Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis
Abstract Knowledge of humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) foraging on feeding grounds is becoming increasingly important as the growing North Pacific population recovers from commercial whaling and consumes more prey, including economically important fishes. We explored spatial and temporal (i...
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crwiley:10.1111/mms.12227 2024-05-19T07:32:48+00:00 Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis Wright, Dana L. Witteveen, Briana Wynne, Kate Horstmann‐Dehn, Larissa National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 2015 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12227 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12227 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12227 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mms.12227 en eng Wiley http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor Marine Mammal Science volume 31, issue 4, page 1378-1400 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics journal-article 2015 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12227 2024-04-22T07:29:51Z Abstract Knowledge of humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) foraging on feeding grounds is becoming increasingly important as the growing North Pacific population recovers from commercial whaling and consumes more prey, including economically important fishes. We explored spatial and temporal (interannual, within‐season) variability in summer foraging by humpback whales along the eastern side of the Kodiak Archipelago as described by stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope ratios of humpback whale skin ( n = 118; 2004–2013). The trophic level ( TL ) of individual whales was calculated using basal food web δ 15 N values collected within the study area. We found evidence for the existence of two subaggregations of humpback whales (“North,” “South”) on the feeding ground that fed at different TL s throughout the study period. Linear mixed models suggest that within an average year, Kodiak humpback whales forage at a consistent TL during the feeding season. TL estimates support mixed consumption of fish and zooplankton species in the “North” (mean ± SE 3.3 ± 0.1) and predominant foraging on zooplankton in the “South” (3.0 ± 0.1). This trend appears to reflect spatial differences in prey availability, and thus, our results suggest North Pacific humpback whales may segregate on feeding aggregations and target discrete prey species. Article in Journal/Newspaper Archipelago Humpback Whale Kodiak Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska Wiley Online Library Marine Mammal Science 31 4 1378 1400 |
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Wiley Online Library |
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crwiley |
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English |
topic |
Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
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Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Wright, Dana L. Witteveen, Briana Wynne, Kate Horstmann‐Dehn, Larissa Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
topic_facet |
Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics |
description |
Abstract Knowledge of humpback whale ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) foraging on feeding grounds is becoming increasingly important as the growing North Pacific population recovers from commercial whaling and consumes more prey, including economically important fishes. We explored spatial and temporal (interannual, within‐season) variability in summer foraging by humpback whales along the eastern side of the Kodiak Archipelago as described by stable carbon (δ 13 C) and nitrogen (δ 15 N) isotope ratios of humpback whale skin ( n = 118; 2004–2013). The trophic level ( TL ) of individual whales was calculated using basal food web δ 15 N values collected within the study area. We found evidence for the existence of two subaggregations of humpback whales (“North,” “South”) on the feeding ground that fed at different TL s throughout the study period. Linear mixed models suggest that within an average year, Kodiak humpback whales forage at a consistent TL during the feeding season. TL estimates support mixed consumption of fish and zooplankton species in the “North” (mean ± SE 3.3 ± 0.1) and predominant foraging on zooplankton in the “South” (3.0 ± 0.1). This trend appears to reflect spatial differences in prey availability, and thus, our results suggest North Pacific humpback whales may segregate on feeding aggregations and target discrete prey species. |
author2 |
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wright, Dana L. Witteveen, Briana Wynne, Kate Horstmann‐Dehn, Larissa |
author_facet |
Wright, Dana L. Witteveen, Briana Wynne, Kate Horstmann‐Dehn, Larissa |
author_sort |
Wright, Dana L. |
title |
Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
title_short |
Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
title_full |
Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
title_fullStr |
Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the Kodiak, Alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
title_sort |
evidence of two subaggregations of humpback whales on the kodiak, alaska, feeding ground revealed from stable isotope analysis |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mms.12227 https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fmms.12227 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/mms.12227 https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full-xml/10.1111/mms.12227 |
genre |
Archipelago Humpback Whale Kodiak Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
genre_facet |
Archipelago Humpback Whale Kodiak Megaptera novaeangliae Alaska |
op_source |
Marine Mammal Science volume 31, issue 4, page 1378-1400 ISSN 0824-0469 1748-7692 |
op_rights |
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12227 |
container_title |
Marine Mammal Science |
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31 |
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4 |
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1378 |
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1400 |
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1799470975844089856 |