1
|
Cheeseman T, Barlow J, Acebes JM, Audley K, Bejder L, Birdsall C, Bracamontes OS, Bradford AL, Byington J, Calambokidis J, Cartwright R, Cedarleaf J, Chavez AJG, Currie J, De Castro RC, De Weerdt J, Doe N, Doniol-Valcroze T, Dracott K, Filatova O, Finn R, Flynn KR, Ford J, Frisch-Jordán A, Gabriele C, Goodwin B, Hayslip C, Hildering J, Hill MC, Jacobsen JK, Jiménez-López ME, Jones M, Kobayashi N, Lammers M, Lyman E, Malleson M, Mamaev E, Loustalot PM, Masterman A, Matkin CO, McMillan C, Moore J, Moran J, Neilson JL, Newell H, Okabe H, Olio M, Ortega-Ortiz CD, Pack AA, Palacios DM, Pearson H, Quintana-Rizzo E, Barragán RR, Ransome N, Rosales-Nanduca H, Sharpe F, Shaw T, Southerland K, Stack S, Staniland I, Straley J, Szabo A, Teerlink S, Titova O, Urban-Ramirez J, van Aswegen M, Vinicius M, von Ziegesar O, Witteveen B, Wray J, Yano K, Yegin I, Zwiefelhofer D, Clapham P. Bellwethers of change: population modelling of North Pacific humpback whales from 2002 through 2021 reveals shift from recovery to climate response. R Soc Open Sci 2024; 11:231462. [PMID: 38420629 PMCID: PMC10898971 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
For the 40 years after the end of commercial whaling in 1976, humpback whale populations in the North Pacific Ocean exhibited a prolonged period of recovery. Using mark-recapture methods on the largest individual photo-identification dataset ever assembled for a cetacean, we estimated annual ocean-basin-wide abundance for the species from 2002 through 2021. Trends in annual estimates describe strong post-whaling era population recovery from 16 875 (± 5955) in 2002 to a peak abundance estimate of 33 488 (± 4455) in 2012. An apparent 20% decline from 2012 to 2021, 33 488 (± 4455) to 26 662 (± 4192), suggests the population abruptly reached carrying capacity due to loss of prey resources. This was particularly evident for humpback whales wintering in Hawai'i, where, by 2021, estimated abundance had declined by 34% from a peak in 2013, down to abundance levels previously seen in 2006, and contrasted to an absence of decline in Mainland Mexico breeding humpbacks. The strongest marine heatwave recorded globally to date during the 2014-2016 period appeared to have altered the course of species recovery, with enduring effects. Extending this time series will allow humpback whales to serve as an indicator species for the ecosystem in the face of a changing climate.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ted Cheeseman
- Marine Ecology Research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, New South Wales, Australia
- Happywhale, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Jay Barlow
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Lars Bejder
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI, USA
| | - Caitlin Birdsall
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Amanda L Bradford
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Josie Byington
- Pacific Wildlife Foundation Canada, Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Rachel Cartwright
- The Keiki Kohola Project, Delray Beach, FL, USA
- California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA, USA
| | - Jen Cedarleaf
- University of Alaska Southeast, Sitka Campus, Sitka, AK, USA
| | | | | | | | - Joëlle De Weerdt
- Association ELI-S, Gujan-Mestras, France
- Vrije Universiteit, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nicole Doe
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Thomas Doniol-Valcroze
- Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Olga Filatova
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Rachel Finn
- Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kīhei, HI, USA
| | | | - John Ford
- Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Chris Gabriele
- Hawai'i Marine Mammal Consortium, Waimea, HI, USA
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, AK, USA
| | - Beth Goodwin
- Eye of the Whale Marine Mammal Research, Kamuela, HI, USA
| | - Craig Hayslip
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Jackie Hildering
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marie C Hill
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | | | - M Esther Jiménez-López
- Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS, Mexico
| | | | | | - Marc Lammers
- Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kīhei, HI, USA
| | - Edward Lyman
- Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kīhei, HI, USA
| | | | - Evgeny Mamaev
- FGBU Gosudarstvennyj zapovednik Komandorskij, Commander Islands, Kamchatka Krai, Russia
| | | | - Annie Masterman
- National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Auke Bay Laboratories, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, AK, USA
| | | | - Christie McMillan
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
- Pacific Biological Station, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jeff Moore
- NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - John Moran
- National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Auke Bay Laboratories, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, AK, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Adam A Pack
- Department of Psychology, University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hilo, HI, USA
- The Dolphin Institute, Hilo, HI, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Nicola Ransome
- College of Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Hiram Rosales-Nanduca
- Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS, Mexico
| | - Fred Sharpe
- McCowan Lab, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Tasli Shaw
- Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Suzie Teerlink
- Juneau Flukes, Juneau, AK, USA
- NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, Juneau, AK, USA
| | - Olga Titova
- A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | | | - Martin van Aswegen
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI, USA
| | | | | | - Briana Witteveen
- University of Alaska Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Janie Wray
- North Coast Cetacean Society, Alert Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kymberly Yano
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Igor Yegin
- Happywhale, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Stewart JD, Joyce TW, Durban JW, Calambokidis J, Fauquier D, Fearnbach H, Grebmeier JM, Lynn M, Manizza M, Perryman WL, Tinker MT, Weller DW. Boom-bust cycles in gray whales associated with dynamic and changing Arctic conditions. Science 2023; 382:207-211. [PMID: 37824633 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi1847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate change is affecting a wide range of global systems, with polar ecosystems experiencing the most rapid change. Although climate impacts affect lower-trophic-level and short-lived species most directly, it is less clear how long-lived and mobile species will respond to rapid polar warming because they may have the short-term ability to accommodate ecological disruptions while adapting to new conditions. We found that the population dynamics of an iconic and highly mobile polar-associated species are tightly coupled to Arctic prey availability and access to feeding areas. When low prey biomass coincided with high ice cover, gray whales experienced major mortality events, each reducing the population by 15 to 25%. This suggests that even mobile, long-lived species are sensitive to dynamic and changing conditions as the Arctic warms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joshua D Stewart
- Ocean Ecology Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Trevor W Joyce
- Ocean Associates, Arlington, VA, USA
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - John W Durban
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3), Des Moines, WA, USA
| | | | - Deborah Fauquier
- Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, MD, USA
| | - Holly Fearnbach
- Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3), Des Moines, WA, USA
| | - Jacqueline M Grebmeier
- Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Solomons, MD, USA
| | - Morgan Lynn
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Manfredi Manizza
- Geosciences Research Division, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Wayne L Perryman
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - M Tim Tinker
- Nhydra Consulting, Halifax, NS, Canada
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - David W Weller
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
De Weerdt J, Pacheco AS, Calambokidis J, Castaneda M, Cheeseman T, Frisch-Jordán A, Garita Alpízar F, Hayslip C, Martínez-Loustalot P, Palacios DM, Quintana-Rizzo E, Ransome N, Urbán Ramírez J, Clapham P, Van der Stocken T. Migratory destinations and spatial structuring of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) wintering off Nicaragua. Sci Rep 2023; 13:15180. [PMID: 37704666 PMCID: PMC10500005 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41923-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding the migratory patterns of large whales is of conservation importance, especially in identifying threats to specific populations. Migration ecology, including migratory destinations, movements and site fidelity for humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) remain poorly studied in parts of the range of the Central America population, considered endangered under the United States Endangered Species Act. This study aimed to investigate the migratory destinations of humpback whales sighted at two study sites in Nicaragua, which are part of the Central America population. A ten-year photographic database of humpback whales observed off Nicaragua was combined with citizen science contributions and sightings from dedicated research programs. The resulting image collection was compared with available historical photo identifications and databases using an automated image recognition algorithm. This approach yielded 36 years of photographic identification totaling 431 recaptures in Nicaragua (2006-2008 and 2016-2021) and 2539 recaptures (1986-2020) in both feeding and breeding grounds of 176 unique individuals sighted in Nicaragua. Our results showed that photo-identified whales were recaptured between October and April in breeding grounds and year-round in feeding grounds between British Columbia and California, with peak recaptures between June and October. Our study provided first-time evidence on fine-scale site affinity of individual humpback whales within Nicaraguan waters and to other breeding and feeding grounds.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle De Weerdt
- Association ELI-S, Education, Liberté, Indépendance-Scientifique, Allée de Verdalle 39, 33470, Gujan-Mestras, France.
- Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB, Pleinlaan, 1050, Brussel, Belgium.
| | - Aldo S Pacheco
- Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Av. Carlos Germán Amezaga #375, Lima, Perú
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218½ W 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA, 98501, USA
| | | | - Ted Cheeseman
- Happywhale.com, Marine Ecological Research Centre, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia
| | | | | | - Craig Hayslip
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Pamela Martínez-Loustalot
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, México
| | - Daniel M Palacios
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | | | - Nicola Ransome
- Fundación Naturaleza El Salvador, San Salvador, El Salvador
- Murdoch University (Harry Butler Institute), Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Jorge Urbán Ramírez
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, México
| | - Phillip Clapham
- Seastar Scientific, 27605 Hake Rd SW, Vashon, WA, 98070, USA
| | - Tom Van der Stocken
- Biology Department, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, VUB, Pleinlaan, 1050, Brussel, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cheeseman T, Southerland K, Acebes JM, Audley K, Barlow J, Bejder L, Birdsall C, Bradford AL, Byington JK, Calambokidis J, Cartwright R, Cedarleaf J, Chavez AJG, Currie JJ, De Weerdt J, Doe N, Doniol-Valcroze T, Dracott K, Filatova O, Finn R, Flynn K, Ford JKB, Frisch-Jordán A, Gabriele CM, Goodwin B, Hayslip C, Hildering J, Hill MC, Jacobsen JK, Jiménez-López ME, Jones M, Kobayashi N, Lyman E, Malleson M, Mamaev E, Martínez Loustalot P, Masterman A, Matkin C, McMillan CJ, Moore JE, Moran JR, Neilson JL, Newell H, Okabe H, Olio M, Pack AA, Palacios DM, Pearson HC, Quintana-Rizzo E, Ramírez Barragán RF, Ransome N, Rosales-Nanduca H, Sharpe F, Shaw T, Stack SH, Staniland I, Straley J, Szabo A, Teerlink S, Titova O, Urban R J, van Aswegen M, de Morais MV, von Ziegesar O, Witteveen B, Wray J, Yano KM, Zwiefelhofer D, Clapham P. A collaborative and near-comprehensive North Pacific humpback whale photo-ID dataset. Sci Rep 2023; 13:10237. [PMID: 37353581 PMCID: PMC10290149 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36928-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023] Open
Abstract
We present an ocean-basin-scale dataset that includes tail fluke photographic identification (photo-ID) and encounter data for most living individual humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in the North Pacific Ocean. The dataset was built through a broad collaboration combining 39 separate curated photo-ID catalogs, supplemented with community science data. Data from throughout the North Pacific were aggregated into 13 regions, including six breeding regions, six feeding regions, and one migratory corridor. All images were compared with minimal pre-processing using a recently developed image recognition algorithm based on machine learning through artificial intelligence; this system is capable of rapidly detecting matches between individuals with an estimated 97-99% accuracy. For the 2001-2021 study period, a total of 27,956 unique individuals were documented in 157,350 encounters. Each individual was encountered, on average, in 5.6 sampling periods (i.e., breeding and feeding seasons), with an annual average of 87% of whales encountered in more than one season. The combined dataset and image recognition tool represents a living and accessible resource for collaborative, basin-wide studies of a keystone marine mammal in a time of rapid ecological change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ted Cheeseman
- Happywhale, Santa Cruz, California, USA.
- Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, Australia.
| | | | | | | | - Jay Barlow
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Lars Bejder
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Kaneohe, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Caitlin Birdsall
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
- Ocean Wise, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Amanda L Bradford
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Josie K Byington
- Pacific Wildlife Foundation, Port Moody, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nicole Doe
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Karina Dracott
- Ocean Wise, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- North Coast Cetacean Society, Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Rachel Finn
- NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, USA
| | | | - John K B Ford
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | - Christine M Gabriele
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, Alaska, USA
- Hawai'i Marine Mammal Consortium, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Beth Goodwin
- Eye of the Whale Marine Mammal Research, Kamuela, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Craig Hayslip
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA
| | - Jackie Hildering
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marie C Hill
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
- Cooperative Institution of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | | | - M Esther Jiménez-López
- Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | | | | | - Edward Lyman
- NOAA Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii, USA
| | - Mark Malleson
- Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Evgeny Mamaev
- Commander Islands National Park, Kamchatka Krai, Russian Federation
| | | | | | | | - Christie J McMillan
- Marine Education and Research Society, Port McNeill, British Columbia, Canada
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jeff E Moore
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, San Diego, California, USA
| | - John R Moran
- NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Juneau, Alaska, USA
| | - Janet L Neilson
- Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Gustavus, Alaska, USA
| | | | - Haruna Okabe
- Okinawa Churashima Foundation, Kunigami-gun, Japan
| | | | - Adam A Pack
- University of Hawai'i at Hilo, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA
- The Dolphin Institute, Hilo, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Daniel M Palacios
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Hiram Rosales-Nanduca
- Departamento Académico de Ingeniería en Pesquerías, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Baja California Sur, México
| | - Fred Sharpe
- Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, Alaska, USA
| | - Tasli Shaw
- Humpback Whales of the Salish Sea, Duncan, British Columbia, Canada
| | | | | | - Jan Straley
- University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, Alaska, USA
| | - Andrew Szabo
- Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, Alaska, USA
| | - Suzie Teerlink
- NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office, Juneau, Alaska, USA
| | - Olga Titova
- Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Jorge Urban R
- Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, Mexico
| | | | | | | | | | - Janie Wray
- North Coast Cetacean Society, Hartley Bay, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kymberly M Yano
- NOAA Fisheries Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
- Cooperative Institution of Marine and Atmospheric Research, Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA
| | | | - Phil Clapham
- Seastar Scientific, Vashon Island, Washington, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Cade DE, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT, Bierlich KC, Linsky JMJ, Calambokidis J, Johnston DW, Goldbogen JA, Friedlaender AS. Minke whale feeding rate limitations suggest constraints on the minimum body size for engulfment filtration feeding. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:535-546. [PMID: 36914772 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01993-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Bulk filter feeding has enabled gigantism throughout evolutionary history. The largest animals, extant rorqual whales, utilize intermittent engulfment filtration feeding (lunge feeding), which increases in efficiency with body size, enabling their gigantism. The smallest extant rorquals (7-10 m minke whales), however, still exhibit short-term foraging efficiencies several times greater than smaller non-filter-feeding cetaceans, raising the question of why smaller animals do not utilize this foraging modality. We collected 437 h of bio-logging data from 23 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) to test the relationship of feeding rates (λf) to body size. Here, we show that while ultra-high nighttime λf (mean ± s.d.: 165 ± 40 lunges h-1; max: 236 lunges h-1; mean depth: 28 ± 46 m) were indistinguishable from predictions from observations of larger species, daytime λf (mean depth: 72 ± 72 m) were only 25-40% of predicted rates. Both λf were near the maxima allowed by calculated biomechanical, physiological and environmental constraints, but these temporal constraints meant that maximum λf was below the expected λf for animals smaller than ~5 m-the length of weaned minke whales. Our findings suggest that minimum size for specific filter-feeding body plans may relate broadly to temporal restrictions on filtration rate and have implications for the evolution of filter feeding.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David E Cade
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | | | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Jacob M J Linsky
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - David W Johnston
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | | | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hayes KRR, Ylitalo GM, Anderson TA, Urbán
R. J, Jacobsen JK, Scordino JJ, Lang AR, Baugh KA, Bolton JL, Brüniche-Olsen A, Calambokidis J, Martínez-Aguilar S, Subbiah S, Gribble MO, Godard-Codding CAJ. Influence of Life-History Parameters on Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations in Blubber of Eastern North Pacific Gray Whales ( Eschrichtius robustus). Environ Sci Technol 2022; 56:17119-17130. [PMID: 36346717 PMCID: PMC9730851 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c05998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2022] [Revised: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can significantly impact marine mammal health, reproduction, and fitness. This study addresses a significant 20-year gap in gray whale contaminant monitoring through analysis of POPs in 120 blubber biopsies. The scope of this substantial sample set is noteworthy in its range and diversity with collection between 2003 and 2017 along North America's west coast and across diverse sex, age, and reproductive parameters, including paired mothers and calves. Mean blubber concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls (∑PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (∑DDTs), and chlordanes (∑CHLs) generally decreased since previous reports (1968-1999). This is the first report of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and select hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) in this species. Statistical modeling of the 19 most frequently detected compounds in this dataset revealed sex-, age-, and reproductive status-related patterns, predominantly attributed to maternal offloading. Mean POP concentrations differed significantly by sex in adults (17 compounds, up to 3-fold higher in males) but not in immatures (all 19 compounds). Mean POP concentrations were significantly greater in adults versus immatures in both males (17 compounds, up to 12-fold) and females (13 compounds, up to 3-fold). POP concentrations were detected with compound-specific patterns in nursing calves, confirming maternal offloading for the first time in this species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kia R. R. Hayes
