Dispersal and dispersion of southern elephant seals in the Kerguelen province, Southern Ocean

International audience Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina within the Kerguelen province disperse between Marion Island (MI), Iles Crozet (IC) and Iles Kerguelen (IK) despite the high site fidelity characteristic of this species. From 1987-2002, 199 IC individuals, or 11.63% of the tagged popul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Authors: Oosthuizen, W. Chris, Bester, Marthan N., Tosh, Cheryl A., Guinet, Christophe, Besson, Dominique, de Bruyn, P.J. Nico
Other Authors: Department of Zoology and Entomology Pretoria, University of Pretoria South Africa, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: HAL CCSD 2011
Subjects:
gene flow
Iles Crozet
Iles Kerguelen
mark-resighting
metapopulation
migration
Mirounga leonina
Marion Island
[SDE]Environmental Sciences
Southern Ocean
Kerguelen
Indian
Antarctic Science
Elephant Seal
Elephant Seals
Southern Elephant Seals
Online Access:https://hal.science/hal-00649921
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102011000447
Description
Summary:International audience Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina within the Kerguelen province disperse between Marion Island (MI), Iles Crozet (IC) and Iles Kerguelen (IK) despite the high site fidelity characteristic of this species. From 1987-2002, 199 IC individuals, or 11.63% of the tagged population there, were resighted at MI. Resights of IC seals at MI peaked during the juvenile moult and seals aged 0-2 represent 66% of all resights made. Equal numbers of male and female seals (all age classes) were dispersing. Dispersing breeding females (n522, on 33 occasions) outnumbered dispersing breeding males (n56, on 16 occasions), after initially emigrating from IC to MI as juvenile seals (natal dispersal). Greater male-mediated gene flow was ultimately attained due to the polygynous mating system and some extremely successful males. Of 132 seals fitted with satellite-relay data loggers at MI, six hauled out at IC and three at IK. Two of the seals which migrated to IC were born at MI; all others were unmarked males likely to be native to IC or IK. Dispersal should ideally be considered when assessing vital rates for southern Indian Ocean elephant seal populations.

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