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Contrasting behavior between two populations of an ice-obligate predator in East Antarctica
Citation
Heerah, K and Hindell, M and Andrew-Goff, V and Field, I and McMahon, CR and Charrassin, J-B, Contrasting behavior between two populations of an ice-obligate predator in East Antarctica, Ecology and Evolution, 7, (2) pp. 606-618. ISSN 2045-7758 (2017) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2016 The Authors Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Abstract
The Austral autumn–winter is a critical period for capital breeders such as Weddell
seals that must optimize resource acquisition and storage to provision breeding in the
subsequent spring. However, how Weddell seals find food in the winter months remains
poorly documented. We equipped adult Weddell seals after their annual molt
with satellite-relayed data loggers at two sites in East Antarctica: Dumont D'Urville
(n = 12, DDU) and Davis (n = 20). We used binomial generalized mixed-effect models
to investigate Weddell seals’ behavioral response (i.e., "hunting" vs. "transit") to physical
aspects of their environment (e.g., ice concentration). Weddell seal foraging was
concentrated to within 5 km of a breathing hole, and they appear to move between
holes as local food is depleted. There were regional differences in behavior so that
seals at Davis traveled greater distances (three times more) and spent less time in hunting
mode (half the time) than seals at DDU. Despite these differences, hunting dives
at both locations were pelagic, concentrated in areas of high ice concentration, and
over areas of complex bathymetry. There was also a seasonal change in diving behavior
from transiting early in the season to more hunting during winter. Our observations
suggest that Weddell seal foraging behavior is plastic and that they respond behaviorally
to changes in their environment to maximize food acquisition and storage. Such
plasticity is a hallmark of animals that live in very dynamic environments such as the
high Antarctic where resources are unpredictable.
Item Details
| Item Type: | Refereed Article |
|---|---|
| Keywords: | Foraging ecology, predator, Antarctica, Weddell seal, capital breeder, first-passage time, habitat use, movement patterns, pinnipeds, polar regions, winter |
| Research Division: | Biological Sciences |
| Research Group: | Ecology |
| Research Field: | Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology) |
| Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
| Objective Group: | Coastal and estuarine systems and management |
| Objective Field: | Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems |
| UTAS Author: | Heerah, K (Ms Karine Heerah) |
| UTAS Author: | Hindell, M (Professor Mark Hindell) |
| UTAS Author: | Andrew-Goff, V (Ms Virginia Andrews-Goff) |
| ID Code: | 115542 |
| Year Published: | 2017 |
| Funding Support: | Australian Research Council (DP0342714) |
| Web of Science® Times Cited: | 13 |
| Deposited By: | Ecology and Biodiversity |
| Deposited On: | 2017-03-30 |
| Last Modified: | 2018-04-24 |
| Downloads: | 344 View Download Statistics |
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