Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska
Abstract Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are top predators throughout the world’s oceans. In the North Pacific, the species is divided into three ecotypes—resident (fish-eating), transient (mammal-eating), and offshore (largely shark-eating)—that are genetically and acoustically distinct and have uniqu...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:cc838f808b634daa9c174553688a7dea 2023-05-15T17:03:30+02:00 Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska Hannah J. Myers Daniel W. Olsen Craig O. Matkin Lara A. Horstmann Brenda Konar 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 https://doaj.org/article/cc838f808b634daa9c174553688a7dea EN eng Nature Portfolio https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/cc838f808b634daa9c174553688a7dea Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2021) Medicine R Science Q article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 2022-12-31T07:47:19Z Abstract Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are top predators throughout the world’s oceans. In the North Pacific, the species is divided into three ecotypes—resident (fish-eating), transient (mammal-eating), and offshore (largely shark-eating)—that are genetically and acoustically distinct and have unique roles in the marine ecosystem. In this study, we examined the year-round distribution of killer whales in the northern Gulf of Alaska from 2016 to 2020 using passive acoustic monitoring. We further described the daily acoustic residency patterns of three killer whale populations (southern Alaska residents, Gulf of Alaska transients, and AT1 transients) for one year of these data. Highest year-round acoustic presence occurred in Montague Strait, with strong seasonal patterns in Hinchinbrook Entrance and Resurrection Bay. Daily acoustic residency times for the southern Alaska residents paralleled seasonal distribution patterns. The majority of Gulf of Alaska transient detections occurred in Hinchinbrook Entrance in spring. The depleted AT1 transient killer whale population was most often identified in Montague Strait. Passive acoustic monitoring revealed that both resident and transient killer whales used these areas much more extensively than previously known and provided novel insights into high use locations and times for each population. These results may be driven by seasonal foraging opportunities and social factors and have management implications for this species. Article in Journal/Newspaper Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Alaska Killer whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Gulf of Alaska Montague ENVELOPE(-136.021,-136.021,61.783,61.783) Pacific Scientific Reports 11 1 |
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Open Polar |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Medicine R Science Q |
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Medicine R Science Q Hannah J. Myers Daniel W. Olsen Craig O. Matkin Lara A. Horstmann Brenda Konar Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
topic_facet |
Medicine R Science Q |
description |
Abstract Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are top predators throughout the world’s oceans. In the North Pacific, the species is divided into three ecotypes—resident (fish-eating), transient (mammal-eating), and offshore (largely shark-eating)—that are genetically and acoustically distinct and have unique roles in the marine ecosystem. In this study, we examined the year-round distribution of killer whales in the northern Gulf of Alaska from 2016 to 2020 using passive acoustic monitoring. We further described the daily acoustic residency patterns of three killer whale populations (southern Alaska residents, Gulf of Alaska transients, and AT1 transients) for one year of these data. Highest year-round acoustic presence occurred in Montague Strait, with strong seasonal patterns in Hinchinbrook Entrance and Resurrection Bay. Daily acoustic residency times for the southern Alaska residents paralleled seasonal distribution patterns. The majority of Gulf of Alaska transient detections occurred in Hinchinbrook Entrance in spring. The depleted AT1 transient killer whale population was most often identified in Montague Strait. Passive acoustic monitoring revealed that both resident and transient killer whales used these areas much more extensively than previously known and provided novel insights into high use locations and times for each population. These results may be driven by seasonal foraging opportunities and social factors and have management implications for this species. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Hannah J. Myers Daniel W. Olsen Craig O. Matkin Lara A. Horstmann Brenda Konar |
author_facet |
Hannah J. Myers Daniel W. Olsen Craig O. Matkin Lara A. Horstmann Brenda Konar |
author_sort |
Hannah J. Myers |
title |
Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
title_short |
Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
title_full |
Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
title_fullStr |
Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
title_full_unstemmed |
Passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (Orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the Gulf of Alaska |
title_sort |
passive acoustic monitoring of killer whales (orcinus orca) reveals year-round distribution and residency patterns in the gulf of alaska |
publisher |
Nature Portfolio |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 https://doaj.org/article/cc838f808b634daa9c174553688a7dea |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-136.021,-136.021,61.783,61.783) |
geographic |
Gulf of Alaska Montague Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Gulf of Alaska Montague Pacific |
genre |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Alaska Killer whale |
genre_facet |
Killer Whale Orca Orcinus orca Alaska Killer whale |
op_source |
Scientific Reports, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 1-14 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322 doi:10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 2045-2322 https://doaj.org/article/cc838f808b634daa9c174553688a7dea |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-99668-0 |
container_title |
Scientific Reports |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
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1766057394347966464 |