Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis
Kelp gulls ( Larus dominicanus ) commonly feed on the skin and blubber of surfacing southern right whales (SRW, Eubalaena australis ) in the near shore waters of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. Mothers and especially calves respond to gull attacks by changing their swimming speeds, resting posture...
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Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 |
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crroyalsociety:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 2024-06-02T08:14:51+00:00 Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis Agrelo, Macarena Marón, Carina F. Daura-Jorge, Fábio G. Rowntree, Victoria J. Sironi, Mariano Hammond, Philip S. Ingram, Simon N. Vilches, Florencia O. Seger, Jon Simões-Lopes, Paulo C. The Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement The National Council for Technological and Scientific Development Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas CAPES-PRINT Ocean Alliance 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 en eng The Royal Society https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ Biology Letters volume 19, issue 6 ISSN 1744-957X journal-article 2023 crroyalsociety https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 2024-05-07T14:16:20Z Kelp gulls ( Larus dominicanus ) commonly feed on the skin and blubber of surfacing southern right whales (SRW, Eubalaena australis ) in the near shore waters of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. Mothers and especially calves respond to gull attacks by changing their swimming speeds, resting postures and overall behaviour. Gull-inflicted wounds per calf have increased markedly since the mid-1990s. Unusually high mortality of young calves occurred locally after 2003, and increasing evidence points to gull harassment as a factor contributing to the excess deaths. After leaving PV, calves undertake a long migration with their mothers to summer feeding areas; their health during this strenuous exertion is likely to affect their probabilities of first-year survival. To explore the effects of gull-inflicted wounds on calf survival, we analysed 44 capture–recapture observations between 1974 and 2017, for 597 whales photo-identified in their years of birth between 1974 and 2011. We found a marked decrease in first-year survival associated with an increase in wound severity over time. Our analysis supports recent studies indicating that gull harassment at PV may impact SRW population dynamics. Article in Journal/Newspaper Southern Right Whale The Royal Society Argentina Biology Letters 19 6 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
The Royal Society |
op_collection_id |
crroyalsociety |
language |
English |
description |
Kelp gulls ( Larus dominicanus ) commonly feed on the skin and blubber of surfacing southern right whales (SRW, Eubalaena australis ) in the near shore waters of Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. Mothers and especially calves respond to gull attacks by changing their swimming speeds, resting postures and overall behaviour. Gull-inflicted wounds per calf have increased markedly since the mid-1990s. Unusually high mortality of young calves occurred locally after 2003, and increasing evidence points to gull harassment as a factor contributing to the excess deaths. After leaving PV, calves undertake a long migration with their mothers to summer feeding areas; their health during this strenuous exertion is likely to affect their probabilities of first-year survival. To explore the effects of gull-inflicted wounds on calf survival, we analysed 44 capture–recapture observations between 1974 and 2017, for 597 whales photo-identified in their years of birth between 1974 and 2011. We found a marked decrease in first-year survival associated with an increase in wound severity over time. Our analysis supports recent studies indicating that gull harassment at PV may impact SRW population dynamics. |
author2 |
The Coordination of Superior Level Staff Improvement The National Council for Technological and Scientific Development Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas CAPES-PRINT Ocean Alliance |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Agrelo, Macarena Marón, Carina F. Daura-Jorge, Fábio G. Rowntree, Victoria J. Sironi, Mariano Hammond, Philip S. Ingram, Simon N. Vilches, Florencia O. Seger, Jon Simões-Lopes, Paulo C. |
spellingShingle |
Agrelo, Macarena Marón, Carina F. Daura-Jorge, Fábio G. Rowntree, Victoria J. Sironi, Mariano Hammond, Philip S. Ingram, Simon N. Vilches, Florencia O. Seger, Jon Simões-Lopes, Paulo C. Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
author_facet |
Agrelo, Macarena Marón, Carina F. Daura-Jorge, Fábio G. Rowntree, Victoria J. Sironi, Mariano Hammond, Philip S. Ingram, Simon N. Vilches, Florencia O. Seger, Jon Simões-Lopes, Paulo C. |
author_sort |
Agrelo, Macarena |
title |
Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
title_short |
Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
title_full |
Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
title_fullStr |
Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
title_sort |
effect of kelp gull harassment on southern right whale calf survival: a long-term capture–recapture analysis |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full-xml/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 |
geographic |
Argentina |
geographic_facet |
Argentina |
genre |
Southern Right Whale |
genre_facet |
Southern Right Whale |
op_source |
Biology Letters volume 19, issue 6 ISSN 1744-957X |
op_rights |
https://royalsociety.org/journals/ethics-policies/data-sharing-mining/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2023.0119 |
container_title |
Biology Letters |
container_volume |
19 |
container_issue |
6 |
_version_ |
1800738836991442944 |