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
- Ocean
Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia 22207, United States
| | - Gina M. Ylitalo
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Todd A. Anderson
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Jorge Urbán
R.
- Departamento
de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad
Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS 23085, Mexico
| | | | - Jonathan J. Scordino
- Marine Mammal
Program, Makah Fisheries Management, Makah Tribe, Neah Bay, Washington 98357, United States
| | - Aimee R. Lang
- Ocean
Associates, Inc., Arlington, Virginia 22207, United States
- Southwest
Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, California 92037, United States
| | - Keri A. Baugh
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Jennie L. Bolton
- Environmental
and Fisheries Sciences Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center,
National Marine Fisheries Service, National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, Washington 98112, United States
| | - Anna Brüniche-Olsen
- Department
of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue
University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia
Research Collective, Olympia, Washington 98501, United States
| | - Sergio Martínez-Aguilar
- Departamento
de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad
Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS 23085, Mexico
| | - Seenivasan Subbiah
- The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas 79409, United States
| | - Matthew O. Gribble
- Department
of Epidemiology, University of Alabama at
Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama 35294, United
States
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ryan JP, Benoit‐Bird KJ, Oestreich WK, Leary P, Smith KB, Waluk CM, Cade DE, Fahlbusch JA, Southall BL, Joseph JE, Margolina T, Calambokidis J, DeVogelaere A, Goldbogen JA. Oceanic giants dance to atmospheric rhythms: Ephemeral wind-driven resource tracking by blue whales. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2435-2447. [PMID: 36197736 PMCID: PMC9827854 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Trophic transfer of energy through marine food webs is strongly influenced by prey aggregation and its exploitation by predators. Rapid aggregation of some marine fish and crustacean forage species during wind-driven coastal upwelling has recently been discovered, motivating the hypothesis that predators of these forage species track the upwelling circulation in which prey aggregation occurs. We examine this hypothesis in the central California Current Ecosystem using integrative observations of upwelling dynamics, forage species' aggregation, and blue whale movement. Directional origins of blue whale calls repeatedly tracked upwelling plume circulation when wind-driven upwelling intensified and aggregation of forage species was heightened. Our findings illustrate a resource tracking strategy by which blue whales may maximize energy gain amid ephemeral foraging opportunities. These findings have implications for the ecology and conservation of diverse predators that are sustained by forage populations whose behaviour is responsive to episodic environmental dynamics.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John P. Ryan
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - William K. Oestreich
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA,Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul Leary
- Naval Postgraduate SchoolMontereyCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Chad M. Waluk
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA
| | - David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - James A. Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA,Cascadia Research CollectiveOlympiaWashingtonUSA
| | - Brandon L. Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc.AptosCaliforniaUSA,University of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Melica V, Atkinson S, Calambokidis J, Gendron D, Lang A, Scordino J. Naturally stressed? Glucocorticoid profiles in blubber of blue and gray whales in response to life history parameters. Mar Mamm Sci 2022; 38:1524-1548. [PMID: 36619002 PMCID: PMC9815209 DOI: 10.1111/mms.12954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The goal of the present study was to carry out a thorough methodological validation and describe baseline profiles for glucocorticoid hormones (cortisol and corticosterone) in blubber from blue (n = 77) and gray (n = 103) whales from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. For each species, we modelled cortisol and corticosterone concentrations in response to life history parameters (age, sex, reproductive status) and season or geographic location. In blue whales, cortisol concentrations did not vary significantly by age class, sex, or reproductive status, whereas corticosterone was significantly lower in immature than in adult females (p < .001). In gray whales, cortisol concentrations were significantly higher in lactating whales (p < .05), while corticosterone was significantly different between females and males (p = .001) and elevated in calves (p = .003). In gray whales, corticosterone concentrations were significantly lower in males sampled later in the year (August to November) compared to both sexes sampled between March and August (p = .05), but no seasonal trend occurred in blue whales. Our results indicate that glucocorticoid actions vary between species and sex in large whales. Analysis of multiple hormones improves our understanding of the physiology of maintaining metabolic homeostasis or coping with chronic stressors.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Melica
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, Alaska
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, Alaska
| | | | - Diane Gendron
- Instituto Politecnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marina (IPN-CICIMAR), La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Aimee Lang
- Ocean Associates Inc., on contract to NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California
| | - Jonathan Scordino
- Marine Mammal Program, Makah Fisheries Management, Neah Bay, Washington
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Fahlbusch JA, Czapanskiy MF, Calambokidis J, Cade DE, Abrahms B, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA. Blue whales increase feeding rates at fine-scale ocean features. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221180. [PMID: 35975432 PMCID: PMC9382224 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
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.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James A. Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - Max F. Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | - David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Elliott L. Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Pirotta E, Booth CG, Calambokidis J, Costa DP, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Harwood J, Hazen EL, New L, Santora JA, Watwood SL, Wertman C, Southall BL. From individual responses to population effects: Integrating a decade of multidisciplinary research on blue whales and sonar. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University College Cork Cork Ireland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics Washington State University Vancouver WA USA
| | - C. G. Booth
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | | | - D. P. Costa
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - J. A. Fahlbusch
- Cascadia Research Collective Olympia WA USA
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - A. S. Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. Aptos CA USA
| | - J. A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - J. Harwood
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - E. L. Hazen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Monterey CA USA
| | - L. New
- Ursinus College Collegeville PA USA
| | - J. A. Santora
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Ecology Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Applied Math University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - S. L. Watwood
- Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport RI USA
| | - C. Wertman
- Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport RI USA
| | - B. L. Southall
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. Aptos CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Segre PS, Gough WT, Roualdes EA, Cade DE, Czapanskiy MF, Fahlbusch J, Kahane-Rapport SR, Oestreich WK, Bejder L, Bierlich KC, Burrows JA, Calambokidis J, Chenoweth EM, di Clemente J, Durban JW, Fearnbach H, Fish FE, Friedlaender AS, Hegelund P, Johnston DW, Nowacek DP, Oudejans MG, Penry GS, Potvin J, Simon M, Stanworth A, Straley JM, Szabo A, Videsen SKA, Visser F, Weir CR, Wiley DN, Goldbogen JA. Scaling of maneuvering performance in baleen whales: larger whales outperform expectations. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274595. [PMID: 35234874 PMCID: PMC8976943 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Despite their enormous size, whales make their living as voracious predators. To catch their much smaller, more maneuverable prey, they have developed several unique locomotor strategies that require high energetic input, high mechanical power output and a surprising degree of agility. To better understand how body size affects maneuverability at the largest scale, we used bio-logging data, aerial photogrammetry and a high-throughput approach to quantify the maneuvering performance of seven species of free-swimming baleen whale. We found that as body size increases, absolute maneuvering performance decreases: larger whales use lower accelerations and perform slower pitch-changes, rolls and turns than smaller species. We also found that baleen whales exhibit positive allometry of maneuvering performance: relative to their body size, larger whales use higher accelerations, and perform faster pitch-changes, rolls and certain types of turns than smaller species. However, not all maneuvers were impacted by body size in the same way, and we found that larger whales behaviorally adjust for their decreased agility by using turns that they can perform more effectively. The positive allometry of maneuvering performance suggests that large whales have compensated for their increased body size by evolving more effective control surfaces and by preferentially selecting maneuvers that play to their strengths.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Edward A Roualdes
