Fueling phocids: Divergent exploitation of primary energy sources and parallel ontogenetic diet switches among three species of subarctic seals

• Published in: Marine Mammal Science
• Main Authors: Tucker, Strahan, Stenson, Garry B., Don Bowen, W., Iverson, Sara J.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2013
• Subjects: Cystophora cristata; North Atlantic; Pagophilus groenlandicus; Subarctic
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12009; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12009; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12009

Abstract Determining how marine predators partition resources is hindered by the difficulty in obtaining information on diet and distribution. Stable isotopes ( SI ) of carbon ( 13 C/ 12 C, δ 13 C) and nitrogen ( 15 N/ 14 N, δ 15 N) provide a two‐dimensional estimate of the dietary space of consumers; an animal's isotopic composition is directly influenced by what they consume and where they feed. Harp ( Pagophilus groenlandicus ) and hooded ( Cystophora cristata ) seals are abundant phocid species found in the North Atlantic. We measured and contrasted SI values between seals sampled at nearshore and offshore sites to test for effects of sampling location, sex, age‐class, and body size to gain insight into how these species partition space and prey resources. In addition we contrasted previously published results for gray seals ( Halichoerus grypus ). Isotope values differed significantly by age class and location in harp and hooded seals. We found significant differences in SI values (mean δ 13 C and δ 15 N ± SE ) between all species. Hooded seals, a continental shelf‐edge, deep‐diving species, exhibited low SI values (juveniles: −20.9‰ ± 0.03‰, 13.36‰ ± 0.05‰; adults: −20.41‰ ± 0.03‰, 14.81‰ ± 0.04‰) characteristic of feeding on meso‐ to bathypelagic prey. Harp seals, which dive to moderate depths primarily on the shelf had intermediate SI values (juveniles: −20.53‰ ± 0.01‰, 13.91‰ ± 0.01‰; adults: −20.13‰ ± 0.01‰, 14.96‰ ± 0.01‰) characteristic of feeding on epipelagic prey, whereas gray seals, which feed on or near the sea floor in shallow shelf waters, had high SI values (juveniles: −19.74‰ ± 0.04‰, 17.51‰ ± 0.05‰; adults: −18.86‰ ± 0.01‰, 17.23‰ ± 0.02‰) characteristic of feeding on demersal prey. In all species, δ 13 C values increased with body size and age in the same manner, indicating that seals exploit or forage in deeper habitats as they get larger and older. We hypothesize that the consistent ontogenetic shift in foraging niche, despite large differences between species in their diving behavior, ...