Ocean climate and seal condition

Abstract Background The condition of many marine mammals varies with fluctuations in productivity and food supply in the ocean basin where they forage. Prey is impacted by physical environmental variables such as cyclic warming trends. The weaning weight of northern elephant seal pups, Mirounga angu...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC Biology
Main Authors: Crocker Daniel E, Le Boeuf Burney J
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: BMC 2005
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-3-9
https://doaj.org/article/22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7
id ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7
record_format openpolar
spelling ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7 2023-05-15T16:05:21+02:00 Ocean climate and seal condition Crocker Daniel E Le Boeuf Burney J 2005-03-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-3-9 https://doaj.org/article/22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7 EN eng BMC http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/3/9 https://doaj.org/toc/1741-7007 doi:10.1186/1741-7007-3-9 1741-7007 https://doaj.org/article/22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7 BMC Biology, Vol 3, Iss 1, p 9 (2005) Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2005 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-3-9 2022-12-31T13:51:55Z Abstract Background The condition of many marine mammals varies with fluctuations in productivity and food supply in the ocean basin where they forage. Prey is impacted by physical environmental variables such as cyclic warming trends. The weaning weight of northern elephant seal pups, Mirounga angustirostris , being closely linked to maternal condition, indirectly reflects prey availability and foraging success of pregnant females in deep waters of the northeastern Pacific. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ocean climate on foraging success in this deep-diving marine mammal over the course of three decades, using cohort weaning weight as the principal metric of successful resource accrual. Results The mean annual weaning weight of pups declined from 1975 to the late 1990s, a period characterized by a large-scale, basin-wide warm decadal regime that included multiple strong or long-duration El Niños; and increased with a return to a cool decadal regime from about 1999 to 2004. Increased foraging effort and decreased mass gain of adult females, indicative of reduced foraging success and nutritional stress, were associated with high ocean temperatures. Conclusion Despite ranging widely and foraging deeply in cold waters beyond coastal thermoclines in the northeastern Pacific, elephant seals are impacted significantly by ocean thermal dynamics. Ocean warming redistributes prey decreasing foraging success of females, which in turn leads to lower weaning mass of pups. Annual fluctuations in weaning mass, in turn, reflect the foraging success of females during the year prior to giving birth and signals changes in ocean temperature cycles. Article in Journal/Newspaper Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific BMC Biology 3 1 9
institution Open Polar
collection Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles
op_collection_id ftdoajarticles
language English
topic Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
spellingShingle Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
Crocker Daniel E
Le Boeuf Burney J
Ocean climate and seal condition
topic_facet Biology (General)
QH301-705.5
description Abstract Background The condition of many marine mammals varies with fluctuations in productivity and food supply in the ocean basin where they forage. Prey is impacted by physical environmental variables such as cyclic warming trends. The weaning weight of northern elephant seal pups, Mirounga angustirostris , being closely linked to maternal condition, indirectly reflects prey availability and foraging success of pregnant females in deep waters of the northeastern Pacific. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of ocean climate on foraging success in this deep-diving marine mammal over the course of three decades, using cohort weaning weight as the principal metric of successful resource accrual. Results The mean annual weaning weight of pups declined from 1975 to the late 1990s, a period characterized by a large-scale, basin-wide warm decadal regime that included multiple strong or long-duration El Niños; and increased with a return to a cool decadal regime from about 1999 to 2004. Increased foraging effort and decreased mass gain of adult females, indicative of reduced foraging success and nutritional stress, were associated with high ocean temperatures. Conclusion Despite ranging widely and foraging deeply in cold waters beyond coastal thermoclines in the northeastern Pacific, elephant seals are impacted significantly by ocean thermal dynamics. Ocean warming redistributes prey decreasing foraging success of females, which in turn leads to lower weaning mass of pups. Annual fluctuations in weaning mass, in turn, reflect the foraging success of females during the year prior to giving birth and signals changes in ocean temperature cycles.
format Article in Journal/Newspaper
author Crocker Daniel E
Le Boeuf Burney J
author_facet Crocker Daniel E
Le Boeuf Burney J
author_sort Crocker Daniel E
title Ocean climate and seal condition
title_short Ocean climate and seal condition
title_full Ocean climate and seal condition
title_fullStr Ocean climate and seal condition
title_full_unstemmed Ocean climate and seal condition
title_sort ocean climate and seal condition
publisher BMC
publishDate 2005
url https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-3-9
https://doaj.org/article/22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7
geographic Pacific
geographic_facet Pacific
genre Elephant Seal
Elephant Seals
genre_facet Elephant Seal
Elephant Seals
op_source BMC Biology, Vol 3, Iss 1, p 9 (2005)
op_relation http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/3/9
https://doaj.org/toc/1741-7007
doi:10.1186/1741-7007-3-9
1741-7007
https://doaj.org/article/22c3d995b100458880aa317e0101f5e7
op_doi https://doi.org/10.1186/1741-7007-3-9
container_title BMC Biology
container_volume 3
container_issue 1
container_start_page 9
_version_ 1766401253761351680