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - James Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Shirel R Kahane-Rapport
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | | | - Lars Bejder
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA.,Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - K C Bierlich
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.,Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Julia A Burrows
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.,Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Ellen M Chenoweth
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.,Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, AK 99835, USA
| | - Jacopo di Clemente
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - John W Durban
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - Holly Fearnbach
- SR3, SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, Des Moines, WA 98198, USA
| | - Frank E Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, PA 19383, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Peter Hegelund
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk 3900, Greenland
| | - David W Johnston
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Douglas P Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | | | - Gwenith S Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk 3900, Greenland
| | | | - Janice M Straley
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, AK 99835, USA
| | - Andrew Szabo
- Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, AK 99833, USA
| | - Simone K A Videsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Fleur Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, 1624 CJ Hoorn, The Netherlands.,Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, 1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | | | - David N Wiley
- NOAA/Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, MA 02066, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Durban JW, Southall BL, Calambokidis J, Casey C, Fearnbach H, Joyce TW, Fahlbusch JA, Oudejans MG, Fregosi S, Friedlaender AS, Kellar NM, Visser F. Integrating remote sensing methods during controlled exposure experiments to quantify group responses of dolphins to navy sonar. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 174:113194. [PMID: 34902768 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2021] [Revised: 11/21/2021] [Accepted: 11/23/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Human noise can be harmful to sound-centric marine mammals. Significant research has focused on characterizing behavioral responses of protected cetacean species to navy mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS). Controlled exposure experiments (CEE) using animal-borne tags have proved valuable, but smaller dolphins are not amenable to tagging and groups of interacting individuals are more relevant behavioral units for these social species. To fill key data gaps on group responses of social delphinids that are exposed to navy MFAS in large numbers, we describe novel approaches for the coordinated collection and integrated analysis of multiple remotely-sensed datasets during CEEs. This involves real-time coordination of a sonar source, shore-based group tracking, aerial photogrammetry to measure fine-scale movements and passive acoustics to quantify vocal activity. Using an example CEE involving long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis bairdii), we demonstrate how resultant quantitative metrics can be used to estimate behavioral changes and noise exposure-response relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J W Durban
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., 9099 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA; Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
| | - B L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., 9099 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA; Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - J Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 W 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - C Casey
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., 9099 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA; Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - H Fearnbach
- SR3 SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, 2003 S. 216th St. #98811, Des Moines, WA 98198, USA
| | - T W Joyce
- Environmental Assessment Services, 350 Hills St., Suite 112, Richland, WA 99354, USA
| | - J A Fahlbusch
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 W 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA; Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - M G Oudejans
- Kelp Marine Research, 1624 CJ Hoorn, the Netherlands
| | - S Fregosi
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., 9099 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., 9099 Soquel Drive, Aptos, CA 95003, USA; Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - N M Kellar
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - F Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, 1624 CJ Hoorn, the Netherlands; Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, P.O. Box 94240, 1090 GE Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, P.O. Box 59, 1790 AB Den Burg, Texel, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Savoca MS, Czapanskiy MF, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT, Fahlbusch JA, Bierlich KC, Segre PS, Di Clemente J, Penry GS, Wiley DN, Calambokidis J, Nowacek DP, Johnston DW, Pyenson ND, Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA. Baleen whale prey consumption based on high-resolution foraging measurements. Nature 2021; 599:85-90. [PMID: 34732868 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03991-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Baleen whales influence their ecosystems through immense prey consumption and nutrient recycling1-3. It is difficult to accurately gauge the magnitude of their current or historic ecosystem role without measuring feeding rates and prey consumed. To date, prey consumption of the largest species has been estimated using metabolic models3-9 based on extrapolations that lack empirical validation. Here, we used tags deployed on seven baleen whale (Mysticeti) species (n = 321 tag deployments) in conjunction with acoustic measurements of prey density to calculate prey consumption at daily to annual scales from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Our results suggest that previous studies3-9 have underestimated baleen whale prey consumption by threefold or more in some ecosystems. In the Southern Ocean alone, we calculate that pre-whaling populations of mysticetes annually consumed 430 million tonnes of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), twice the current estimated total biomass of E. superba10, and more than twice the global catch of marine fisheries today11. Larger whale populations may have supported higher productivity in large marine regions through enhanced nutrient recycling: our findings suggest mysticetes recycled 1.2 × 104 tonnes iron yr-1 in the Southern Ocean before whaling compared to 1.2 × 103 tonnes iron yr-1 recycled by whales today. The recovery of baleen whales and their nutrient recycling services2,3,7 could augment productivity and restore ecosystem function lost during 20th century whaling12,13.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - James A Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA.,Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Paolo S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Jacopo Di Clemente
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Gwenith S Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - David N Wiley
- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA National Ocean Service, Scituate, MA, USA
| | | | - Douglas P Nowacek
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - David W Johnston
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Teman SJ, Gaydos JK, Norman SA, Huggins JL, Lambourn DM, Calambokidis J, Ford JKB, Hanson MB, Haulena M, Zabek E, Cottrell P, Hoang L, Morshed M, Garner MM, Raverty S. Epizootiology of a Cryptococcus gattii outbreak in porpoises and dolphins from the Salish Sea. Dis Aquat Organ 2021; 146:129-143. [PMID: 34672263 DOI: 10.3354/dao03630] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Cryptococcus gattii is a fungal pathogen that primarily affects the respiratory and nervous systems of humans and other animals. C. gattii emerged in temperate North America in 1999 as a multispecies outbreak of cryptococcosis in British Columbia (Canada) and Washington State and Oregon (USA), affecting humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Here we describe the C. gattii epizootic in odontocetes. Cases of C. gattii were identified in 42 odontocetes in Washington and British Columbia between 1997 and 2016. Species affected included harbor porpoises Phocoena phocoena (n = 26), Dall's porpoises Phocoenoides dalli (n = 14), and Pacific white-sided dolphins Lagenorhynchus obliquidens (n = 2). The probable index case was identified in an adult male Dall's porpoise in 1997, 2 yr prior to the initial terrestrial outbreak. The spatiotemporal extent of the C. gattii epizootic was defined, and cases in odontocetes were found to be clustered around terrestrial C. gattii hotspots. Case-control analyses with stranded, uninfected odontocetes revealed that risk factors for infection were species (Dall's porpoises), age class (adult animals), and season (winter). This study suggests that mycoses are an emerging source of mortality for odontocetes, and that outbreaks may be associated with anthropogenic environmental disturbance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah J Teman
