Stable isotopes in southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) baleen as indicators of seasonal movements, feeding and growth

Best, Peter B.; Schell, Donald M.

doi:10.1007/bf00351030

Cited by 198 publications

(223 citation statements)

References 18 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

206

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Effects of weaning, such as interruptions in the growth curve, have been observed in other mammalian species (Pond 1977). A post-weaning hiatus in growth of body length appeared to occur in juvenile bowhead whales (Lubetkin et al 2008) and in juvenile Eubalaena australis (Best & Schell 1996). The post-weaning thinning of blubber is likely an indication that young right whale juveniles rely on the lipids in their blubber to help support energetic challenges as they transition to nutritional independence.…”

Section: Blubber Thickness and Nutritional Regimementioning

confidence: 87%

Blubber thickness in right whales Eubalaena glacialis and Eubalaena australis related with reproduction, life history status and prey abundance

Miller¹,

Reeb²,

Best³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

116

190

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The high variability in reproductive performance of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis compared to southern right whales Eubalaena australis may reflect differences in lipid reserves. Amplitude-mode ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of right whale integument (epidermis and blubber, herein referred to as blubber thickness) in E. glacialis in the Bay of Fundy, Canada for 5 summer seasons and in E. australis off the South African coast for 2 austral winter seasons. E. glacialis had significantly thinner blubber layers (mean ±1 SD = 12.23 ± 2.16 cm, n = 172) than E. australis (16.13 ± 3.88 cm, n = 117), suggesting differing levels of nutrition between the 2 species. Blubber was thickest in females measured 3 to 6 mo prior to the start of pregnancy (E. glacialis), thinner during lactation (E. glacialis, E. australis) and then thicker with time after weaning (E. glacialis). These results suggest that lipids in blubber are used as energetic support for reproduction in female right whales. Blubber thickness increased in calves during suckling (E. glacialis, E. australis) but subsequently decreased after weaning (E. glacialis). Juvenile and adult male E. glacialis blubber thicknesses were compared between years of differing prey Calanus finmarchicus abundances (data from Pershing et al. 2005; ICES J Mar Sci 62:1511-1523; during a year of low prey abundance whales had significantly thinner blubber than during years of greater prey abundance. Taken together, these results suggest that blubber thickness is indicative of right whale energy balance and that the marked fluctuations in North Atlantic right whale reproduction have a nutritional component.

show abstract

Section: Blubber Thickness and Nutritional Regimementioning

confidence: 87%

Blubber thickness in right whales Eubalaena glacialis and Eubalaena australis related with reproduction, life history status and prey abundance

Miller¹,

Reeb²,

Best³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

116

190

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Schell et al (1989) and Best and Schell (1996) exploited the large high-latitude d 13 C POM gradients in the North Pacific Ocean and Southern Ocean, respectively, to track annual migration patterns of mysticete whales. Both studies showed that baleen d 13 C varied seasonally, corresponding to geographic variations in the d 13 C PLK of prey organisms consumed along the annual migratory route between wintering and summering grounds.…”

Section: Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of ecogeochemistry approaches to estimating movements of marine animals

McMahon

Hamady

Thorrold

2013

Limnology & Oceanography

345

313

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ecogeochemistry-the application of geochemical techniques to fundamental questions in population and community ecology-has been used in animal migration studies in terrestrial environments for several decades; however, the approach has received far less attention in marine systems. This review includes comprehensive meta-analyses of organic zooplankton d 13 C and d 15 N values at the base of the food web, dissolved inorganic carbon d 13 C values, and seawater d 18 O values to create, for the first time, robust isoscapes for the Atlantic Ocean. These isoscapes present far greater geographic variability in multiple geochemical tracers than was previously thought, thus forming the foundation for reconstructions of habitat use and migration patterns of marine organisms. We review several additional tracers, including trace-element-to-calcium ratios and heavy element stable isotopes, to examine anadromous migrations. We highlight the value of the ecogeochemistry approach by examining case studies on three components of connectivity: dispersal and natal homing, functional connectivity, and migratory connectivity. We also discuss recent advances in compound-specific stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses for tracking animal movement. A better understanding of isotopic routing and fractionation factors, particularly of individual compound classes, is necessary to realize the full potential of ecogeochemistry.

show abstract

“…In most species a baleen plate represents several years of continuous growth, and in the Balaenidae (bowhead, Balaena mysticetus, and right whales, Eubalaena spp.) a single plate can represent more than a decade of the whale's life (Best et al, 1996;Lee et al, 2005;Lubetkin et al, 2008;Lysiak, 2009;Matthews and Ferguson, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In many migratory species, the season and year of growth of each point on a baleen plate can be estimated via analysis of stable-isotope (SI) ratios, which often vary seasonally due to shifts in prey base as whales migrate between summer and winter feeding grounds (Best and Schell, 1996;Lee et al, 2005;Matthews and Ferguson, 2015). Baleen of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) has recently been found to contain progesterone and cortisol, with concentrations of both hormones at the base of the plate (most recently grown baleen) corresponding to sex and reproductive condition of the whales at the time of death (Hunt et al, 2014b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-year longitudinal profiles of cortisol and corticosterone recovered from baleen of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis)

Hunt

Lysiak

Moore

et al. 2017

General and Comparative Endocrinology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Research into stress physiology of mysticete whales has been hampered by difficulty in obtaining repeated physiological samples from individuals over time. We investigated whether multi-year longitudinal records of glucocorticoids can be reconstructed from serial sampling along full-length baleen plates (representing ~10 years of baleen growth), using baleen recovered from two female North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) of known reproductive history. Cortisol and corticosterone were quantified with immunoassay of subsamples taken every 4 cm (representing ~60 d time intervals) along a full-length baleen plate from each female.In both whales, corticosterone was significantly elevated during known pregnancies (inferred from calf sightings and necropsy data) as compared to intercalving intervals; cortisol was significantly elevated during pregnancies in one female but not the other. Within intercalving intervals, corticosterone was significantly elevated during the first year (lactation year) and/or the second year (post-lactation year) as compared to later years of the intercalving interval, while cortisol showed more variable patterns. Cortisol occasionally showed brief high elevations ("spikes") not paralleled by corticosterone, suggesting that the two glucocorticoids might be differentially responsive to certain stressors. Generally, immunoreactive corticosterone was present in higher concentration in baleen than immunoreactive cortisol; corticosterone:cortisol ratio was usually >4 and was highly variable in both individuals. Further investigation of baleen cortisol and corticosterone profiles could prove fruitful for elucidating long-term, multi-year patterns in stress physiology of large whales, determined retrospectively from stranded or archived specimens. Hunt et al. -Baleen Hormones 3 HIGHLIGHTS• Immunoreactive cortisol and corticosterone are detectable in whale baleen• Single baleen plates contain multi-year longitudinal time series of glucocorticoids• Glucocorticoids tend to be elevated in baleen growth coincident with pregnancy• Corticosterone was present in baleen at much greater concentration than cortisol

show abstract

Stable isotopes in southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) baleen as indicators of seasonal movements, feeding and growth

Cited by 198 publications

References 18 publications

Blubber thickness in right whales Eubalaena glacialis and Eubalaena australis related with reproduction, life history status and prey abundance

Blubber thickness in right whales Eubalaena glacialis and Eubalaena australis related with reproduction, life history status and prey abundance

A review of ecogeochemistry approaches to estimating movements of marine animals

Multi-year longitudinal profiles of cortisol and corticosterone recovered from baleen of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About