Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers
Recent influxes of warm Atlantic water into the fjords of west Spitsbergen have led to concomitant influx of more temperate and boreal fish species. The changes in the water masses within the fjords naturally affect all trophic levels of the sympagic, benthic, and pelagic food chains in the area. Th...
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Online Access: | https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/332 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 |
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ftunivwindsor:oai:scholar.uwindsor.ca:glierpub-1334 2023-06-11T04:16:13+02:00 Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers Lowther, Andrew D. Fisk, Aaron Kovacs, Kit M. Lydersen, Christian 2017-10-01T07:00:00Z https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/332 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 unknown Scholarship at UWindsor https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/332 doi:10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications Climate change Diet Foraging ecology Prey shifting Trophic levels Vibrissae text 2017 ftunivwindsor https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 2023-05-06T19:10:50Z Recent influxes of warm Atlantic water into the fjords of west Spitsbergen have led to concomitant influx of more temperate and boreal fish species. The changes in the water masses within the fjords naturally affect all trophic levels of the sympagic, benthic, and pelagic food chains in the area. The most abundant marine mammal species in the fjords of west Spitsbergen is the ringed seal (Pusa hispida), which feeds, breeds, and moults in this area. In this study, we used isotopic data from whiskers of two cohorts of adult ringed seals (sampled in 1990 and 2013) to determine whether signals of ecosystem changes were detectable in this top marine predator. Acknowledging the limitations to our understanding of whisker growth in phocid seals, we interpreted the isotopic data from whiskers under two alternate hypotheses of whisker replacement dynamics and the dietary periods that might be represented. Even under the most conservative hypothesis, it is clear from our data that changes in the marine food web of the west Spitsbergen coast have occurred over the last 20 years, and that these are detectable in the isotopes incorporated into higher trophic predators. Concluding which aspect of the food web has been modified is complicated by a lack of recent ringed seal dietary studies, a knowledge gap that should be prioritised as the climate continues to change. Text Pusa hispida ringed seal Spitsbergen University of Windsor, Ontario: Scholarship at UWindsor Polar Biology 40 10 2027 2033 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Windsor, Ontario: Scholarship at UWindsor |
op_collection_id |
ftunivwindsor |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Climate change Diet Foraging ecology Prey shifting Trophic levels Vibrissae |
spellingShingle |
Climate change Diet Foraging ecology Prey shifting Trophic levels Vibrissae Lowther, Andrew D. Fisk, Aaron Kovacs, Kit M. Lydersen, Christian Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
topic_facet |
Climate change Diet Foraging ecology Prey shifting Trophic levels Vibrissae |
description |
Recent influxes of warm Atlantic water into the fjords of west Spitsbergen have led to concomitant influx of more temperate and boreal fish species. The changes in the water masses within the fjords naturally affect all trophic levels of the sympagic, benthic, and pelagic food chains in the area. The most abundant marine mammal species in the fjords of west Spitsbergen is the ringed seal (Pusa hispida), which feeds, breeds, and moults in this area. In this study, we used isotopic data from whiskers of two cohorts of adult ringed seals (sampled in 1990 and 2013) to determine whether signals of ecosystem changes were detectable in this top marine predator. Acknowledging the limitations to our understanding of whisker growth in phocid seals, we interpreted the isotopic data from whiskers under two alternate hypotheses of whisker replacement dynamics and the dietary periods that might be represented. Even under the most conservative hypothesis, it is clear from our data that changes in the marine food web of the west Spitsbergen coast have occurred over the last 20 years, and that these are detectable in the isotopes incorporated into higher trophic predators. Concluding which aspect of the food web has been modified is complicated by a lack of recent ringed seal dietary studies, a knowledge gap that should be prioritised as the climate continues to change. |
format |
Text |
author |
Lowther, Andrew D. Fisk, Aaron Kovacs, Kit M. Lydersen, Christian |
author_facet |
Lowther, Andrew D. Fisk, Aaron Kovacs, Kit M. Lydersen, Christian |
author_sort |
Lowther, Andrew D. |
title |
Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
title_short |
Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
title_full |
Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
title_fullStr |
Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
title_full_unstemmed |
Interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west Spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) whiskers |
title_sort |
interdecadal changes in the marine food web along the west spitsbergen coast detected in the stable isotope composition of ringed seal (pusa hispida) whiskers |
publisher |
Scholarship at UWindsor |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/332 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 |
genre |
Pusa hispida ringed seal Spitsbergen |
genre_facet |
Pusa hispida ringed seal Spitsbergen |
op_source |
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications |
op_relation |
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/glierpub/332 doi:10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-017-2122-3 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
40 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
2027 |
op_container_end_page |
2033 |
_version_ |
1768373762389966848 |