Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change
During previous NSF-sponsored research, the PI's discovered that southern elephant seal colonies once existed along the Victoria Land coast (VLC) of Antarctica, a region where they are no longer observed. Molted seal skin and hair occur along 300 km of coastline, more than 1000 km from any exta...
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ftmaineuniv:oai:digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu:orsp_reports-1312 2023-05-15T13:38:47+02:00 Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change Hall, Brenda L. 2009-09-08T07:00:00Z application/pdf https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/orsp_reports/304 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=orsp_reports unknown DigitalCommons@UMaine https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/orsp_reports/304 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=orsp_reports This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports Victoria Land Southern elephant seal Climate Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology text 2009 ftmaineuniv 2023-03-12T19:16:48Z During previous NSF-sponsored research, the PI's discovered that southern elephant seal colonies once existed along the Victoria Land coast (VLC) of Antarctica, a region where they are no longer observed. Molted seal skin and hair occur along 300 km of coastline, more than 1000 km from any extant colony. The last record of a seal at a former colony site is at ~A.D. 1600. Because abandonment occurred prior to subantarctic sealing, disappearance of the VLC colony probably was due to environmental factors, possibly cooling and encroachment of land-fast, perennial sea ice that made access to haul-out sites difficult. The record of seal inhabitation along the VLC, therefore, has potential as a proxy for climate change. Elephant seals are a predominantly subantarctic species with circumpolar distribution. Genetic studies have revealed significant differentiation among populations, particularly with regard to that at Macquarie I., which is the extant population nearest to the abandoned VLC colony. Not only is the Macquarie population unique genetically, but it is has undergone unexplained decline of 2%/yr over the last 50 years3. In a pilot study, genetic analyses showed a close relationship between the VLC seals and those at Macquarie I. An understanding of the relationship between the two populations, as well as of the environmental pressures that led to the demise of the VLC colonies, will provide a better understanding of present-day population genetic structure, the effect of environmental change on seal populations, and possibly the reasons underlying the modern decline at Macquarie Island.This project addresses several key research problems: (1) Why did elephant seals colonize and then abandon the VLC? (2) What does the elephant seal record reveal about Holocene climate change and sea-ice conditions? (3) What were the foraging strategies of the seals and did these strategies change over time as climate varied? (4) How does the genetic structure of the VLC seals relate to extant populations? (5) How did genetic ... Text Antarc* Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Sea ice Southern Elephant Seal Victoria Land The University of Maine: DigitalCommons@UMaine Victoria Land |
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The University of Maine: DigitalCommons@UMaine |
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ftmaineuniv |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Victoria Land Southern elephant seal Climate Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology |
spellingShingle |
Victoria Land Southern elephant seal Climate Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Hall, Brenda L. Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
topic_facet |
Victoria Land Southern elephant seal Climate Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology |
description |
During previous NSF-sponsored research, the PI's discovered that southern elephant seal colonies once existed along the Victoria Land coast (VLC) of Antarctica, a region where they are no longer observed. Molted seal skin and hair occur along 300 km of coastline, more than 1000 km from any extant colony. The last record of a seal at a former colony site is at ~A.D. 1600. Because abandonment occurred prior to subantarctic sealing, disappearance of the VLC colony probably was due to environmental factors, possibly cooling and encroachment of land-fast, perennial sea ice that made access to haul-out sites difficult. The record of seal inhabitation along the VLC, therefore, has potential as a proxy for climate change. Elephant seals are a predominantly subantarctic species with circumpolar distribution. Genetic studies have revealed significant differentiation among populations, particularly with regard to that at Macquarie I., which is the extant population nearest to the abandoned VLC colony. Not only is the Macquarie population unique genetically, but it is has undergone unexplained decline of 2%/yr over the last 50 years3. In a pilot study, genetic analyses showed a close relationship between the VLC seals and those at Macquarie I. An understanding of the relationship between the two populations, as well as of the environmental pressures that led to the demise of the VLC colonies, will provide a better understanding of present-day population genetic structure, the effect of environmental change on seal populations, and possibly the reasons underlying the modern decline at Macquarie Island.This project addresses several key research problems: (1) Why did elephant seals colonize and then abandon the VLC? (2) What does the elephant seal record reveal about Holocene climate change and sea-ice conditions? (3) What were the foraging strategies of the seals and did these strategies change over time as climate varied? (4) How does the genetic structure of the VLC seals relate to extant populations? (5) How did genetic ... |
format |
Text |
author |
Hall, Brenda L. |
author_facet |
Hall, Brenda L. |
author_sort |
Hall, Brenda L. |
title |
Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
title_short |
Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
title_full |
Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
title_fullStr |
Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
title_full_unstemmed |
Collaborative Research: Abandoned Elephant Seal Colonies in Antarctica: Integration of Genetic, Isotopic, and Geologic Approaches toward Understanding Holocene Environmental Change |
title_sort |
collaborative research: abandoned elephant seal colonies in antarctica: integration of genetic, isotopic, and geologic approaches toward understanding holocene environmental change |
publisher |
DigitalCommons@UMaine |
publishDate |
2009 |
url |
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/orsp_reports/304 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=orsp_reports |
geographic |
Victoria Land |
geographic_facet |
Victoria Land |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Sea ice Southern Elephant Seal Victoria Land |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Elephant Seal Elephant Seals Sea ice Southern Elephant Seal Victoria Land |
op_source |
University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports |
op_relation |
https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/orsp_reports/304 https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1312&context=orsp_reports |
op_rights |
This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. In addition, no permission is required from the rights-holder(s) for educational uses. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s). |
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1766111151203024896 |