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

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 resig...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Antarctic Science
Main Authors: Oosthuizen, Wessel Christiaan, Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt, Tosh, Cheryl A., Guinet, Christophe, Besson, Dominique, De Bruyn, P.J. Nico
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2011
Subjects:
Gene flow
Iles Crozet
Iles Kerguelen
Mark-resighting
Metapopulation
Migration
Mirounga leonina
Marion Island
Southern elephant seal > Kerguelen Islands
Southern Ocean
Kerguelen
Kerguelen Islands
Indian
Antarctic Science
Elephant Seal
Elephant Seals
Southern Elephant Seal
Southern Elephant Seals
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/2263/17773
https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954102011000447
Description
Summary: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 (n=22, on 33 occasions) outnumbered dispersing breeding males (n=6, 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. The Department of Science and Technology, through the National Research Foundation (NRF), provided financial support. WCO received financial support from a NRF Grantholder-linked bursary within the project ‘‘Conservation of Seabirds, Shorebirds and Seals’’ led by L. Underhill of the Animal Demography Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Cape Town. http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ans ab2012

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