Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups
In the migration of young animals, environmental cues can play an outsized role in dispersal, ontogeny, and potentially survival. Identifying and quantifying such cues promotes an understanding of individual species' migratory evolution and response to long-term environmental change. This study...
Published in: | Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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2024
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 |
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crcansciencepubl:10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 2024-09-15T17:59:29+00:00 Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups Pelland, Noel Sterling, Jeremy Todd Lea, Mary-Anne Johnson, Devin S. Melovidov, Paul I Lestenkof, Aaron P. Divine, Lauren M. 2024 http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 en eng Canadian Science Publishing http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining Canadian Journal of Zoology ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 journal-article 2024 crcansciencepubl https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 2024-08-15T04:09:29Z In the migration of young animals, environmental cues can play an outsized role in dispersal, ontogeny, and potentially survival. Identifying and quantifying such cues promotes an understanding of individual species' migratory evolution and response to long-term environmental change. This study examines weather as a proximate factor for initiating first migration in a wide-ranging subpolar marine predator, the northern fur seal (laaqudaxˆ, in Unangam Tunuu; Callorhinus ursinus [Linnaeus, 1758]). Observations of satellite-telemetered pups on three islands in the eastern Bering Sea, Alaska (US) are used to quantify how inclement weather (high winds, snow, low temperatures) increases departure rate. Historical weather is then used to reconstruct departure, from the mid-20th century onward. Contemporary surveys provide a test for reconstructed estimates and highlight behavioral processes near the entry to migration. Reconstructions provide novel climate context for large-scale population declines in the eastern Bering Sea since the 1950s; within their limitations, there is a lack of evidence for trends in departure or significant influence on demography. Results here build upon and support historical knowledge regarding the role of weather, while also highlighting potential areas of future study -- such as maternal behavior -- in influencing the entry into first migration in this species. Article in Journal/Newspaper Bering Sea Unangam-Tunuu Alaska Callorhinus ursinus Northern fur seal Canadian Science Publishing Canadian Journal of Zoology |
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Open Polar |
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Canadian Science Publishing |
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crcansciencepubl |
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English |
description |
In the migration of young animals, environmental cues can play an outsized role in dispersal, ontogeny, and potentially survival. Identifying and quantifying such cues promotes an understanding of individual species' migratory evolution and response to long-term environmental change. This study examines weather as a proximate factor for initiating first migration in a wide-ranging subpolar marine predator, the northern fur seal (laaqudaxˆ, in Unangam Tunuu; Callorhinus ursinus [Linnaeus, 1758]). Observations of satellite-telemetered pups on three islands in the eastern Bering Sea, Alaska (US) are used to quantify how inclement weather (high winds, snow, low temperatures) increases departure rate. Historical weather is then used to reconstruct departure, from the mid-20th century onward. Contemporary surveys provide a test for reconstructed estimates and highlight behavioral processes near the entry to migration. Reconstructions provide novel climate context for large-scale population declines in the eastern Bering Sea since the 1950s; within their limitations, there is a lack of evidence for trends in departure or significant influence on demography. Results here build upon and support historical knowledge regarding the role of weather, while also highlighting potential areas of future study -- such as maternal behavior -- in influencing the entry into first migration in this species. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Pelland, Noel Sterling, Jeremy Todd Lea, Mary-Anne Johnson, Devin S. Melovidov, Paul I Lestenkof, Aaron P. Divine, Lauren M. |
spellingShingle |
Pelland, Noel Sterling, Jeremy Todd Lea, Mary-Anne Johnson, Devin S. Melovidov, Paul I Lestenkof, Aaron P. Divine, Lauren M. Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
author_facet |
Pelland, Noel Sterling, Jeremy Todd Lea, Mary-Anne Johnson, Devin S. Melovidov, Paul I Lestenkof, Aaron P. Divine, Lauren M. |
author_sort |
Pelland, Noel |
title |
Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
title_short |
Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
title_full |
Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
title_fullStr |
Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
title_full_unstemmed |
Weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
title_sort |
weather, climate, and entry into migration of northern fur seal pups |
publisher |
Canadian Science Publishing |
publishDate |
2024 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 |
genre |
Bering Sea Unangam-Tunuu Alaska Callorhinus ursinus Northern fur seal |
genre_facet |
Bering Sea Unangam-Tunuu Alaska Callorhinus ursinus Northern fur seal |
op_source |
Canadian Journal of Zoology ISSN 0008-4301 1480-3283 |
op_rights |
http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/page/about/CorporateTextAndDataMining |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2023-0212 |
container_title |
Canadian Journal of Zoology |
_version_ |
1810436588700696576 |