Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea
Common seals Phoca vitulina give birth in the Wadden Sea area during the summer months. We provide evidence that the pupping season has advanced in date in this region. Analysis of stranding dates of recently-born, orphaned pups admitted for rehabilitation, revealed a shift of, on average, 0.88 days...
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Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2011
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315411000592 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315411000592 |
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crcambridgeupr:10.1017/s0025315411000592 2024-03-03T08:43:42+00:00 Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea Osinga, N. Pen, I. Udo de Haes, H.A. Brakefield, P.M. 2011 http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315411000592 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315411000592 en eng Cambridge University Press (CUP) https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom volume 92, issue 8, page 1663-1668 ISSN 0025-3154 1469-7769 Aquatic Science journal-article 2011 crcambridgeupr https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315411000592 2024-02-08T08:49:29Z Common seals Phoca vitulina give birth in the Wadden Sea area during the summer months. We provide evidence that the pupping season has advanced in date in this region. Analysis of stranding dates of recently-born, orphaned pups admitted for rehabilitation, revealed a shift of, on average, 0.88 days per year over the period 1974–2008, yielding a total advance of 26 days. Although the pupping season has become progressively earlier, there were no indications of any negative impact on the weight of the pups, nor was there an increase in the proportion of seals with a lanugo coat. These observations suggest that the most likely explanation for the change in phenology of the pupping season is a corresponding change in the timing of cessation of the period of delayed implantation. It is suggested that shifts in phenology could reflect an adaptive response of the animals to altered local circumstances. The latter may in turn be induced by larger scale phenomena such as food availability or climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper common seal Phoca vitulina Cambridge University Press Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 92 8 1663 1668 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Cambridge University Press |
op_collection_id |
crcambridgeupr |
language |
English |
topic |
Aquatic Science |
spellingShingle |
Aquatic Science Osinga, N. Pen, I. Udo de Haes, H.A. Brakefield, P.M. Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
topic_facet |
Aquatic Science |
description |
Common seals Phoca vitulina give birth in the Wadden Sea area during the summer months. We provide evidence that the pupping season has advanced in date in this region. Analysis of stranding dates of recently-born, orphaned pups admitted for rehabilitation, revealed a shift of, on average, 0.88 days per year over the period 1974–2008, yielding a total advance of 26 days. Although the pupping season has become progressively earlier, there were no indications of any negative impact on the weight of the pups, nor was there an increase in the proportion of seals with a lanugo coat. These observations suggest that the most likely explanation for the change in phenology of the pupping season is a corresponding change in the timing of cessation of the period of delayed implantation. It is suggested that shifts in phenology could reflect an adaptive response of the animals to altered local circumstances. The latter may in turn be induced by larger scale phenomena such as food availability or climate change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Osinga, N. Pen, I. Udo de Haes, H.A. Brakefield, P.M. |
author_facet |
Osinga, N. Pen, I. Udo de Haes, H.A. Brakefield, P.M. |
author_sort |
Osinga, N. |
title |
Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
title_short |
Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
title_full |
Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
title_fullStr |
Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( Phoca vitulina ) in the Wadden Sea |
title_sort |
evidence for a progressively earlier pupping season of the common seal ( phoca vitulina ) in the wadden sea |
publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315411000592 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315411000592 |
genre |
common seal Phoca vitulina |
genre_facet |
common seal Phoca vitulina |
op_source |
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom volume 92, issue 8, page 1663-1668 ISSN 0025-3154 1469-7769 |
op_rights |
https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0025315411000592 |
container_title |
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom |
container_volume |
92 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1663 |
op_container_end_page |
1668 |
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1792499146515546112 |