Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland
The number of common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) in west Greenland declined dramatically during the twentieth century, supposedly because of human activities. However, their sensitivity to alternative drivers of variation, such as climate conditions, diseases or food availability, remains...
Published in: | Polar Biology |
---|---|
Main Authors: | , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
2011
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/abundance-and-energy-requirements-of-eiders-somateria-spp-suggest-high-predation-pressure-on-macrobenthic-fauna-in-a-key-wintering-habitat-in-sw-greenland(dce52b73-0af0-4036-98de-73f80f116344).html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 |
id |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/dce52b73-0af0-4036-98de-73f80f116344 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftuniaarhuspubl:oai:pure.atira.dk:publications/dce52b73-0af0-4036-98de-73f80f116344 2023-05-15T15:13:53+02:00 Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland Blicher, Martin Emil Rasmussen, Lars Maltha Sejr, Mikael Kristian Merkel, Flemming Ravn Rysgaard, Søren 2011 https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/abundance-and-energy-requirements-of-eiders-somateria-spp-suggest-high-predation-pressure-on-macrobenthic-fauna-in-a-key-wintering-habitat-in-sw-greenland(dce52b73-0af0-4036-98de-73f80f116344).html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Blicher , M E , Rasmussen , L M , Sejr , M K , Merkel , F R & Rysgaard , S 2011 , ' Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland ' , Polar Biology , vol. 34 , pp. 1105-1116 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Arctic Nuuk Godthaabsfjord Nipisat sound Production Infauna Benthos Mya article 2011 ftuniaarhuspubl https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 2023-04-05T22:56:23Z The number of common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) in west Greenland declined dramatically during the twentieth century, supposedly because of human activities. However, their sensitivity to alternative drivers of variation, such as climate conditions, diseases or food availability, remains unstudied. In this study, we describe prey availability and assess the trophic coupling between eiders and their macrobenthic prey in a shallow inlet, Nipisat Sound; a key wintering habitat in the southwest Greenland Open Water Area. Macrobenthic species abundance and biomass were studied, and annual production was estimated by an empirical model, including environmental characteristics, fauna composition and individual biomass. In spring 2008, average macrozoobenthic abundance and biomass were 6,912 ind m-2 and 28.4 g ash-free dry mass (AFDM) m-2 (647 kJ m-2), respectively. Annual production was estimated at 13.9 g AFDM m-2 year-1 (317 kJ m-2 year-1). During the winters of 2008–2010, we monitored the number of common eiders (S. mollissima realis) and king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) and observed a distinct peak in abundance during winter with up to 15.000 birds in Nipisat Sound. Based on physiological costs of different activities in combination with the observed behavioural pattern, we obtained an estimate of the energy required for eiders to balance their costs of living, which amounted to 58% of the estimated total annual production of macrobenthos in Nipisat Sound. This result suggests that eider predation affects macrobenthic species composition and biomass and demonstrates the potential importance of variations in prey availability for the population dynamics of eiders in Greenland. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Greenland Nuuk Polar Biology Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Aarhus University: Research Arctic Greenland Nuuk ENVELOPE(-52.150,-52.150,68.717,68.717) Polar Biology 34 8 1105 1116 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Aarhus University: Research |
op_collection_id |
ftuniaarhuspubl |
language |
English |
topic |
Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Arctic Nuuk Godthaabsfjord Nipisat sound Production Infauna Benthos Mya |
spellingShingle |
Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Arctic Nuuk Godthaabsfjord Nipisat sound Production Infauna Benthos Mya Blicher, Martin Emil Rasmussen, Lars Maltha Sejr, Mikael Kristian Merkel, Flemming Ravn Rysgaard, Søren Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
topic_facet |
Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis Arctic Nuuk Godthaabsfjord Nipisat sound Production Infauna Benthos Mya |
description |
The number of common eiders (Somateria mollissima borealis) in west Greenland declined dramatically during the twentieth century, supposedly because of human activities. However, their sensitivity to alternative drivers of variation, such as climate conditions, diseases or food availability, remains unstudied. In this study, we describe prey availability and assess the trophic coupling between eiders and their macrobenthic prey in a shallow inlet, Nipisat Sound; a key wintering habitat in the southwest Greenland Open Water Area. Macrobenthic species abundance and biomass were studied, and annual production was estimated by an empirical model, including environmental characteristics, fauna composition and individual biomass. In spring 2008, average macrozoobenthic abundance and biomass were 6,912 ind m-2 and 28.4 g ash-free dry mass (AFDM) m-2 (647 kJ m-2), respectively. Annual production was estimated at 13.9 g AFDM m-2 year-1 (317 kJ m-2 year-1). During the winters of 2008–2010, we monitored the number of common eiders (S. mollissima realis) and king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) and observed a distinct peak in abundance during winter with up to 15.000 birds in Nipisat Sound. Based on physiological costs of different activities in combination with the observed behavioural pattern, we obtained an estimate of the energy required for eiders to balance their costs of living, which amounted to 58% of the estimated total annual production of macrobenthos in Nipisat Sound. This result suggests that eider predation affects macrobenthic species composition and biomass and demonstrates the potential importance of variations in prey availability for the population dynamics of eiders in Greenland. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Blicher, Martin Emil Rasmussen, Lars Maltha Sejr, Mikael Kristian Merkel, Flemming Ravn Rysgaard, Søren |
author_facet |
Blicher, Martin Emil Rasmussen, Lars Maltha Sejr, Mikael Kristian Merkel, Flemming Ravn Rysgaard, Søren |
author_sort |
Blicher, Martin Emil |
title |
Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
title_short |
Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
title_full |
Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
title_fullStr |
Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
title_full_unstemmed |
Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland |
title_sort |
abundance and energy requirements of eiders (somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in sw greenland |
publishDate |
2011 |
url |
https://pure.au.dk/portal/da/publications/abundance-and-energy-requirements-of-eiders-somateria-spp-suggest-high-predation-pressure-on-macrobenthic-fauna-in-a-key-wintering-habitat-in-sw-greenland(dce52b73-0af0-4036-98de-73f80f116344).html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-52.150,-52.150,68.717,68.717) |
geographic |
Arctic Greenland Nuuk |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Greenland Nuuk |
genre |
Arctic Greenland Nuuk Polar Biology Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis |
genre_facet |
Arctic Greenland Nuuk Polar Biology Somateria mollissima Somateria spectabilis |
op_source |
Blicher , M E , Rasmussen , L M , Sejr , M K , Merkel , F R & Rysgaard , S 2011 , ' Abundance and energy requirements of eiders (Somateria spp.) suggest high predation pressure on macrobenthic fauna in a key wintering habitat in SW Greenland ' , Polar Biology , vol. 34 , pp. 1105-1116 . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-011-0968-3 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
34 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1105 |
op_container_end_page |
1116 |
_version_ |
1766344404819247104 |