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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Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24164 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 |
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ftunivtroemsoe:oai:munin.uit.no:10037/24164 2023-05-15T13:45:59+02:00 Distribution and Habitat Suitability of Ross Seals in a Warming Ocean Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus S Nordøy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthán N. 2021-05-13 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24164 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 eng eng Frontiers Media Frontiers in Marine Science Wege, Bornemann, Blix, Nordøy, Biddle, Bester. Distribution and Habitat Suitability of Ross Seals in a Warming Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science. 2021;8:1-15 FRIDAID 2005266 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 2296-7745 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24164 openAccess Copyright 2021 The Author(s) Journal article Tidsskriftartikkel Peer reviewed publishedVersion 2021 ftunivtroemsoe https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 2022-03-02T23:57:50Z 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. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive Antarctic Lazarev ENVELOPE(12.917,12.917,-69.967,-69.967) The Antarctic Weddell Frontiers in Marine Science 8 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Tromsø: Munin Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftunivtroemsoe |
language |
English |
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. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus S Nordøy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthán N. |
spellingShingle |
Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus S Nordøy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthán N. Distribution and Habitat Suitability of Ross Seals in a Warming Ocean |
author_facet |
Wege, Mia Bornemann, Horst Blix, Arnoldus S Nordøy, Erling Sverre Biddle, Louise Bester, Marthán N. |
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 |
https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24164 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 |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Lazarev The Antarctic Weddell |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica Ross Seal |
op_relation |
Frontiers in Marine Science Wege, Bornemann, Blix, Nordøy, Biddle, Bester. Distribution and Habitat Suitability of Ross Seals in a Warming Ocean. Frontiers in Marine Science. 2021;8:1-15 FRIDAID 2005266 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 2296-7745 https://hdl.handle.net/10037/24164 |
op_rights |
openAccess Copyright 2021 The Author(s) |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.659430 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
8 |
_version_ |
1766234637727694848 |