- The SeaDoc Society, Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center - Orcas Island Office, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, Eastsound, WA 98245, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Melica V, Atkinson S, Gendron D, Calambokidis J, Mueter F. Blubber endocrine profiles provide insights into reproductive biology in blue whales from the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2021; 310:113830. [PMID: 34087186 PMCID: PMC9167553 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2021.113830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/31/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The goal of the present study was to complement existing data of testosterone and progesterone in blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) blubber from the eastern North Pacific Ocean to evaluate effects of seasonality and location on these hormones and to better assess reproductive status of individuals. Physiological parameters regarding reproduction are fundamental for describing population dynamics, and hormones can be a valid tool to estimate those for wildlife populations. In this study, blubber tissue was validated for testosterone and progesterone assays. Hormone concentrations were measured in 69 (35 males and 34 females) blubber samples from live (n = 66) and stranded (n = 3) animals collected between 2002 and 2016 from a known winter reproductive ground in the Gulf of California (GoC) and summer feeding areas along the United States West Coast (USWC), specifically off the states of California and Oregon. Results were combined with sighting histories as a tool to determine reproductive status of individual whales. Testosterone concentrations in adult male blue whales were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in blubber biopsies sampled off the USWC between the months of June and November compared to those sampled in the GoC between February and April. Elevated testosterone concentrations likely indicate physiological preparation for reproductive activity while the animals were present off the USWC. Progesterone concentrations were significantly elevated in pregnant females, confirming progesterone as an indicator of pregnancy in blue whales. Probabilities of being pregnant were estimated for adult females with unknown sighting histories based on progesterone concentrations. Testosterone in females was detected and measured only in pregnant whales suggesting its biosynthesis or metabolism is altered during gestation. These results provide updated and new information on the reproductive cycle of blue whales in the eastern North Pacific, posing new milestones to better estimate the timing of the mating season for this endangered population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Melica
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA.
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA.
| | - Diane Gendron
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marina (IPN-CICIMAR), Av. Instituto Politecnico Nacional s/n, playa Palo de Santa Rita, 23096 La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
| | | | - Franz Mueter
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Fisheries Dept, Juneau Center, 17101 Pt. Lena Loop Road, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Melica V, Atkinson S, Calambokidis J, Lang A, Scordino J, Mueter F. Application of endocrine biomarkers to update information on reproductive physiology in gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255368. [PMID: 34343192 PMCID: PMC8330940 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of our knowledge on reproductive biology of gray whales dates back to scientific research conducted during commercial whaling in the late 1950s and 1960s. The goal of the present study was to provide updated insights on reproductive physiology of gray whales, using progesterone and testosterone as biomarkers. We measured hormone concentrations using enzyme immunoassay (EIA) techniques in blubber biopsies collected from 106 individual whales from March to November over a span of 12 years (2004-2016) between California and Alaska. We found testosterone concentrations in males to increase significantly with age (P = 0.03). Adult males showed significantly elevated testosterone concentrations when sampled in the fall compared to the summer (P = 0.01), likely indicating physiological preparation for mating. We measured testosterone concentrations in females of different age classes, but no statistical differences were found. We found significantly higher progesterone concentrations in pregnant females compared to non-pregnant females and adult males (P< 0.001), indicating progesterone is a valid biomarker for pregnancy in gray whales. Both female and male calves had elevated progesterone concentrations, suggesting maternal transfer via lactation. We fit a mixture of two normal distributions to progesterone data from all non-calf females to identify clusters of high and low progesterone and estimated the probability of being pregnant for whales of unknown reproductive status. With this approach we identified likely pregnant and non-pregnant animals. This study represents an important milestone on reproductive profiles in this population, that can be used to estimate more accurate and precise reproductive parameters to be used for better understanding population dynamics of gray whales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Melica
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, Alaska, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, Alaska, United States of America
| | | | - Aimée Lang
- Ocean Associates Inc., on Contract to NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Scordino
- Marine Mammal Program, Makah Fisheries Management, Neah Bay, Washington, United States of America
| | - Franz Mueter
- Fisheries Department, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, Alaska, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Morin PA, Forester BR, Forney KA, Crossman CA, Hancock-Hanser BL, Robertson KM, Barrett-Lennard LG, Baird RW, Calambokidis J, Gearin P, Hanson MB, Schumacher C, Harkins T, Fontaine MC, Taylor BL, Parsons KM. Population structure in a continuously distributed coastal marine species, the harbor porpoise, based on microhaplotypes derived from poor-quality samples. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:1457-1476. [PMID: 33544423 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15827] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Harbor porpoise in the North Pacific are found in coastal waters from southern California to Japan, but population structure is poorly known outside of a few local areas. We used multiplexed amplicon sequencing of 292 loci and genotyped clusters of single nucleotide polymoirphisms as microhaplotypes (N = 271 samples) in addition to mitochondrial (mtDNA) sequence data (N = 413 samples) to examine the genetic structure from samples collected along the Pacific coast and inland waterways from California to southern British Columbia. We confirmed an overall pattern of strong isolation-by-distance, suggesting that individual dispersal is restricted. We also found evidence of regions where genetic differences are larger than expected based on geographical distance alone, implying current or historical barriers to gene flow. In particular, the southernmost population in California is genetically distinct (FST = 0.02 [microhaplotypes]; 0.31 [mtDNA]), with both reduced genetic variability and high frequency of an otherwise rare mtDNA haplotype. At the northern end of our study range, we found significant genetic differentiation of samples from the Strait of Georgia, previously identified as a potential biogeographical boundary or secondary contact zone between harbor porpoise populations. Association of microhaplotypes with remotely sensed environmental variables indicated potential local adaptation, especially at the southern end of the species' range. These results inform conservation and management for this nearshore species, illustrate the value of genomic methods for detecting patterns of genetic structure within a continuously distributed marine species, and highlight the power of microhaplotype genotyping for detecting genetic structure in harbor porpoises despite reliance on poor-quality samples.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phillip A Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Brenna R Forester
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Karin A Forney
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Moss Landing, CA, USA.,Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - Carla A Crossman
- Biology Department, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, NS, Canada.,Cetacean Research Program, Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Kelly M Robertson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Pat Gearin
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - M Bradley Hanson
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | - Michael C Fontaine
- MIVEGEC Research Unit (Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD) & Centre for Research on the Ecology and Evolution of Diseases (CREES), Centre IRD de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara L Taylor
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kim M Parsons
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, USA.,Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Cade DE, Seakamela SM, Findlay KP, Fukunaga J, Kahane‐Rapport SR, Warren JD, Calambokidis J, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Kotze D, McCue S, Meÿer M, Oestreich WK, Oudejans MG, Wilke C, Goldbogen JA. Predator‐scale spatial analysis of intra‐patch prey distribution reveals the energetic drivers of rorqual whale super‐group formation. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Institute of Marine Science University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - S. Mduduzi Seakamela
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Branch: Oceans and Coasts, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Cape Town South Africa
| | - Ken P. Findlay
- Oceans Economy Cape Peninsula University of Technology Cape Town South Africa
- MRI Whale Unit Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Hatfield South Africa
| | - Julie Fukunaga
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | | | - Joseph D. Warren
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences Stony Brook University Southampton NY USA
| | | | - James A. Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Cascadia Research Collective Olympia WA USA
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Science University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Elliott L. Hazen
- Environmental Research Division/Southwest Fisheries Science Center/National Marine Fisheries Service/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Monterey CA USA
| | - Deon Kotze
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Branch: Oceans and Coasts, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Cape Town South Africa
| | - Steven McCue
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Branch: Oceans and Coasts, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Cape Town South Africa
| | - Michael Meÿer
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Branch: Oceans and Coasts, Victoria & Alfred Waterfront Cape Town South Africa
