Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity?
The ringed seal is a small phocid seal that has a northern circumpolar distribution. It has long been recognized that body size is variable in ringed seals, and it has been suggested that ecotypes that differ in size exist. This study explores patterns of body size (length and girth) and age-at-matu...
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Norwegian Polar Institute
2021
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5753 https://doaj.org/article/335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed |
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fttriple:oai:gotriple.eu:oai:doaj.org/article:335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed 2023-05-15T14:55:52+02:00 Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? Kit M. Kovacs John Citta Tanya Brown Rune Dietz Steve Ferguson Lois Harwood Magali Houde Ellen V. Lea Lori Quakenbush Frank Riget Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid Tom G. Smith Vladimir Svetochev Olga Svetocheva Christian Lydersen 2021-09-01 https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5753 https://doaj.org/article/335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed en eng Norwegian Polar Institute 0800-0395 1751-8369 doi:10.33265/polar.v40.5753 https://doaj.org/article/335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed undefined Polar Research, Vol 40, Pp 1-18 (2021) density-dependence ecology food availability morphometry pinniped phocid seal envir demo Journal Article https://vocabularies.coar-repositories.org/resource_types/c_6501/ 2021 fttriple https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5753 2023-01-22T19:28:03Z The ringed seal is a small phocid seal that has a northern circumpolar distribution. It has long been recognized that body size is variable in ringed seals, and it has been suggested that ecotypes that differ in size exist. This study explores patterns of body size (length and girth) and age-at-maturity across most of the Arctic subspecies’ range using morphometric data from 35 sites. Asymptotic lengths varied from 113 to 151 cm, with sites falling into five distinct size clusters (for each sex). Age-at-maturity ranged from 3.1 to 7.4 years, with sites that had early ages of sexual maturity generally having small length-at-maturity and small final body length. The sexes differed in length at some sites, but not in a consistent pattern of dimorphism. The largest ringed seals occurred in western Greenland and eastern Canada, and the smallest occurred in Alaska and the White Sea. Latitudinal trends occurred only within sites in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Girth (with length and season accounted for) was also highly variable but showed no notable spatial pattern; males tended to be more rotund than females. Genetic studies are needed, starting with the “giants” at Kangia (Greenland) and in northern Canada to determine whether they are genetically distinct ecotypes. Additional research is also needed to understand the ecological linkages that drive the significant regional size differences in ringed seals that were confirmed in this study, and also to understand their implications with respect to potential adaptation to climate change. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Climate change Greenland Kangia Polar Research Pusa hispida ringed seal White Sea Alaska Unknown Arctic Canada Greenland White Sea Polar Research 40 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Unknown |
op_collection_id |
fttriple |
language |
English |
topic |
density-dependence ecology food availability morphometry pinniped phocid seal envir demo |
spellingShingle |
density-dependence ecology food availability morphometry pinniped phocid seal envir demo Kit M. Kovacs John Citta Tanya Brown Rune Dietz Steve Ferguson Lois Harwood Magali Houde Ellen V. Lea Lori Quakenbush Frank Riget Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid Tom G. Smith Vladimir Svetochev Olga Svetocheva Christian Lydersen Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
topic_facet |
density-dependence ecology food availability morphometry pinniped phocid seal envir demo |
description |
The ringed seal is a small phocid seal that has a northern circumpolar distribution. It has long been recognized that body size is variable in ringed seals, and it has been suggested that ecotypes that differ in size exist. This study explores patterns of body size (length and girth) and age-at-maturity across most of the Arctic subspecies’ range using morphometric data from 35 sites. Asymptotic lengths varied from 113 to 151 cm, with sites falling into five distinct size clusters (for each sex). Age-at-maturity ranged from 3.1 to 7.4 years, with sites that had early ages of sexual maturity generally having small length-at-maturity and small final body length. The sexes differed in length at some sites, but not in a consistent pattern of dimorphism. The largest ringed seals occurred in western Greenland and eastern Canada, and the smallest occurred in Alaska and the White Sea. Latitudinal trends occurred only within sites in the eastern Canadian Arctic. Girth (with length and season accounted for) was also highly variable but showed no notable spatial pattern; males tended to be more rotund than females. Genetic studies are needed, starting with the “giants” at Kangia (Greenland) and in northern Canada to determine whether they are genetically distinct ecotypes. Additional research is also needed to understand the ecological linkages that drive the significant regional size differences in ringed seals that were confirmed in this study, and also to understand their implications with respect to potential adaptation to climate change. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Kit M. Kovacs John Citta Tanya Brown Rune Dietz Steve Ferguson Lois Harwood Magali Houde Ellen V. Lea Lori Quakenbush Frank Riget Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid Tom G. Smith Vladimir Svetochev Olga Svetocheva Christian Lydersen |
author_facet |
Kit M. Kovacs John Citta Tanya Brown Rune Dietz Steve Ferguson Lois Harwood Magali Houde Ellen V. Lea Lori Quakenbush Frank Riget Aqqalu Rosing-Asvid Tom G. Smith Vladimir Svetochev Olga Svetocheva Christian Lydersen |
author_sort |
Kit M. Kovacs |
title |
Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
title_short |
Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
title_full |
Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
title_fullStr |
Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Variation in body size of ringed seals (Pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar Arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
title_sort |
variation in body size of ringed seals (pusa hispida hispida) across the circumpolar arctic: evidence of morphs, ecotypes or simply extreme plasticity? |
publisher |
Norwegian Polar Institute |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5753 https://doaj.org/article/335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Greenland White Sea |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Greenland White Sea |
genre |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Kangia Polar Research Pusa hispida ringed seal White Sea Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Climate change Greenland Kangia Polar Research Pusa hispida ringed seal White Sea Alaska |
op_source |
Polar Research, Vol 40, Pp 1-18 (2021) |
op_relation |
0800-0395 1751-8369 doi:10.33265/polar.v40.5753 https://doaj.org/article/335448ab59074d5295feb82ae61d62ed |
op_rights |
undefined |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.33265/polar.v40.5753 |
container_title |
Polar Research |
container_volume |
40 |
_version_ |
1766327884495978496 |