Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change
Global warming is causing Atlantification of water masses and concomitant changes in food webs in the Barents Sea region. To determine whether changes that have been documented at lower trophic levels are impacting the diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) from 99 coasta...
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ftimr:oai:imr.brage.unit.no:11250/2683123 2023-05-15T15:10:23+02:00 Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change Bengtsson, Oskar Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Lindstrøm, Ulf 2020 application/pdf https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2683123 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 eng eng Polar Biology. 2020, 43 (7), 773-788. urn:issn:0722-4060 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2683123 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 cristin:1817560 773-788 43 Polar Biology 7 Peer reviewed Journal article 2020 ftimr https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 2021-09-23T20:14:37Z Global warming is causing Atlantification of water masses and concomitant changes in food webs in the Barents Sea region. To determine whether changes that have been documented at lower trophic levels are impacting the diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) from 99 coastal-feeding ringed seals, collected in western Spitsbergen, Svalbard, were analysed via identification of hard-parts. The study animals were shot in spring (n = 30; April–July) or autumn (n = 69; August–October) during four consecutive years (2014–2017). Thirty different prey types were identified, but most seals (55.6%) had consumed between 2 and 4 different types of prey. Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) dominated the diet of the ringed seals in terms of relative biomass (Bi = 60.0%) and frequency of occurrence (FOi = 86.9%), followed by pricklebacks (Stichaeidae; Bi = 23.4%; FOi = 79.8%). Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that year was the only significant predictor explaining variance in autumn diet composition (RDA, F3 = 4.96, AIC = − 76.49, p ≤ 0.0050; blubber content and maturity/sex group were not significant). Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) occurred in the diet in small quantities; this Atlantic fish species has not previously been documented in the ringed seals’ diet. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) had the highest Bi (9.2%) among Atlantic prey types. However, despite major changes in the last decade in the fish and zooplankton community in western Svalbard, and consumption of a few Atlantic prey types, the ringed seals’ diet in Svalbard continues to be dominated by Arctic prey, especially polar cod. publishedVersion Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic atlantic cod Barents Sea Boreogadus saida Gadus morhua Global warming Polar Biology polar cod Pusa hispida ringed seal Svalbard Zooplankton Spitsbergen Institute for Marine Research: Brage IMR Arctic Barents Sea Norway Svalbard Polar Biology 43 7 773 788 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Institute for Marine Research: Brage IMR |
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ftimr |
language |
English |
description |
Global warming is causing Atlantification of water masses and concomitant changes in food webs in the Barents Sea region. To determine whether changes that have been documented at lower trophic levels are impacting the diet of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) from 99 coastal-feeding ringed seals, collected in western Spitsbergen, Svalbard, were analysed via identification of hard-parts. The study animals were shot in spring (n = 30; April–July) or autumn (n = 69; August–October) during four consecutive years (2014–2017). Thirty different prey types were identified, but most seals (55.6%) had consumed between 2 and 4 different types of prey. Polar cod (Boreogadus saida) dominated the diet of the ringed seals in terms of relative biomass (Bi = 60.0%) and frequency of occurrence (FOi = 86.9%), followed by pricklebacks (Stichaeidae; Bi = 23.4%; FOi = 79.8%). Redundancy analysis (RDA) revealed that year was the only significant predictor explaining variance in autumn diet composition (RDA, F3 = 4.96, AIC = − 76.49, p ≤ 0.0050; blubber content and maturity/sex group were not significant). Blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) occurred in the diet in small quantities; this Atlantic fish species has not previously been documented in the ringed seals’ diet. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) had the highest Bi (9.2%) among Atlantic prey types. However, despite major changes in the last decade in the fish and zooplankton community in western Svalbard, and consumption of a few Atlantic prey types, the ringed seals’ diet in Svalbard continues to be dominated by Arctic prey, especially polar cod. publishedVersion |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Bengtsson, Oskar Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Lindstrøm, Ulf |
spellingShingle |
Bengtsson, Oskar Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Lindstrøm, Ulf Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
author_facet |
Bengtsson, Oskar Lydersen, Christian Kovacs, Kit M. Lindstrøm, Ulf |
author_sort |
Bengtsson, Oskar |
title |
Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
title_short |
Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
title_full |
Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
title_fullStr |
Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
title_full_unstemmed |
Ringed seal (Pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
title_sort |
ringed seal (pusa hispida) diet on the west coast of spitsbergen, svalbard, norway: during a time of ecosystem change |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2683123 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 |
geographic |
Arctic Barents Sea Norway Svalbard |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Barents Sea Norway Svalbard |
genre |
Arctic atlantic cod Barents Sea Boreogadus saida Gadus morhua Global warming Polar Biology polar cod Pusa hispida ringed seal Svalbard Zooplankton Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Arctic atlantic cod Barents Sea Boreogadus saida Gadus morhua Global warming Polar Biology polar cod Pusa hispida ringed seal Svalbard Zooplankton Spitsbergen |
op_source |
773-788 43 Polar Biology 7 |
op_relation |
Polar Biology. 2020, 43 (7), 773-788. urn:issn:0722-4060 https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2683123 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 cristin:1817560 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02684-5 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
43 |
container_issue |
7 |
container_start_page |
773 |
op_container_end_page |
788 |
_version_ |
1766341432927322112 |