| | | | | | - Christopher Wilke
- Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Branch: Fisheries Management Cape Town South Africa
| | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Pirotta E, Booth CG, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Costa DP, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Harwood J, Hazen EL, New L, Southall BL. Context-dependent variability in the predicted daily energetic costs of disturbance for blue whales. Conserv Physiol 2021; 9:coaa137. [PMID: 33505702 PMCID: PMC7816799 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the long-term consequences of sub-lethal anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife populations requires integrating data on fine-scale individual behavior and physiology into spatially and temporally broader, population-level inference. A typical behavioral response to disturbance is the cessation of foraging, which can be translated into a common metric of energetic cost. However, this necessitates detailed empirical information on baseline movements, activity budgets, feeding rates and energy intake, as well as the probability of an individual responding to the disturbance-inducing stressor within different exposure contexts. Here, we integrated data from blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) experimentally exposed to military active sonar signals with fine-scale measurements of baseline behavior over multiple days or weeks obtained from accelerometry loggers, telemetry tracking and prey sampling. Specifically, we developed daily simulations of movement, feeding behavior and exposure to localized sonar events of increasing duration and intensity and predicted the effects of this disturbance source on the daily energy intake of an individual. Activity budgets and movements were highly variable in space and time and among individuals, resulting in large variability in predicted energetic intake and costs. In half of our simulations, an individual's energy intake was unaffected by the simulated source. However, some individuals lost their entire daily energy intake under brief or weak exposure scenarios. Given this large variation, population-level models will have to assess the consequences of the entire distribution of energetic costs, rather than only consider single summary statistics. The shape of the exposure-response functions also strongly influenced predictions, reinforcing the need for contextually explicit experiments and improved mechanistic understanding of the processes driving behavioral and physiological responses to disturbance. This study presents a robust approach for integrating different types of empirical information to assess the effects of disturbance at spatio-temporal and ecological scales that are relevant to management and conservation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Pirotta
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73K, Ireland
| | - Cormac G Booth
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - David E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - James A Fahlbusch
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - John Harwood
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Monterey, CA 93940, USA
| | - Leslie New
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Brandon L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Pardo MA, Calambokidis J, Aguíñiga-García S, Páez-Rosas D, Gómez-Gutiérrez J, Enríquez-Paredes LM, Gendron D. Isotope-based inferences of the seasonal foraging and migratory strategies of blue whales in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Mar Environ Res 2021; 163:105201. [PMID: 33162117 DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Migratory marine megafauna generally move vast distances between productive foraging grounds and environmentally stable breeding grounds, but characterizing how they use these habitats to maintain homeostasis and reproduce is difficult. We used isotope analysis of blue whale skin strata (n = 621) and potential prey (n = 300) to examine their migratory and foraging strategies in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Our results suggest that most whales in the northeast Pacific use a mixed income and capital breeding strategy, and use the California Current Ecosystem as their primary summer-fall foraging ground. A subset of individuals exhibited migratory plasticity and spend most of the year in the Gulf of California or Costa Rica Dome, two regions believed to be their primary winter-spring breeding grounds. Isotope data also revealed that whales in the southern Eastern Tropical Pacific generally do not forage in the northeast Pacific, which suggests a north-south population structure with a boundary near the equator.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Busquets-Vass
- Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada, Unidad La Paz, Laboratorio de Macroecología Marina, Baja California Sur, Mexico; University of New Mexico, Biology Department, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Seth D Newsome
- University of New Mexico, Biology Department, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Mario A Pardo
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología - Centro de Investigación Científica y Educación Superior de Ensenada, Unidad La Paz, Laboratorio de Macroecología Marina, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | | | - Sergio Aguíñiga-García
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Diego Páez-Rosas
- Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Galapagos Science Center, Av. Alsacio Northía, Isla San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador; Dirección del Parque Nacional Galápagos, Unidad Técnica Operativa San Cristóbal, Av. Perimetral, Isla San Cristóbal, Galápagos, Ecuador
| | - Jaime Gómez-Gutiérrez
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Luis M Enríquez-Paredes
- Facultad de Ciencias Marinas, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Baja California, Mexico
| | - Diane Gendron
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Oestreich WK, Fahlbusch JA, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Margolina T, Joseph J, Friedlaender AS, McKenna MF, Stimpert AK, Southall BL, Goldbogen JA, Ryan JP. Animal-Borne Metrics Enable Acoustic Detection of Blue Whale Migration. Curr Biol 2020; 30:4773-4779.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.08.105] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
|
22
|
Flammang BE, Marras S, Anderson EJ, Lehmkuhl O, Mukherjee A, Cade DE, Beckert M, Nadler JH, Houzeaux G, Vázquez M, Amplo HE, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA. Remoras pick where they stick on blue whales. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 223:223/20/jeb226654. [PMID: 33115921 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.226654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Animal-borne video recordings from blue whales in the open ocean show that remoras preferentially adhere to specific regions on the surface of the whale. Using empirical and computational fluid dynamics analyses, we show that remora attachment was specific to regions of separating flow and wakes caused by surface features on the whale. Adhesion at these locations offers remoras drag reduction of up to 71-84% compared with the freestream. Remoras were observed to move freely along the surface of the whale using skimming and sliding behaviors. Skimming provided drag reduction as high as 50-72% at some locations for some remora sizes, but little to none was available in regions where few to no remoras were observed. Experimental work suggests that the Venturi effect may help remoras stay near the whale while skimming. Understanding the flow environment around a swimming blue whale will inform the placement of biosensor tags to increase attachment time for extended ecological monitoring.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brooke E Flammang
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Simone Marras
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA.,Center for Applied Mathematics and Statistics, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - Erik J Anderson
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering (Guest Investigator), Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.,Department of Mechanical Engineering, Grove City College, Grove City, PA 16127, USA
| | - Oriol Lehmkuhl
- Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Abhishek Mukherjee
- Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 15 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95003, USA
| | - Michael Beckert
- Advanced Concepts Research Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA.,Exponent Engineering and Scientific Consulting, 3350 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 1125, Atlanta, GA 30326, USA
| | - Jason H Nadler
- Advanced Concepts Research Laboratory, Georgia Tech Research Institute, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Guillaume Houzeaux
- Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Mariano Vázquez
- Department of Computer Applications in Science and Engineering, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Haley E Amplo
- Federated Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07102, USA
| | | | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 15 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95003, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Kahane-Rapport SR, Savoca MS, Cade DE, Segre PS, Bierlich KC, Calambokidis J, Dale J, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Johnston DW, Werth AJ, Goldbogen JA. Lunge filter feeding biomechanics constrain rorqual foraging ecology across scale. J Exp Biol 2020; 223:jeb224196. [PMID: 32820028 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224196] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Fundamental scaling relationships influence the physiology of vital rates, which in turn shape the ecology and evolution of organisms. For diving mammals, benefits conferred by large body size include reduced transport costs and enhanced breath-holding capacity, thereby increasing overall foraging efficiency. Rorqual whales feed by engulfing a large mass of prey-laden water at high speed and filtering it through baleen plates. However, as engulfment capacity increases with body length (engulfment volume∝body length3.57), the surface area of the baleen filter does not increase proportionally (baleen area∝body length1.82), and thus the filtration time of larger rorquals predictably increases as the baleen surface area must filter a disproportionally large amount of water. We predicted that filtration time should scale with body length to the power of 1.75 (filter time∝body length1.75). We tested this hypothesis on four rorqual species using multi-sensor tags with corresponding unoccupied aircraft systems-based body length estimates. We found that filter time scales with body length to the power of 1.79 (95% CI: 1.61-1.97). This result highlights a scale-dependent trade-off between engulfment capacity and baleen area that creates a biomechanical constraint to foraging through increased filtration time. Consequently, larger whales must target high-density prey patches commensurate to the gulp size to meet their increased energetic demands. If these optimal patches are absent, larger rorquals may experience reduced foraging efficiency compared with smaller whales if they do not match their engulfment capacity to the size of targeted prey aggregations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S R Kahane-Rapport
