Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants
The spatial ecology of rare, migratory oceanic animals is difficult to study directly. Where incremental tissues are available, their chemical composition can provide valuable indirect observations of movement and diet. Interpreting the chemical record in incremental tissues can be highly uncertain,...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:a651f77e94a54f2ab3185b89bb464a4a 2024-01-07T09:42:20+01:00 Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants Clive N. Trueman Andrew L. Jackson Katharyn S. Chadwick Ellen J. Coombs Laura J. Feyrer Sarah Magozzi Richard C. Sabin Natalie Cooper 2019-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7912 https://doaj.org/article/a651f77e94a54f2ab3185b89bb464a4a EN eng PeerJ Inc. https://peerj.com/articles/7912.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/7912/ https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359 doi:10.7717/peerj.7912 2167-8359 https://doaj.org/article/a651f77e94a54f2ab3185b89bb464a4a PeerJ, Vol 7, p e7912 (2019) Carbon stable isotopes Movement models Movement Models Sclerochronology Blue whale Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 article 2019 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7912 2023-12-10T01:50:28Z The spatial ecology of rare, migratory oceanic animals is difficult to study directly. Where incremental tissues are available, their chemical composition can provide valuable indirect observations of movement and diet. Interpreting the chemical record in incremental tissues can be highly uncertain, however, as multiple mechanisms interact to produce the observed data. Simulation modeling is one approach for considering alternative hypotheses in ecology and can be used to consider the relative likelihood of obtaining an observed record under different combinations of ecological and environmental processes. Here we show how a simulation modeling approach can help to infer movement behaviour based on stable carbon isotope profiles measured in incremental baleen tissues of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The life history of this particular specimen, which stranded in 1891 in the UK, was selected as a case study due to its cultural significance as part of a permanent display at the Natural History Museum, London. We specifically tested whether measured variations in stable isotope compositions across the analysed baleen plate were more consistent with residency or latitudinal migrations. The measured isotopic record was most closely reproduced with a period of residency in sub-tropical waters for at least a full year followed by three repeated annual migrations between sub-tropical and high latitude regions. The latitudinal migration cycle was interrupted in the year prior to stranding, potentially implying pregnancy and weaning, but isotopic data alone cannot test this hypothesis. Simulation methods can help reveal movement information coded in the biochemical compositions of incremental tissues such as those archived in historic collections, and provides context and inferences that are useful for retrospective studies of animal movement, especially where other sources of individual movement data are sparse or challenging to validate. Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles PeerJ 7 e7912 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Carbon stable isotopes Movement models Movement Models Sclerochronology Blue whale Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
spellingShingle |
Carbon stable isotopes Movement models Movement Models Sclerochronology Blue whale Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 Clive N. Trueman Andrew L. Jackson Katharyn S. Chadwick Ellen J. Coombs Laura J. Feyrer Sarah Magozzi Richard C. Sabin Natalie Cooper Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
topic_facet |
Carbon stable isotopes Movement models Movement Models Sclerochronology Blue whale Medicine R Biology (General) QH301-705.5 |
description |
The spatial ecology of rare, migratory oceanic animals is difficult to study directly. Where incremental tissues are available, their chemical composition can provide valuable indirect observations of movement and diet. Interpreting the chemical record in incremental tissues can be highly uncertain, however, as multiple mechanisms interact to produce the observed data. Simulation modeling is one approach for considering alternative hypotheses in ecology and can be used to consider the relative likelihood of obtaining an observed record under different combinations of ecological and environmental processes. Here we show how a simulation modeling approach can help to infer movement behaviour based on stable carbon isotope profiles measured in incremental baleen tissues of a blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). The life history of this particular specimen, which stranded in 1891 in the UK, was selected as a case study due to its cultural significance as part of a permanent display at the Natural History Museum, London. We specifically tested whether measured variations in stable isotope compositions across the analysed baleen plate were more consistent with residency or latitudinal migrations. The measured isotopic record was most closely reproduced with a period of residency in sub-tropical waters for at least a full year followed by three repeated annual migrations between sub-tropical and high latitude regions. The latitudinal migration cycle was interrupted in the year prior to stranding, potentially implying pregnancy and weaning, but isotopic data alone cannot test this hypothesis. Simulation methods can help reveal movement information coded in the biochemical compositions of incremental tissues such as those archived in historic collections, and provides context and inferences that are useful for retrospective studies of animal movement, especially where other sources of individual movement data are sparse or challenging to validate. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Clive N. Trueman Andrew L. Jackson Katharyn S. Chadwick Ellen J. Coombs Laura J. Feyrer Sarah Magozzi Richard C. Sabin Natalie Cooper |
author_facet |
Clive N. Trueman Andrew L. Jackson Katharyn S. Chadwick Ellen J. Coombs Laura J. Feyrer Sarah Magozzi Richard C. Sabin Natalie Cooper |
author_sort |
Clive N. Trueman |
title |
Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
title_short |
Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
title_full |
Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
title_fullStr |
Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
title_full_unstemmed |
Combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of Nature’s giants |
title_sort |
combining simulation modeling and stable isotope analyses to reconstruct the last known movements of one of nature’s giants |
publisher |
PeerJ Inc. |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7912 https://doaj.org/article/a651f77e94a54f2ab3185b89bb464a4a |
genre |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
PeerJ, Vol 7, p e7912 (2019) |
op_relation |
https://peerj.com/articles/7912.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/7912/ https://doaj.org/toc/2167-8359 doi:10.7717/peerj.7912 2167-8359 https://doaj.org/article/a651f77e94a54f2ab3185b89bb464a4a |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7912 |
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PeerJ |
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7 |
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e7912 |
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