ORIGINAL PAPER
Abstract The diets and trophic interactions among Weddell, crabeater, Ross, and leopard seals in the east-ern Ross Sea, Antarctica, were investigated by the use of stable isotope techniques during the 1999–2000 summer seasons. The d13C and d15N values in seal serum clearly distinguished the three An...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.455.2941 http://www.alaskasealife.org/New/Contribute/pdf/Zhao_et.al._2004.pdf |
| Summary: | Abstract The diets and trophic interactions among Weddell, crabeater, Ross, and leopard seals in the east-ern Ross Sea, Antarctica, were investigated by the use of stable isotope techniques during the 1999–2000 summer seasons. The d13C and d15N values in seal serum clearly distinguished the three Antarctic pack-ice seal species at different trophic positions (Weddell>Ross>crabeater). These patterns appeared to reflect a close linkage to their known foraging ecology and diving behaviors, and agreed well with their presumed dietary diversity. The more enriched d13C and d15N values in male Weddell seals than those in females suggested differences in for-aging preferences between them. Significant differences in d15N were also found among different age groups of Weddell seals. A strong correlation between the C:N ratios and serum cholesterol was probably due to ex-tremely high cholesterol levels in phocids. Comparisons of isotope data with harbor seals revealed distinct dif-ferences between Antarctic phocids and the northern seal species. |
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