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Variability in sea ice cover and climate elicit sex specific responses in an Antarctic predator
Citation
Labrousse, S and Sallee, J-B and Fraser, AD and Massom, RA and Reid, P and Hobbs, W and Guinet, C and Harcourt, R and McMahon, C and Authier, M and Bailleul, F and Hindell, MA and Charrassin, J-B, Variability in sea ice cover and climate elicit sex specific responses in an Antarctic predator, Scientific Reports, 7 Article 43236. ISSN 2045-2322 (2017) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2017 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
Contrasting regional changes in Southern Ocean sea ice have occurred over the last 30 years with distinct regional effects on ecosystem structure and function. Quantifying how Antarctic predators respond to such changes provides the context for predicting how climate variability/change will affect these assemblages into the future. Over an 11-year time-series, we examine how inter-annual variability in sea ice concentration and advance affect the foraging behaviour of a top Antarctic predator, the southern elephant seal. Females foraged longer in pack ice in years with greatest sea ice concentration and earliest sea ice advance, while males foraged longer in polynyas in years of lowest sea ice concentration. There was a positive relationship between near-surface meridional wind anomalies and female foraging effort, but not for males. This study reveals the complexities of foraging responses to climate forcing by a poleward migratory predator through varying sea ice property and dynamic anomalies.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | behavioural ecology, climate-change ecology, sea ice, predator |
| Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecological Applications |
| Research Field: | Ecological Impacts of Climate Change |
| Objective Division: | Environment |
| Objective Group: | Climate and Climate Change |
| Objective Field: | Effects of Climate Change and Variability on Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Environments (excl. Social Impacts) |
| UTAS Author: | Labrousse, S (Ms Sara Labrousse) |
| UTAS Author: | Fraser, AD (Dr Alex Fraser) |
| UTAS Author: | Massom, RA (Dr Robert Massom) |
| UTAS Author: | Hobbs, W (Dr Will Hobbs) |
| UTAS Author: | McMahon, C (Dr Clive McMahon) |
| UTAS Author: | Hindell, MA (Professor Mark Hindell) |
| ID Code: | 114767 |
| Year Published: | 2017 |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 3 |
| Deposited By: | CRC-Antarctic Climate & Ecosystems |
| Deposited On: | 2017-02-27 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-04-20 |
| Downloads: | 64 View Download Statistics |
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