Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README
State-space modelled data and README files associated with Riekkola et al. (2018). Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales. Ecological Indicators, 89, 455-465. AbstractObtaining direct measurements to character...
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The University of Auckland
2018
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Online Access: | https://dx.doi.org/10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 https://auckland.figshare.com/articles/Application_of_a_multi-disciplinary_approach_to_reveal_population_structure_and_Southern_Ocean_feeding_grounds_of_humpback_whales_Data_and_README/6615476 |
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ftdatacite:10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 |
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record_format |
openpolar |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) |
op_collection_id |
ftdatacite |
language |
unknown |
topic |
60205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology incl. Marine Ichthyology FOS Biological sciences Ecology 60207 Population Ecology |
spellingShingle |
60205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology incl. Marine Ichthyology FOS Biological sciences Ecology 60207 Population Ecology Riekkola, Leena Zerbini, Alexandre N. Andrews, Olive Andrews-Goff, Virginia Baker, Scott Childerhouse, Simon Clapham, Phillip Dodémont, Remi Donnelly, David Friedlaender, Ari Gallego, Ramon Garrigue, Claire Ivashchenko, Yulia Jarman, Simon Lindsay, Rebecca Pallin, Logan Jooke Robbins Steel, Debbie Tremlett, James Vindenes, Silje Constantine, Rochelle Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
topic_facet |
60205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology incl. Marine Ichthyology FOS Biological sciences Ecology 60207 Population Ecology |
description |
State-space modelled data and README files associated with Riekkola et al. (2018). Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales. Ecological Indicators, 89, 455-465. AbstractObtaining direct measurements to characterise ecosystem function can be hindered by remote or inaccessible regions. Next-generation satellite tags that inform increasingly sophisticated movement models, and the miniaturisation of animal-borne loggers, have enabled the use of animals as tools to collect habitat data in remote environments, such as the Southern Ocean. Research on the distribution, habitat use and recovery of Oceania’s humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) has been constrained by the inaccessibility to their Antarctic feeding grounds and the limitations of technology. In this multi-disciplinary study, we combine innovative analytical tools to comprehensively assess the distribution and population structure of this marine predator throughout their entire migratory range. We used genotypeand photo-identification matches and conducted a genetic mixed-stock analysis to identify the breeding ground origins of humpback whales migrating past the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand. Satellite tracking data and a state-space model were then used to identify the migratory paths and behaviour of 18 whales, and to reveal their Antarctic feeding ground destinations. Additionally, we conducted progesterone assays and epigenetic aging to determine the pregnancy rate and age-profile of the population. Humpback whales passing the Kermadec Islands did not assign to a single breeding ground origin, but instead came from a range of breeding grounds spanning ∼3500 km of ocean. Sampled whales ranged from calves to adults of up to 67 years of age, and a pregnancy rate of 57% was estimated from 30 adult females. The whales migrated to the Southern Ocean (straight-line distances of up to 7000 km) and spanned ∼4500 km across their Antarctic feeding grounds. All fully tracked females with a dependent calf (n = 4) migrated to the Ross Sea region, while 70% of adults without calves (n = 7) travelled further east to the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas region. By combining multiple research and analytical tools we obtained a comprehensive understanding of this wide-ranging, remote population of whales. Our results indicate a population recovering from exploitation, and their feeding ground distribution serves as an indicator of the resources available in these environments. The unexpected Kermadec Islands migratory bottle-neck of whales from several breeding grounds, variable distribution patterns by life history stage and high pregnancy rates will be important in informing conservation and management planning, and for understanding how this, as well as other whale populations, might respond to emerging threats such as climate change. |
format |
Dataset |
author |
Riekkola, Leena Zerbini, Alexandre N. Andrews, Olive Andrews-Goff, Virginia Baker, Scott Childerhouse, Simon Clapham, Phillip Dodémont, Remi Donnelly, David Friedlaender, Ari Gallego, Ramon Garrigue, Claire Ivashchenko, Yulia Jarman, Simon Lindsay, Rebecca Pallin, Logan Jooke Robbins Steel, Debbie Tremlett, James Vindenes, Silje Constantine, Rochelle |
author_facet |
Riekkola, Leena Zerbini, Alexandre N. Andrews, Olive Andrews-Goff, Virginia Baker, Scott Childerhouse, Simon Clapham, Phillip Dodémont, Remi Donnelly, David Friedlaender, Ari Gallego, Ramon Garrigue, Claire Ivashchenko, Yulia Jarman, Simon Lindsay, Rebecca Pallin, Logan Jooke Robbins Steel, Debbie Tremlett, James Vindenes, Silje Constantine, Rochelle |
author_sort |
Riekkola, Leena |
title |
Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
title_short |
Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
title_full |
Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
title_fullStr |
Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
title_full_unstemmed |
Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README |
title_sort |
application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and southern ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: data and readme |
publisher |
The University of Auckland |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://dx.doi.org/10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 https://auckland.figshare.com/articles/Application_of_a_multi-disciplinary_approach_to_reveal_population_structure_and_Southern_Ocean_feeding_grounds_of_humpback_whales_Data_and_README/6615476 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Ross Sea New Zealand |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Ross Sea New Zealand |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Megaptera novaeangliae Ross Sea Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Megaptera novaeangliae Ross Sea Southern Ocean |
op_rights |
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode cc-by-4.0 |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 |
_version_ |
1766198598725271552 |
spelling |
ftdatacite:10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 2023-05-15T13:44:12+02:00 Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales: Data and README Riekkola, Leena Zerbini, Alexandre N. Andrews, Olive Andrews-Goff, Virginia Baker, Scott Childerhouse, Simon Clapham, Phillip Dodémont, Remi Donnelly, David Friedlaender, Ari Gallego, Ramon Garrigue, Claire Ivashchenko, Yulia Jarman, Simon Lindsay, Rebecca Pallin, Logan Jooke Robbins Steel, Debbie Tremlett, James Vindenes, Silje Constantine, Rochelle 2018 https://dx.doi.org/10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 https://auckland.figshare.com/articles/Application_of_a_multi-disciplinary_approach_to_reveal_population_structure_and_Southern_Ocean_feeding_grounds_of_humpback_whales_Data_and_README/6615476 unknown The University of Auckland Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode cc-by-4.0 CC-BY 60205 Marine and Estuarine Ecology incl. Marine Ichthyology FOS Biological sciences Ecology 60207 Population Ecology dataset Dataset 2018 ftdatacite https://doi.org/10.17608/k6.auckland.6615476 2021-11-05T12:55:41Z State-space modelled data and README files associated with Riekkola et al. (2018). Application of a multi-disciplinary approach to reveal population structure and Southern Ocean feeding grounds of humpback whales. Ecological Indicators, 89, 455-465. AbstractObtaining direct measurements to characterise ecosystem function can be hindered by remote or inaccessible regions. Next-generation satellite tags that inform increasingly sophisticated movement models, and the miniaturisation of animal-borne loggers, have enabled the use of animals as tools to collect habitat data in remote environments, such as the Southern Ocean. Research on the distribution, habitat use and recovery of Oceania’s humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) has been constrained by the inaccessibility to their Antarctic feeding grounds and the limitations of technology. In this multi-disciplinary study, we combine innovative analytical tools to comprehensively assess the distribution and population structure of this marine predator throughout their entire migratory range. We used genotypeand photo-identification matches and conducted a genetic mixed-stock analysis to identify the breeding ground origins of humpback whales migrating past the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand. Satellite tracking data and a state-space model were then used to identify the migratory paths and behaviour of 18 whales, and to reveal their Antarctic feeding ground destinations. Additionally, we conducted progesterone assays and epigenetic aging to determine the pregnancy rate and age-profile of the population. Humpback whales passing the Kermadec Islands did not assign to a single breeding ground origin, but instead came from a range of breeding grounds spanning ∼3500 km of ocean. Sampled whales ranged from calves to adults of up to 67 years of age, and a pregnancy rate of 57% was estimated from 30 adult females. The whales migrated to the Southern Ocean (straight-line distances of up to 7000 km) and spanned ∼4500 km across their Antarctic feeding grounds. All fully tracked females with a dependent calf (n = 4) migrated to the Ross Sea region, while 70% of adults without calves (n = 7) travelled further east to the Amundsen and Bellingshausen Seas region. By combining multiple research and analytical tools we obtained a comprehensive understanding of this wide-ranging, remote population of whales. Our results indicate a population recovering from exploitation, and their feeding ground distribution serves as an indicator of the resources available in these environments. The unexpected Kermadec Islands migratory bottle-neck of whales from several breeding grounds, variable distribution patterns by life history stage and high pregnancy rates will be important in informing conservation and management planning, and for understanding how this, as well as other whale populations, might respond to emerging threats such as climate change. Dataset Antarc* Antarctic Megaptera novaeangliae Ross Sea Southern Ocean DataCite Metadata Store (German National Library of Science and Technology) Antarctic Southern Ocean Ross Sea New Zealand |