Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Investigating resource partitioning of marine predators is essential for understanding coexistence of sympatric species and the functional role they play in marine ecosystems. Baleen whales are a key component of sub-Antarctic ecosystems, fo...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
---|---|
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
2022
|
Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/343273 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90684 |
id |
ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/343273 |
---|---|
record_format |
openpolar |
spelling |
ftunivcam:oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/343273 2024-02-04T09:53:45+01:00 Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period Buss, DL Hearne, E Loy, RHY Manica, A O’Connell, TC Jackson, JA 2022-11-15T16:01:14Z application/pdf text/xml https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/343273 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90684 en eng eng Springer Science and Business Media LLC http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00227-022-04131-x Marine Biology https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/343273 doi:10.17863/CAM.90684 Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus Resource partitioning Stable isotope analysis Whaling South Georgia Baleen Article 2022 ftunivcam https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90684 2024-01-11T23:24:30Z <jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Investigating resource partitioning of marine predators is essential for understanding coexistence of sympatric species and the functional role they play in marine ecosystems. Baleen whales are a key component of sub-Antarctic ecosystems, foraging predominantly on zooplankton and small forage fish. During the twentieth century, baleen whales were unsustainably exploited across the Southern Ocean. Within the exclusive economic zone of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI EEZ) in the South Atlantic, approximately 98,000 fin whales (<jats:italic>Balaenoptera physalus</jats:italic>) and 16,000 sei whales (<jats:italic>B.borealis</jats:italic>) were harvested. Despite both species historically occurring in high numbers and feeding in sub-polar waters, little is known about the mechanisms of coexistence. Here, by measuring stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ<jats:sup>13</jats:sup>C) and nitrogen (δ<jats:sup>15</jats:sup>N) in archived baleen plates and analysing historic catch data, we investigate resource partitioning of fin and sei whale during the commercial whaling period. Temporal and spatial occupancy at SGSSI EEZ (inferred from whaling catches that occurred between 1904 and 1976), alongside historic stomach contents (from the literature), and δ<jats:sup>13</jats:sup>C and δ<jats:sup>15</jats:sup>N results (observed in this study), suggests that despite using a common prey resource there was limited overlap in isotopic niches between the two species, with sei whales using SGSSI waters later in the season and for a shorter period than fin whales. We hypothesise that the isotopic differences were most likely due to sei whales foraging at lower latitudes prior to arrival at SGSSI. Our data provide novel insight into how two sympatric whale species co-occurring at SGSSI during the commercial whaling period may have partitioned resources and provide a potential ecological ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus baleen whales Sei Whale South Sandwich Islands Southern Ocean Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository Antarctic Southern Ocean Sandwich Islands South Sandwich Islands South Georgia ENVELOPE(-33.000,-33.000,-56.000,-56.000) |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Apollo - University of Cambridge Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivcam |
language |
English |
topic |
Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus Resource partitioning Stable isotope analysis Whaling South Georgia Baleen |
spellingShingle |
Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus Resource partitioning Stable isotope analysis Whaling South Georgia Baleen Buss, DL Hearne, E Loy, RHY Manica, A O’Connell, TC Jackson, JA Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
topic_facet |
Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus Resource partitioning Stable isotope analysis Whaling South Georgia Baleen |
description |
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>Investigating resource partitioning of marine predators is essential for understanding coexistence of sympatric species and the functional role they play in marine ecosystems. Baleen whales are a key component of sub-Antarctic ecosystems, foraging predominantly on zooplankton and small forage fish. During the twentieth century, baleen whales were unsustainably exploited across the Southern Ocean. Within the exclusive economic zone of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI EEZ) in the South Atlantic, approximately 98,000 fin whales (<jats:italic>Balaenoptera physalus</jats:italic>) and 16,000 sei whales (<jats:italic>B.borealis</jats:italic>) were harvested. Despite both species historically occurring in high numbers and feeding in sub-polar waters, little is known about the mechanisms of coexistence. Here, by measuring stable isotope ratios of carbon (δ<jats:sup>13</jats:sup>C) and nitrogen (δ<jats:sup>15</jats:sup>N) in archived baleen plates and analysing historic catch data, we investigate resource partitioning of fin and sei whale during the commercial whaling period. Temporal and spatial occupancy at SGSSI EEZ (inferred from whaling catches that occurred between 1904 and 1976), alongside historic stomach contents (from the literature), and δ<jats:sup>13</jats:sup>C and δ<jats:sup>15</jats:sup>N results (observed in this study), suggests that despite using a common prey resource there was limited overlap in isotopic niches between the two species, with sei whales using SGSSI waters later in the season and for a shorter period than fin whales. We hypothesise that the isotopic differences were most likely due to sei whales foraging at lower latitudes prior to arrival at SGSSI. Our data provide novel insight into how two sympatric whale species co-occurring at SGSSI during the commercial whaling period may have partitioned resources and provide a potential ecological ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Buss, DL Hearne, E Loy, RHY Manica, A O’Connell, TC Jackson, JA |
author_facet |
Buss, DL Hearne, E Loy, RHY Manica, A O’Connell, TC Jackson, JA |
author_sort |
Buss, DL |
title |
Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
title_short |
Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
title_full |
Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
title_fullStr |
Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
title_full_unstemmed |
Evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
title_sort |
evidence of resource partitioning between fin and sei whales during the twentieth-century whaling period |
publisher |
Springer Science and Business Media LLC |
publishDate |
2022 |
url |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/343273 https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90684 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-33.000,-33.000,-56.000,-56.000) |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Sandwich Islands South Sandwich Islands South Georgia |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean Sandwich Islands South Sandwich Islands South Georgia |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus baleen whales Sei Whale South Sandwich Islands Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera borealis Balaenoptera physalus baleen whales Sei Whale South Sandwich Islands Southern Ocean |
op_relation |
https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/343273 doi:10.17863/CAM.90684 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.17863/CAM.90684 |
_version_ |
1789967896604049408 |