The diet of Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica as determined from scat collections and stable isotope analysis

Burns, Jennifer M.; Trumble, Stephen J.; Castellini, Michael A.; Testa, J. Ward

doi:10.1007/s003000050245

Cited by 178 publications

(168 citation statements)

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“…(Eisenmann et al, 2016). Evidence of feeding in temperate waters and during partial migration was suggested in some individual whales from East Australian breeding population, pointing to some plasticity in prey selection (Eisenmann et al, 2016 (Zhao et al, 2004), the Weddell seal Leptonychotes weddellii (Burns et al, 1998;Zhao et al, 2004), Type C killer whale Orcinus orca (Krahn et al, 2008), and the leopard seal Hydrurga leptonyx (HallAspland et al, 2005;Zhao et al, 2004) (Fig. 5).…”

Section: Feeding Habits Through Stable Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…5. d 13 C and d 15 N ( 0 / 00 ) values in humpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae off la Reunion Island (this work) compared to other krill and mammal species from the Antarctic: krill species sampled in Antarctica (black marks), in baleen whales including the fin whale, the minke whale and the southern right whale (green marks), the crabeater seal (orange mark), other marine mammal species from Antarctica such as the killer whale, the leopard seal, the Weddell Seal and the Ross Seal (Burns et al, 1998;Cherel, 2008 Roosens et al, 2007;Vanden Berghe et al, 2013;Wild et al, 2015).…”

Section: Chemical Exposure Of Humpback Whales From La Reunion Islandmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Linking pollutant exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean to their feeding habits and feeding areas off Antarctica

Das

Malarvannan

Dirtu

et al. 2017

Environmental Pollution

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a b s t r a c tHumpback whales, Megaptera novaeangliae, breeding off la Reunion Island (Indian Ocean) undergo largescale seasonal migrations between summer feeding grounds near Antarctica and their reproductive winter grounds in the Indian Ocean. The main scope of the current study was to investigate chemical exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean by providing the first published data on this breeding stock concerning persistent organic pollutants (POPs), namely polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), DDT and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane compounds (CHLs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and methoxylated PBDEs (MeOPBDEs). Analyses of stable isotopes d 13 C and d 15 N in skin resulted in further insight in their feeding ecology, which was in agreement with a diet focused mainly on low trophic level prey species, such as krill from Antarctica. POPs were measured in all humpback whales in the order of HCB > DDTs > CHLs > HCHs > PCBs > PBDEs > MeO-BDEs. HCB (median: 24 ng g À1 lw) and DDTs (median: 7.7 ng g À1 lw) were the predominant compounds in all whale biopsies. Among DDT compounds, p,p 0 -DDE was the major organohalogenated pollutant, reflecting its long-term accumulation in humpback whales. Significantly lower concentrations of HCB and DDTs were found in females than in males (p < 0.001). Other compounds were similar between the two genders (p > 0.05). Differences in the HCB and DDTs suggested gender-specific transfer of some compounds to the offspring. POP concentrations were lower than previously reported results for humpback whales sampled near the Antarctic Peninsula, suggesting potential influence of their nutritional status and may indicate different exposures of the whales according to their feeding zones. Further investigations are required to assess exposure of southern humpback whales throughout their feeding zones.

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Section: Feeding Habits Through Stable Isotope Measurementsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Chemical Exposure Of Humpback Whales From La Reunion Islandmentioning

confidence: 99%

Linking pollutant exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean to their feeding habits and feeding areas off Antarctica

Das

Malarvannan

Dirtu

et al. 2017

Environmental Pollution

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“…While we have no diet information for the seals studied, dives to the seafloor are possibly associated with foraging on benthic prey such as Trematomus spp. (Burns et al 1998).…”

Section: Environmental Influencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrographic influences on the summer dive behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Atka Bay, Antarctica

et al. 2013

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In order to gain insights into species-level behavioural responses to the physical environment, it is necessary to obtain information from various populations and at all times of year. We analysed the influences of physical environmental parameters on the mid-summer dive behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) from a little-known population at Atka Bay, Antarctica. Dive depth distributions followed a typical bimodal pattern also exhibited by seals from other populations and seals targeted both shallow water layers of \50 m and depths near the seafloor. Increased stratification of temperature layers within the water column resulted in increased forage efforts by the seals through relatively high numbers of dives to the seafloor, as well as forage effort associated with shallow dives. We interpret these behavioural responses to be due to increased water temperature stratification resulting in the concentration of prey species in particular depth layers.

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“…However, these useful data re¯ect the most recent meal and may not be representative of the overall diet. In marine mammals, the use of naturally occurring stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen has provided complementary data to their feeding ecology (Hobson and Welch, 1992;Abend and Smith, 1995;Smith et al, 1996;Hobson et al, 1997;Burns et al, 1998). Stable isotope analysis has emerged as a powerful tool to trace diet as isotope Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tuna and Dolphin Associations in the North-east Atlantic: Evidence of Different Ecological Niches from Stable Isotope and Heavy Metal Measurements

Das

Lepoint

Loizeau

et al. 2000

Marine Pollution Bulletin

133

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Associations of tunas and dolphins in the wild are quite frequent events and the question arises how predators requiring similar diet in the same habitat share their environmental resources. As isotopic composition of an animal is related to that of its preys, stable isotope ( 13 C/ 12 C and 15 N/ 14 N) analyses were performed in three predator species from the North-east Atlantic: the striped dolphin, Stenella coeruleoalba, the common dolphin Delphinus delphis and the albacore tuna, Thunnus alalunga, and compared to their previously described stomach content. Heavy metals (Cd, Zn, Cu and Fe) are mainly transferred through the diet and so, have been determined in the tissues of the animals. Tuna muscles display higher d 15 N than in common and striped dolphins (mean: 11.4 vs. 10.3½ and 10.4½, respectively) which re¯ects their higher trophic level nutrition. Higher d 13 C are found in common ()18.4½) and striped dolphin ()18.1½) muscles than in albacore tuna ()19.3½) probably in relation with its migratory pattern. The most striking feature is the presence of two levels of cadmium concentrations in the livers of the tunas (32 mg kg À1 dry weight (DW) vs. 5 mg kg À1 DW). These two groups also di er by their iron concentrations and their d 15 N and d 13 C liver values. These results suggest that in the Biscay Bay, tunas occupy two di erent ecological niches probably based on di erent squid inputs in their diet. Ó

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The diet of Weddell seals in McMurdo Sound, Antarctica as determined from scat collections and stable isotope analysis

Cited by 178 publications

References 62 publications

Linking pollutant exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean to their feeding habits and feeding areas off Antarctica

Linking pollutant exposure of humpback whales breeding in the Indian Ocean to their feeding habits and feeding areas off Antarctica

Hydrographic influences on the summer dive behaviour of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in Atka Bay, Antarctica

Tuna and Dolphin Associations in the North-east Atlantic: Evidence of Different Ecological Niches from Stable Isotope and Heavy Metal Measurements

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