Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans
Ecological niche is traditionally defined at the species level, but individual niches can vary considerably within species. Research on intra-specific niche variation has been focussed on intrinsic drivers. However, differential transmission of socially learned behaviours can also lead to intra-spec...
Published in: | Marine Ecology Progress Series |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2019
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Online Access: | https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/habitat-use-of-culturally-distinct-galpagos-sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-clans(5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/19236/1/MEPS201709046_R2_author_accepted_version.docx |
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5 2024-06-23T07:56:12+00:00 Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans Eguiguren, Ana Pirotta, Enrico Cantor, Maurício Rendell, L Whitehead, Hal 2019-01-17 application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/habitat-use-of-culturally-distinct-galpagos-sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-clans(5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/19236/1/MEPS201709046_R2_author_accepted_version.docx eng eng https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/habitat-use-of-culturally-distinct-galpagos-sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-clans(5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5).html info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Eguiguren , A , Pirotta , E , Cantor , M , Rendell , L & Whitehead , H 2019 , ' Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans ' , Marine Ecology Progress Series , vol. 609 , pp. 257-270 . https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 Habitat preference Cetacean Culture Generalized additive model GAM Generalized estimating equation GEE Galápagos article 2019 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 2024-06-13T01:03:31Z Ecological niche is traditionally defined at the species level, but individual niches can vary considerably within species. Research on intra-specific niche variation has been focussed on intrinsic drivers. However, differential transmission of socially learned behaviours can also lead to intra-specific niche variation. In sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus , social transmission of information is thought to generate culturally distinct clans, which at times occur sympatrically. Clans have distinct dialects, foraging success rates, and movement patterns, but whether the niches of clan members are also different remains unknown. We evaluated the differences in habitat use of clans off the Galápagos Islands, using data collected over 63 encounters between 1985 and 2014. During encounters, we recorded geographic positions, determined clan identity through analysis of group vocalizations and individual associations, and used topographical and oceanographic variables as proxies of sperm whale prey distribution. We used logistic generalized additive models, fitted with generalized estimating equations to account for spatiotemporal autocorrelation, to predict clan identity as a function of the environment descriptors. Oceanographic variables marginally contributed to differentiating clans. Clan identity could be predicted almost entirely based on geographic location. This fine-scale, within-region spatial partitioning likely derives from whales preferring areas where members of their clans occur over temporal scales of a few months to a few years. By identifying differences in clans’ space use, we have uncovered another level of sperm whale life that is likely influenced by their cultural nature. Article in Journal/Newspaper Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale University of St Andrews: Research Portal Gam ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) Marine Ecology Progress Series 609 257 270 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Habitat preference Cetacean Culture Generalized additive model GAM Generalized estimating equation GEE Galápagos |
spellingShingle |
Habitat preference Cetacean Culture Generalized additive model GAM Generalized estimating equation GEE Galápagos Eguiguren, Ana Pirotta, Enrico Cantor, Maurício Rendell, L Whitehead, Hal Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
topic_facet |
Habitat preference Cetacean Culture Generalized additive model GAM Generalized estimating equation GEE Galápagos |
description |
Ecological niche is traditionally defined at the species level, but individual niches can vary considerably within species. Research on intra-specific niche variation has been focussed on intrinsic drivers. However, differential transmission of socially learned behaviours can also lead to intra-specific niche variation. In sperm whales Physeter macrocephalus , social transmission of information is thought to generate culturally distinct clans, which at times occur sympatrically. Clans have distinct dialects, foraging success rates, and movement patterns, but whether the niches of clan members are also different remains unknown. We evaluated the differences in habitat use of clans off the Galápagos Islands, using data collected over 63 encounters between 1985 and 2014. During encounters, we recorded geographic positions, determined clan identity through analysis of group vocalizations and individual associations, and used topographical and oceanographic variables as proxies of sperm whale prey distribution. We used logistic generalized additive models, fitted with generalized estimating equations to account for spatiotemporal autocorrelation, to predict clan identity as a function of the environment descriptors. Oceanographic variables marginally contributed to differentiating clans. Clan identity could be predicted almost entirely based on geographic location. This fine-scale, within-region spatial partitioning likely derives from whales preferring areas where members of their clans occur over temporal scales of a few months to a few years. By identifying differences in clans’ space use, we have uncovered another level of sperm whale life that is likely influenced by their cultural nature. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Eguiguren, Ana Pirotta, Enrico Cantor, Maurício Rendell, L Whitehead, Hal |
author_facet |
Eguiguren, Ana Pirotta, Enrico Cantor, Maurício Rendell, L Whitehead, Hal |
author_sort |
Eguiguren, Ana |
title |
Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
title_short |
Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
title_full |
Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
title_fullStr |
Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
title_full_unstemmed |
Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans |
title_sort |
habitat use of culturally distinct galápagos sperm whale physeter macrocephalus clans |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/habitat-use-of-culturally-distinct-galpagos-sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-clans(5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5).html https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/bitstream/10023/19236/1/MEPS201709046_R2_author_accepted_version.docx |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-57.955,-57.955,-61.923,-61.923) |
geographic |
Gam |
geographic_facet |
Gam |
genre |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
op_source |
Eguiguren , A , Pirotta , E , Cantor , M , Rendell , L & Whitehead , H 2019 , ' Habitat use of culturally distinct Galápagos sperm whale Physeter macrocephalus clans ' , Marine Ecology Progress Series , vol. 609 , pp. 257-270 . https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 |
op_relation |
https://research-portal.st-andrews.ac.uk/en/researchoutput/habitat-use-of-culturally-distinct-galpagos-sperm-whale-physeter-macrocephalus-clans(5247e780-719a-40b7-a6a0-2b915973a6f5).html |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12822 |
container_title |
Marine Ecology Progress Series |
container_volume |
609 |
container_start_page |
257 |
op_container_end_page |
270 |
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1802649155087106048 |