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - M S Savoca
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - D E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - P S Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 27710, USA
| | - J Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 W. 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - J Dale
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 27710, USA
| | - J A Fahlbusch
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - D W Johnston
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 27710, USA
| | - A J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943, USA
| | - J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Segre PS, Potvin J, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Di Clemente J, Fish FE, Friedlaender AS, Gough WT, Kahane-Rapport SR, Oliveira C, Parks SE, Penry GS, Simon M, Stimpert AK, Wiley DN, Bierlich KC, Madsen PT, Goldbogen JA. Energetic and physical limitations on the breaching performance of large whales. eLife 2020; 9:51760. [PMID: 32159511 PMCID: PMC7065846 DOI: 10.7554/elife.51760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2019] [Accepted: 01/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The considerable power needed for large whales to leap out of the water may represent the single most expensive burst maneuver found in nature. However, the mechanics and energetic costs associated with the breaching behaviors of large whales remain poorly understood. In this study we deployed whale-borne tags to measure the kinematics of breaching to test the hypothesis that these spectacular aerial displays are metabolically expensive. We found that breaching whales use variable underwater trajectories, and that high-emergence breaches are faster and require more energy than predatory lunges. The most expensive breaches approach the upper limits of vertebrate muscle performance, and the energetic cost of breaching is high enough that repeated breaching events may serve as honest signaling of body condition. Furthermore, the confluence of muscle contractile properties, hydrodynamics, and the high speeds required likely impose an upper limit to the body size and effectiveness of breaching whales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, United States
| | - Jean Potvin
- Saint Louis University, St Louis, United States
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, United States
| | | | | | - Frank E Fish
- West Chester University, West Chester, United States
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, United States
| | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, United States
| | | | - Cláudia Oliveira
- Okeanos R&D Centre and the Institute of Marine Research, University of the Azores, Horta, Portugal
| | - Susan E Parks
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, United States
| | - Gwenith S Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - Malene Simon
- Department of Birds and Mammals, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Alison K Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, San Jose, United States
| | - David N Wiley
- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, United States
| | - K C Bierlich
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Piver's Island, United States
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, United States
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Friedlaender AS, Bowers MT, Cade D, Hazen EL, Stimpert AK, Allen AN, Calambokidis J, Fahlbusch J, Segre P, Visser F, Southall BL, Goldbogen JA. The advantages of diving deep: Fin whales quadruple their energy intake when targeting deep krill patches. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ari S. Friedlaender
- Department of Ocean Sciences and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Institute for Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
- Southall Environmental Associates Aptos CA USA
| | - Matthew T. Bowers
- Southall Environmental Associates Aptos CA USA
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology Colorado State University Fort Collins CO USA
| | - David Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - Elliott L. Hazen
- Department of Ocean Sciences and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Institute for Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
- NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Monterey CA USA
| | | | - Ann N. Allen
- NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center Honolulu HI USA
| | | | - James Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Cascadia Research Collective Cascadia WA USA
| | - Paolo Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
26
|
Archer FI, Brownell RL, Hancock-Hanser BL, Morin PA, Robertson KM, Sherman KK, Calambokidis J, Urbán R J, Rosel PE, Mizroch SA, Panigada S, Taylor BL. Revision of fin whale Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758) subspecies using genetics. J Mammal 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyz121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Three subspecies of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are currently recognized, including the northern fin whale (B. p. physalus), the southern fin whale (B. p. quoyi), and the pygmy fin whale (B. p. patachonica). The Northern Hemisphere subspecies encompasses fin whales in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. A recent analysis of 154 mitogenome sequences of fin whales from these two ocean basins and the Southern Hemisphere suggested that the North Pacific and North Atlantic populations should be treated as different subspecies. Using these mitogenome sequences, in this study, we conduct analyses on a larger mtDNA control region data set, and on 23 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from 144 of the 154 samples in the mitogenome data set. Our results reveal that North Pacific and North Atlantic fin whales can be correctly assigned to their ocean basin with 99% accuracy. Results of the SNP analysis indicate a correct classification rate of 95%, very low rates of gene flow among ocean basins, and that distinct mitogenome matrilines in the North Pacific are interbreeding. These results indicate that North Pacific fin whales should be recognized as a separate subspecies, with the name B. p. velifera Cope in Scammon 1869 as the oldest available name.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Jorge Urbán R
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Carretera al Sur, La Paz, B.C.S., Mexico
| | - Patricia E Rosel
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, Lafayette, LA, USA
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
27
|
Redfern JV, Moore TJ, Becker EA, Calambokidis J, Hastings SP, Irvine LM, Mate BR, Palacios DM. Evaluating stakeholder‐derived strategies to reduce the risk of ships striking whales. DIVERS DISTRIB 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica V. Redfern
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California
| | - Thomas J. Moore
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration La Jolla California
| | - Elizabeth A. Becker
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contracted by ManTech International Corporation Solana Beach California
| | | | - Sean P. Hastings
- Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Santa Barbara California
| | - Ladd M. Irvine
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport Oregon
| | - Bruce R. Mate
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport Oregon
| | - Daniel M. Palacios
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport Oregon
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
Segre PS, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Fish FE, Friedlaender AS, Potvin J, Goldbogen JA. Body Flexibility Enhances Maneuverability in the World's Largest Predator. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:48-60. [PMID: 30445585 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icy121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Blue whales are often characterized as highly stable, open-ocean swimmers who sacrifice maneuverability for long-distance cruising performance. However, recent studies have revealed that blue whales actually exhibit surprisingly complex underwater behaviors, yet little is known about the performance and control of these maneuvers. Here, we use multi-sensor biologgers equipped with cameras to quantify the locomotor dynamics and the movement of the control surfaces used by foraging blue whales. Our results revealed that simple maneuvers (rolls, turns, and pitch changes) are performed using distinct combinations of control and power provided by the flippers, the flukes, and bending of the body, while complex trajectories are structured by combining sequences of simple maneuvers. Furthermore, blue whales improve their turning performance by using complex banked turns to take advantage of their substantial dorso-ventral flexibility. These results illustrate the important role body flexibility plays in enhancing control and performance of maneuvers, even in the largest of animals. The use of the body to supplement the performance of the hydrodynamically active surfaces may represent a new mechanism in the control of aquatic locomotion.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, United States
| | - D E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, United States
| | - J Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 4th Avenue W, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - F E Fish
- West Chester University, 750 South Church Street, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | - A S Friedlaender
- University of California, Santa Cruz, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - J Potvin
- Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, United States
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Clark CT, Fleming AH, Calambokidis J, Kellar NM, Allen CD, Catelani KN, Robbins M, Beaulieu NE, Steel D, Harvey JT. Corrigendum to: Heavy with child? Pregnancy status and stable isotope ratios as determined from biopsies of humpback whales. Conserv Physiol 2019; 7:coz013. [PMID: 31093327 PMCID: PMC6509936 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coz013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cow050.].
