Journal
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
Volume 287, Issue 1933, Pages -Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1544
Keywords
foraging habitat; stable isotopes; bio-logging; population strategies; decadal change; Indian sector of the Southern Ocean
Categories
Funding
- BNP Paribas Foundation
- French National program LEFE (Les Enveloppes Fluides et l'Environnement)
- program Terre, Ocean, Surfaces Continentales, Atmosphere (TOSCA) of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Total Foundation
- Australian Government
- Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV program 109)
- Institut Polaire Francais Paul Emile Victor (IPEV program 1201)
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Changes in the foraging environment and at-sea distribution of southern elephant seals from Kerguelen Islands were investigated over a decade (2004-2018) using tracking, weaning mass, and blood delta C-13 values. Females showed either a sub-Antarctic or an Antarctic foraging strategy, and no significant shift in their at-sea distribution was detected between 2004 and 2017. The proportion of females foraging in sub-Antarctic versus Antarctic habitats did not change over the 2006-2018 period. Pup weaning mass varied according to the foraging habitat of their mothers. The weaning mass of sub-Antarctic foraging mothers' pups decreased by 11.7 kg over the study period, but they were on average 5.8 kg heavier than pups from Antarctic foraging mothers. Pup blood delta C-13 values decreased by 1.1 parts per thousand over the study period regardless of their sex and the presumed foraging habitat of their mothers. Together, these results suggest an ecological change is occurring within the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean with possible consequences on the foraging performance of southern elephant seals. We hypothesize that this shift in delta C-13 is related to a change in primary production and/or in the composition of phytoplankton communities, but this requires further multidisciplinary investigations.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available