From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records
Krill (Euphausia superba) are fundamentally important in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, forming a critical food web link between primary producers and top predators. Krill abundance fluctuates with oceanographic conditions, most notably variation in winter sea ice, and is susceptible to environmental...
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ftunstandrewcris:oai:risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk:publications/b6269d91-d864-4532-86cd-b52286505fb7 2023-05-15T13:53:11+02:00 From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records Braithwaite, J.E. Meeuwig, J.J. Letessier, T.B. Jenner, K.C.S. Brierley, A.S. 2015-04-02 https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/from-sea-ice-to-blubber(b6269d91-d864-4532-86cd-b52286505fb7).html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess Braithwaite , J E , Meeuwig , J J , Letessier , T B , Jenner , K C S & Brierley , A S 2015 , ' From sea ice to blubber : linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records ' , Polar Biology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 Euphausia superba Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Sea ice dynamics Energetics Migration article 2015 ftunstandrewcris https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 2022-06-02T07:44:40Z Krill (Euphausia superba) are fundamentally important in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, forming a critical food web link between primary producers and top predators. Krill abundance fluctuates with oceanographic conditions, most notably variation in winter sea ice, and is susceptible to environmental change. Although links between local krill availability and performance of land breeding, central place foragers are recognised, the effects of krill variability on baleen whales remain largely unclear because concurrent long-term data on whale condition and krill abundance do not exist. Here, we quantify links between whale body condition and krill abundance using a simple model that links krill abundance to sea ice extent. Body condition of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) caught in west Australian waters between 1947 and 1963 was estimated from oil yields in whaling records. Annual estimates of krill abundance in the Southern Ocean where those whales foraged (70°–130°E) were correlated significantly with contemporary annual winter sea ice extent. We hindcast sea ice extent for the whaling period from reconstructed temperature data and found that whale body condition was significantly correlated with hindcasted winter sea ice extent, supporting the hypothesis that variations in body condition were likely mediated by associated krill fluctuations. As humpback whales migrate and breed on finite energy stores accrued during summer foraging in the Antarctic, changes in sea ice and concomitant changes in krill abundance have long-term implications for their condition and reproductive success. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic baleen whales Euphausia superba Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Polar Biology Sea ice Southern Ocean University of St Andrews: Research Portal Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic Polar Biology 38 8 1195 1202 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of St Andrews: Research Portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunstandrewcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Euphausia superba Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Sea ice dynamics Energetics Migration |
spellingShingle |
Euphausia superba Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Sea ice dynamics Energetics Migration Braithwaite, J.E. Meeuwig, J.J. Letessier, T.B. Jenner, K.C.S. Brierley, A.S. From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
topic_facet |
Euphausia superba Humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Sea ice dynamics Energetics Migration |
description |
Krill (Euphausia superba) are fundamentally important in the Southern Ocean ecosystem, forming a critical food web link between primary producers and top predators. Krill abundance fluctuates with oceanographic conditions, most notably variation in winter sea ice, and is susceptible to environmental change. Although links between local krill availability and performance of land breeding, central place foragers are recognised, the effects of krill variability on baleen whales remain largely unclear because concurrent long-term data on whale condition and krill abundance do not exist. Here, we quantify links between whale body condition and krill abundance using a simple model that links krill abundance to sea ice extent. Body condition of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) caught in west Australian waters between 1947 and 1963 was estimated from oil yields in whaling records. Annual estimates of krill abundance in the Southern Ocean where those whales foraged (70°–130°E) were correlated significantly with contemporary annual winter sea ice extent. We hindcast sea ice extent for the whaling period from reconstructed temperature data and found that whale body condition was significantly correlated with hindcasted winter sea ice extent, supporting the hypothesis that variations in body condition were likely mediated by associated krill fluctuations. As humpback whales migrate and breed on finite energy stores accrued during summer foraging in the Antarctic, changes in sea ice and concomitant changes in krill abundance have long-term implications for their condition and reproductive success. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Braithwaite, J.E. Meeuwig, J.J. Letessier, T.B. Jenner, K.C.S. Brierley, A.S. |
author_facet |
Braithwaite, J.E. Meeuwig, J.J. Letessier, T.B. Jenner, K.C.S. Brierley, A.S. |
author_sort |
Braithwaite, J.E. |
title |
From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
title_short |
From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
title_full |
From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
title_fullStr |
From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
title_full_unstemmed |
From sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
title_sort |
from sea ice to blubber:linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
https://risweb.st-andrews.ac.uk/portal/en/researchoutput/from-sea-ice-to-blubber(b6269d91-d864-4532-86cd-b52286505fb7).html https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 |
geographic |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic Southern Ocean The Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic baleen whales Euphausia superba Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Polar Biology Sea ice Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic baleen whales Euphausia superba Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae Polar Biology Sea ice Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Braithwaite , J E , Meeuwig , J J , Letessier , T B , Jenner , K C S & Brierley , A S 2015 , ' From sea ice to blubber : linking whale condition to krill abundance using historical whaling records ' , Polar Biology . https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1685-0 |
container_title |
Polar Biology |
container_volume |
38 |
container_issue |
8 |
container_start_page |
1195 |
op_container_end_page |
1202 |
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1766258157960560640 |