Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean
Understanding the determinants of poorly studied species’ spatial ecology is fundamental to understanding climate change impacts on those species and how to effectively prioritise their conservation. Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) are the least studied of the Antarctic pinnipeds with a limited know...
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ftunivpretoria:oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/84288 2023-05-15T14:00:33+02:00 Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus Schytte Nordoy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt 2021-05-13 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84288 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 en eng Frontiers Media http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84288 2296-7745 (online) doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 © 2021 Wege, Bornemann, Blix, Nordøy, Biddle and Bester. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). CC-BY Antarctica Biologging Boosted regression trees models Climate change Habitat utilisation Species distribution model Remote sensing Weddell sea Article 2021 ftunivpretoria https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 2022-05-31T13:28:37Z Understanding the determinants of poorly studied species’ spatial ecology is fundamental to understanding climate change impacts on those species and how to effectively prioritise their conservation. Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) are the least studied of the Antarctic pinnipeds with a limited knowledge of their spatial ecology. We present the largest tracking study for this species to date, create the first habitat models, and discuss the potential impacts of climate change on their preferred habitat and the implications for conservation. We combined newly collected satellite tracking data (2016–2019: n = 11) with previously published data (2001: n = 8) from the Weddell, King Haakon VII and Lazarev seas, Antarctica, and used 16 remotely sensed environmental variables to model Ross seal habitat suitability by means of boosted regression trees for summer and winter, respectively. Five of the top environmental predictors were relevant in both summer and winter (sea-surface temperature, distance to the ice edge, ice concentration standard deviation, mixed-layer depth, and sea-surface height anomalies). Ross seals preferred to forage in waters ranging between -1 and 2°C, where the mixed-layer depth was shallower in summer and deeper in winter, where current speeds were slower, and away from the ice edge in the open ocean. Receding ice edge and shoaling of the mixed layer induced by climate change may reduce swimming distances and diving depths, thereby reducing foraging costs. However, predicted increased current speeds and sea-surface temperatures may reduce habitat suitability in these regions. We suggest that the response of Ross seals to climate change will be regionally specific, their future success will ultimately depend on how their prey responds to regional climate effects and their own behavioural plasticity. The National Research Foundation (NRF) South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) and the Open Access Publication Funds of Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal South African National Antarctic Programme Weddell Sea University of Pretoria: UPSpace Antarctic Lazarev ENVELOPE(12.917,12.917,-69.967,-69.967) The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea Frontiers in Marine Science 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Pretoria: UPSpace |
op_collection_id |
ftunivpretoria |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctica Biologging Boosted regression trees models Climate change Habitat utilisation Species distribution model Remote sensing Weddell sea |
spellingShingle |
Antarctica Biologging Boosted regression trees models Climate change Habitat utilisation Species distribution model Remote sensing Weddell sea Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus Schytte Nordoy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
topic_facet |
Antarctica Biologging Boosted regression trees models Climate change Habitat utilisation Species distribution model Remote sensing Weddell sea |
description |
Understanding the determinants of poorly studied species’ spatial ecology is fundamental to understanding climate change impacts on those species and how to effectively prioritise their conservation. Ross seals (Ommatophoca rossii) are the least studied of the Antarctic pinnipeds with a limited knowledge of their spatial ecology. We present the largest tracking study for this species to date, create the first habitat models, and discuss the potential impacts of climate change on their preferred habitat and the implications for conservation. We combined newly collected satellite tracking data (2016–2019: n = 11) with previously published data (2001: n = 8) from the Weddell, King Haakon VII and Lazarev seas, Antarctica, and used 16 remotely sensed environmental variables to model Ross seal habitat suitability by means of boosted regression trees for summer and winter, respectively. Five of the top environmental predictors were relevant in both summer and winter (sea-surface temperature, distance to the ice edge, ice concentration standard deviation, mixed-layer depth, and sea-surface height anomalies). Ross seals preferred to forage in waters ranging between -1 and 2°C, where the mixed-layer depth was shallower in summer and deeper in winter, where current speeds were slower, and away from the ice edge in the open ocean. Receding ice edge and shoaling of the mixed layer induced by climate change may reduce swimming distances and diving depths, thereby reducing foraging costs. However, predicted increased current speeds and sea-surface temperatures may reduce habitat suitability in these regions. We suggest that the response of Ross seals to climate change will be regionally specific, their future success will ultimately depend on how their prey responds to regional climate effects and their own behavioural plasticity. The National Research Foundation (NRF) South African National Antarctic Programme (SANAP) and the Open Access Publication Funds of Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus Schytte Nordoy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt |
author_facet |
Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus Schytte Nordoy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthan Nieuwoudt |
author_sort |
Wege, Mia |
title |
Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
title_short |
Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
title_full |
Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
title_fullStr |
Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
title_full_unstemmed |
Distribution and habitat suitability of Ross seals in a warming ocean |
title_sort |
distribution and habitat suitability of ross seals in a warming ocean |
publisher |
Frontiers Media |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84288 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(12.917,12.917,-69.967,-69.967) |
geographic |
Antarctic Lazarev The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Lazarev The Antarctic Weddell Weddell Sea |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal South African National Antarctic Programme Weddell Sea |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal South African National Antarctic Programme Weddell Sea |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/2263/84288 2296-7745 (online) doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 |
op_rights |
© 2021 Wege, Bornemann, Blix, Nordøy, Biddle and Bester. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
8 |
_version_ |
1766269718879010816 |