Social exploitation of extensive, ephemeral, environmentally controlled prey patches by supergroups of rorqual whales

Cade, David E.; Fahlbusch, James A.; Oestreich, William K.; Ryan, John P.; Calambokidis, John; Findlay, Ken P.; Friedlaender, Ari S.; Hazen, Elliott L.; Seakamela, S. Mduduzi; Goldbogen, Jeremy A.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.013

Cited by 20 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 103 publications

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“…This dive-by-dive feeding rate accounts for transit time to and from the prey at depth, the biomechanics of feeding (i.e. lunge and filter time), as well as the surface recovery period to account for the physiological constraints of diving (figure 1), and aligns with feeding rate calculations for blue whales in other studies of dive-scale foraging behaviour [22,46,57]. The foraging performance of a diving animal is optimized when the energy gain (in this case, lunge count) is maximized relative to the dive cycle duration, which includes both the time underwater and the time at the surface following a dive [58–60].…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Krill also aggregate in response to environmental processes at the scale of hours to days [ 45 ], indicating that fine- and intermediate-scale processes may be ecologically relevant to blue whales. Although previous studies have used remotely sensed aggregative surface current features to predict habitat use of deep-diving balaenopterid whales in Southern California [ 39 ], Central California [ 46 ] and the Mediterranean [ 38 ], high-resolution foraging performance data over ecologically relevant timescales are needed to determine the physical processes that influence prey and thus predator movements.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Blue whales increase feeding rates at fine-scale ocean features

et al. 2022

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Marine predators face the challenge of reliably finding prey that is patchily distributed in space and time. Predators make movement decisions at multiple spatial and temporal scales, yet we have a limited understanding of how habitat selection at multiple scales translates into foraging performance. In the ocean, there is mounting evidence that submesoscale (i.e. less than 100 km) processes drive the formation of dense prey patches that should hypothetically provide feeding hot spots and increase predator foraging success. Here, we integrated environmental remote-sensing with high-resolution animal-borne biologging data to evaluate submesoscale surface current features in relation to the habitat selection and foraging performance of blue whales in the California Current System. Our study revealed a consistent functional relationship in which blue whales disproportionately foraged within dynamic aggregative submesoscale features at both the regional and feeding site scales across seasons, regions and years. Moreover, we found that blue whale feeding rates increased in areas with stronger aggregative features, suggesting that these features indicate areas of higher prey density. The use of fine-scale, dynamic features by foraging blue whales underscores the need to take these features into account when designating critical habitat and may help inform strategies to mitigate the impacts of human activities for the species.

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Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 65%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Blue whales increase feeding rates at fine-scale ocean features

et al. 2022

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“…The considerable flexibility in timing of transition to migration shown here suggests adaptability of the Eastern North Pacific blue whale population to changes in the CCLME, including marine heatwaves (Brodeur et al., 2019) and altered timing, spatial structure and intensity of upwelling (García‐Reyes et al., 2015; Wang et al., 2015). However, given the possible role of long‐distance vocal communication in driving this flexibility in the transition to migration (see Section 4.2.2) as well as the documented role of vocal communication in other aspects of blue whales’ life history and behaviour (Cade, Fahlbusch, et al., 2021; Oleson et al., 2007; Schall et al., 2020), increasing anthropogenic noise in the oceans (Duarte et al., 2021) could pose a threat to this behavioural adaptability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acoustic signature reveals blue whales tune life‐history transitions to oceanographic conditions

et al. 2022

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1. Matching the timing of life-history transitions with ecosystem phenology is critical for the survival of many species, especially those undertaking long-distance migrations. As a result, whether and how migratory populations adjust timing of life-history transitions in response to environmental variability are important questions in ecology and conservation. Yet the flexibility and drivers of lifehistory transitions remain largely untested for migratory marine populations, which contend with the unique spatiotemporal dynamics and sensory conditions found in marine ecosystems.2. Here, using an acoustic signature of blue whales' regional population-level transition from foraging to breeding migration, we document significant interannual flexibility in the timing of this life-history transition (spanning roughly 4 months) over a continuous 6-year study period.3. We further show that variability in the timing of this transition follows the oceanographic phenology of blue whales' foraging habitat, with a later transition from foraging to breeding migration occurring in years with an earlier onset, later peak and greater accumulation of biological productivity.4. These findings indicate that blue whales delay the transition from foraging to southward migration in years of the highest and most persistent biological productivity, consistent with the hypothesis that this population maximizes energy intake on foraging grounds rather than departing towards breeding grounds as soon as sufficient energy reserves are accumulated.5. The use of flexible cues (e.g. foraging conditions and long-distance acoustic signals) in timing a major life-history transition may be key to the persistence of this endangered population facing the pressures of rapid environmental change. Furthermore, these results extend theoretical understanding of the flexibility and drivers of population-level migration to a relatively solitary marine migrant.

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“…Highly dispersed migrants, which are often assumed to be solitary, may rely on indirect cues and long-distance communication. For example, blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) appear to use long-range acoustic communication to appropriately time migration [54,55] and improve resource sensing in their highly dynamic ocean environment [56]. Both theoretical work and empirical evidence suggest that long-range communication can enhance foraging efficiency [57] and navigation during long-distance movements [58].…”

Section: Trends In Ecology and Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, acoustic communication is an essential form of information exchange in many species. Animal-borne sound recorders can be used to quantify and characterize vocalizations [75] and can reveal how auditory signals mediate group cohesion or enable group decision-making during migration [56,58]. Social network analyses can characterize the social organization of groups [76] and estimate the spread of information across space and time [77].…”

Section: Trends In Ecology and Evolutionmentioning

confidence: 99%