Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are important predators in the Southern Ocean and are among the best-studied pinnipeds on Earth, yet much still needs to be learned about their year-round movements and foraging behaviour. Using biologgers, we tagged 62 post-moult Weddell seals in McMurdo Soun...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:7ec7626a3c1d4dd2b0a594a320e72959 2023-05-15T17:10:36+02:00 Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea Kimberly T. Goetz Michael S. Dinniman Luis A. Hückstädt Patrick W. Robinson Michelle R. Shero Jennifer M. Burns Eileen E. Hofmann Sharon E. Stammerjohn Elliott L. Hazen David G. Ainley Daniel P. Costa 2023-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220500 https://doaj.org/article/7ec7626a3c1d4dd2b0a594a320e72959 EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220500 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.220500 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/7ec7626a3c1d4dd2b0a594a320e72959 Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 1 (2023) Weddell seal distribution seasonal movement habitat foraging behaviour Ross Sea Science Q article 2023 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220500 2023-01-29T01:27:10Z Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are important predators in the Southern Ocean and are among the best-studied pinnipeds on Earth, yet much still needs to be learned about their year-round movements and foraging behaviour. Using biologgers, we tagged 62 post-moult Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound and vicinity between 2010 and 2012. Generalized additive mixed models were used to (i) explain and predict the probability of seal presence and foraging behaviour from eight environmental variables, and (ii) examine foraging behaviour in relation to dive metrics. Foraging probability was highest in winter and lowest in summer, and foraging occurred mostly in the water column or just above the bottom; across all seasons, seals preferentially exploited the shallow banks and deeper troughs of the Ross Sea, the latter providing a pathway for Circumpolar Deep Water to flow onto the shelf. In addition, the probability of Weddell seal occurrence and foraging increased with increasing bathymetric slope and where water depth was typically less than 600 m. Although the probability of occurrence was higher closer to the shelf break, foraging was higher in areas closer to shore and over banks. This study highlights the importance of overwinter foraging for recouping body mass lost during the previous summer. Article in Journal/Newspaper McMurdo Sound Ross Sea Southern Ocean Weddell Seal Weddell Seals Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Southern Ocean Ross Sea McMurdo Sound Weddell Royal Society Open Science 10 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Weddell seal distribution seasonal movement habitat foraging behaviour Ross Sea Science Q |
spellingShingle |
Weddell seal distribution seasonal movement habitat foraging behaviour Ross Sea Science Q Kimberly T. Goetz Michael S. Dinniman Luis A. Hückstädt Patrick W. Robinson Michelle R. Shero Jennifer M. Burns Eileen E. Hofmann Sharon E. Stammerjohn Elliott L. Hazen David G. Ainley Daniel P. Costa Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
topic_facet |
Weddell seal distribution seasonal movement habitat foraging behaviour Ross Sea Science Q |
description |
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are important predators in the Southern Ocean and are among the best-studied pinnipeds on Earth, yet much still needs to be learned about their year-round movements and foraging behaviour. Using biologgers, we tagged 62 post-moult Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound and vicinity between 2010 and 2012. Generalized additive mixed models were used to (i) explain and predict the probability of seal presence and foraging behaviour from eight environmental variables, and (ii) examine foraging behaviour in relation to dive metrics. Foraging probability was highest in winter and lowest in summer, and foraging occurred mostly in the water column or just above the bottom; across all seasons, seals preferentially exploited the shallow banks and deeper troughs of the Ross Sea, the latter providing a pathway for Circumpolar Deep Water to flow onto the shelf. In addition, the probability of Weddell seal occurrence and foraging increased with increasing bathymetric slope and where water depth was typically less than 600 m. Although the probability of occurrence was higher closer to the shelf break, foraging was higher in areas closer to shore and over banks. This study highlights the importance of overwinter foraging for recouping body mass lost during the previous summer. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kimberly T. Goetz Michael S. Dinniman Luis A. Hückstädt Patrick W. Robinson Michelle R. Shero Jennifer M. Burns Eileen E. Hofmann Sharon E. Stammerjohn Elliott L. Hazen David G. Ainley Daniel P. Costa |
author_facet |
Kimberly T. Goetz Michael S. Dinniman Luis A. Hückstädt Patrick W. Robinson Michelle R. Shero Jennifer M. Burns Eileen E. Hofmann Sharon E. Stammerjohn Elliott L. Hazen David G. Ainley Daniel P. Costa |
author_sort |
Kimberly T. Goetz |
title |
Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
title_short |
Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
title_full |
Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
title_fullStr |
Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
title_full_unstemmed |
Seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea |
title_sort |
seasonal habitat preference and foraging behaviour of post-moult weddell seals in the western ross sea |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220500 https://doaj.org/article/7ec7626a3c1d4dd2b0a594a320e72959 |
geographic |
Southern Ocean Ross Sea McMurdo Sound Weddell |
geographic_facet |
Southern Ocean Ross Sea McMurdo Sound Weddell |
genre |
McMurdo Sound Ross Sea Southern Ocean Weddell Seal Weddell Seals |
genre_facet |
McMurdo Sound Ross Sea Southern Ocean Weddell Seal Weddell Seals |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 10, Iss 1 (2023) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.220500 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.220500 2054-5703 https://doaj.org/article/7ec7626a3c1d4dd2b0a594a320e72959 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.220500 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
10 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766067236339974144 |