Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals
Selecting foraging habitat is a fundamental behavior in the life of organisms as it directly links resource acquisition to fitness. Differences in habitat selection among individuals may arise from several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and yet, their interaction has been given little attention in...
Published in: | Ecology and Evolution |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2022
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Online Access: | https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/ec9a753a-5f04-4d3c-b554-a5e574589baf https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/231254642/231253669.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123870221&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftmacquarieunicr:oai:https://researchers.mq.edu.au:publications/ec9a753a-5f04-4d3c-b554-a5e574589baf 2024-09-30T14:25:44+00:00 Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals Allegue, Hassen Guinet, Christophe Patrick, Samantha C. Hindell, Mark A. McMahon, Clive R. Réale, Denis 2022-01 application/pdf https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/ec9a753a-5f04-4d3c-b554-a5e574589baf https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/231254642/231253669.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123870221&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Allegue , H , Guinet , C , Patrick , S C , Hindell , M A , McMahon , C R & Réale , D 2022 , ' Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals ' , Ecology and Evolution , vol. 12 , no. 1 , e8457 , pp. 1-16 . https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 benefit–cost trade-off biologging habitat selection Mirounga leonina personality article 2022 ftmacquarieunicr https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 2024-09-18T23:49:10Z Selecting foraging habitat is a fundamental behavior in the life of organisms as it directly links resource acquisition to fitness. Differences in habitat selection among individuals may arise from several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and yet, their interaction has been given little attention in the study of wild populations. We combine sex, body size, and boldness to explain individual differences in the seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from the Kerguelen Archipelago. We hypothesize that habitat selection is linked to the trade-off between resource acquisition and risk, and that individuals differ in their position along this trade-off because of differences in reproductive strategies, life stages, and metabolic requirements. Before the post-molt foraging trip, we used a novel object approach test to quantify the boldness of 28 subadult and adult females and 42 subadult males and equipped them with data loggers to track their movements at sea. Subadult males selected neritic and oceanic habitats, whereas females mostly selected less productive oceanic habitats. Both sexes showed a seasonal shift from Antarctic habitats in the south in the summer to the free of ice subantarctic and subtropical habitats in the north in the winter. Males avoided oceanic habitats and selected more productive neritic and Antarctic habitats with body size mostly in the winter. Bolder males selected northern warmer waters in winter, while shyer ones selected the Kerguelen plateau and southern colder oceanic waters. Bolder females selected the Kerguelen plateau in the summer when prey profitability is assumed to be the highest. This study not only provides new insights into the spatiotemporal foraging ecology of elephant seals in relation to personality but also emphasizes the relevance of combining several intrinsic and extrinsic factors in understanding among-individual variation in space use essential in wildlife management and conservation. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals Macquarie University Research Portal Antarctic Kerguelen Ecology and Evolution 12 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Macquarie University Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftmacquarieunicr |
language |
English |
topic |
benefit–cost trade-off biologging habitat selection Mirounga leonina personality |
spellingShingle |
benefit–cost trade-off biologging habitat selection Mirounga leonina personality Allegue, Hassen Guinet, Christophe Patrick, Samantha C. Hindell, Mark A. McMahon, Clive R. Réale, Denis Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
topic_facet |
benefit–cost trade-off biologging habitat selection Mirounga leonina personality |
description |
Selecting foraging habitat is a fundamental behavior in the life of organisms as it directly links resource acquisition to fitness. Differences in habitat selection among individuals may arise from several intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and yet, their interaction has been given little attention in the study of wild populations. We combine sex, body size, and boldness to explain individual differences in the seasonal foraging habitat selection of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) from the Kerguelen Archipelago. We hypothesize that habitat selection is linked to the trade-off between resource acquisition and risk, and that individuals differ in their position along this trade-off because of differences in reproductive strategies, life stages, and metabolic requirements. Before the post-molt foraging trip, we used a novel object approach test to quantify the boldness of 28 subadult and adult females and 42 subadult males and equipped them with data loggers to track their movements at sea. Subadult males selected neritic and oceanic habitats, whereas females mostly selected less productive oceanic habitats. Both sexes showed a seasonal shift from Antarctic habitats in the south in the summer to the free of ice subantarctic and subtropical habitats in the north in the winter. Males avoided oceanic habitats and selected more productive neritic and Antarctic habitats with body size mostly in the winter. Bolder males selected northern warmer waters in winter, while shyer ones selected the Kerguelen plateau and southern colder oceanic waters. Bolder females selected the Kerguelen plateau in the summer when prey profitability is assumed to be the highest. This study not only provides new insights into the spatiotemporal foraging ecology of elephant seals in relation to personality but also emphasizes the relevance of combining several intrinsic and extrinsic factors in understanding among-individual variation in space use essential in wildlife management and conservation. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Allegue, Hassen Guinet, Christophe Patrick, Samantha C. Hindell, Mark A. McMahon, Clive R. Réale, Denis |
author_facet |
Allegue, Hassen Guinet, Christophe Patrick, Samantha C. Hindell, Mark A. McMahon, Clive R. Réale, Denis |
author_sort |
Allegue, Hassen |
title |
Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
title_short |
Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
title_full |
Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
title_fullStr |
Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
title_full_unstemmed |
Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
title_sort |
sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/publications/ec9a753a-5f04-4d3c-b554-a5e574589baf https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 https://research-management.mq.edu.au/ws/files/231254642/231253669.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85123870221&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
geographic |
Antarctic Kerguelen |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Kerguelen |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Elephant Seals Mirounga leonina Southern Elephant Seals |
op_source |
Allegue , H , Guinet , C , Patrick , S C , Hindell , M A , McMahon , C R & Réale , D 2022 , ' Sex, body size, and boldness shape the seasonal foraging habitat selection in southern elephant seals ' , Ecology and Evolution , vol. 12 , no. 1 , e8457 , pp. 1-16 . https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8457 |
container_title |
Ecology and Evolution |
container_volume |
12 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1811646302932434944 |