of sociality across marine fishes in the same location and time are rare. A well-maintained acoustic telemetry network in Delaware Bay allowed me to analyze the sociality of Atlantic sturgeon (Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus) and sand tigers (Carcharias taurus). Both species co-occur in the bay, are long-lived, make seasonal migrations, and aggregate for unknown reasons. However, these species occupy distinctly different trophic positions and ecological niches. I found little evidence for sociality amongst Atlantic sturgeon. However, sand tigers exhibited evidence for both preferential co-occurrence and assortment by maturity. In addition, I demonstrate that these species preferentially associate by conspecifics. My findings suggest that sand tigers exhibit a higher degree of sociality than Atlantic sturgeon while in the Delaware Bay. From these findings, I outline the social structures of two evolutionary distinct species while they co-occur in the Delaware Bay. Additionally, I explored the influence that environmental acoustic conditions have on social network metrics and make recommendations for future analyses using acoustic telemetry in estuarine environments.Acoustic telemetryAtlantic sturgeonBehavioral ecologyPermuted null modelSand tigersSocial network analysisThesis13052018012022-01-21en