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Casey T Clark
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Alyson H Fleming
- Department of Paleobiology and Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Nicholas M Kellar
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Camryn D Allen
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Krista N Catelani
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michelle Robbins
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Nicole E Beaulieu
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Debbie Steel
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - James T Harvey
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Arranz P, Benoit-Bird KJ, Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA, Stimpert AK, DeRuiter SL, Calambokidis J, Southall BL, Fahlman A, Tyack PL. Diving Behavior and Fine-Scale Kinematics of Free-Ranging Risso's Dolphins Foraging in Shallow and Deep-Water Habitats. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
|
31
|
Southall BL, DeRuiter SL, Friedlaender A, Stimpert AK, Goldbogen JA, Hazen E, Casey C, Fregosi S, Cade DE, Allen AN, Harris CM, Schorr G, Moretti D, Guan S, Calambokidis J. Behavioral responses of individual blue whales ( Balaenoptera musculus) to mid-frequency military sonar. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 222:222/5/jeb190637. [PMID: 30833464 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.190637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
This study measured the degree of behavioral responses in blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) to controlled noise exposure off the southern California coast. High-resolution movement and passive acoustic data were obtained from non-invasive archival tags (n=42) whereas surface positions were obtained with visual focal follows. Controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) were used to obtain direct behavioral measurements before, during and after simulated and operational military mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS), pseudorandom noise (PRN) and controls (no noise exposure). For a subset of deep-feeding animals (n=21), active acoustic measurements of prey were obtained and used as contextual covariates in response analyses. To investigate potential behavioral changes within individuals as a function of controlled noise exposure conditions, two parallel analyses of time-series data for selected behavioral parameters (e.g. diving, horizontal movement and feeding) were conducted. This included expert scoring of responses according to a specified behavioral severity rating paradigm and quantitative change-point analyses using Mahalanobis distance statistics. Both methods identified clear changes in some conditions. More than 50% of blue whales in deep-feeding states responded during CEEs, whereas no changes in behavior were identified in shallow-feeding blue whales. Overall, responses were generally brief, of low to moderate severity, and highly dependent on exposure context such as behavioral state, source-to-whale horizontal range and prey availability. Response probability did not follow a simple exposure-response model based on received exposure level. These results, in combination with additional analytical methods to investigate different aspects of potential responses within and among individuals, provide a comprehensive evaluation of how free-ranging blue whales responded to mid-frequency military sonar.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates (SEA), Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA .,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Stacy L DeRuiter
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA
| | - Ari Friedlaender
- Southall Environmental Associates (SEA), Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.,Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - Alison K Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Elliott Hazen
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.,NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA 93940, USA
| | - Caroline Casey
- Southall Environmental Associates (SEA), Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Selene Fregosi
- Southall Environmental Associates (SEA), Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA.,Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, 97365, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Ann N Allen
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Catriona M Harris
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Greg Schorr
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, Seabeck, WA 98380, USA
| | - David Moretti
- Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, RI 02841, USA
| | - Shane Guan
- Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
32
|
Lewis LA, Calambokidis J, Stimpert AK, Fahlbusch J, Friedlaender AS, McKenna MF, Mesnick SL, Oleson EM, Southall BL, Szesciorka AR, Širović A. Context-dependent variability in blue whale acoustic behaviour. R Soc Open Sci 2018; 5:180241. [PMID: 30225013 PMCID: PMC6124089 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic communication is an important aspect of reproductive, foraging and social behaviours for many marine species. Northeast Pacific blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) produce three different call types-A, B and D calls. All may be produced as singular calls, but A and B calls also occur in phrases to form songs. To evaluate the behavioural context of singular call and phrase production in blue whales, the acoustic and dive profile data from tags deployed on individuals off southern California were assessed using generalized estimating equations. Only 22% of all deployments contained sounds attributed to the tagged animal. A larger proportion of tagged animals were female (47%) than male (13%), with 40% of unknown sex. Fifty per cent of tags deployed on males contained sounds attributed to the tagged whale, while only a few (5%) deployed on females did. Most calls were produced at shallow depths (less than 30 m). Repetitive phrasing (singing) and production of singular calls were most common during shallow, non-lunging dives, with the latter also common during surface behaviour. Higher sound production rates occurred during autumn than summer and they varied with time-of-day: singular call rates were higher at dawn and dusk, while phrase production rates were highest at dusk and night.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Leah A. Lewis
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 ½ W 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Alison K. Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - James Fahlbusch
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 ½ W 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, 9099 Soquel Drive, Suite 8, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - Megan F. McKenna
- Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525, USA
| | - Sarah L. Mesnick
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 8901 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Erin M. Oleson
- Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, 1845 Wasp Blvd., Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818, USA
| | - Brandon L. Southall
- Institute for Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, 9099 Soquel Drive, Suite 8, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - Angela R. Szesciorka
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 ½ W 4th Ave., Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ana Širović
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
- Texas A&M University Galveston, 200 Seawolf Parkway, Galveston, TX 77554, USA
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Norman S, Hanson M, Huggins J, Lambourn D, Calambokidis J, Cottrell P, Greene A, Raverty S, Berta S, Dubpernell S, Klope M, Olson J, Jeffries S, Carrasco M, Souze V, Elsby A, McLean C, Carlson B, Emmons C, Gaydos J. Conception, fetal growth, and calving seasonality of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) in the Salish Sea waters of Washington, USA, and southern British Columbia, Canada. CAN J ZOOL 2018. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2017-0155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
We evaluated harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena (Linnaeus, 1758)) strandings in the Salish Sea to determine calving seasonality (1980–2015). A total of 443 strandings were analyzed, of which 134 were calves and 53 were neonates. Stranded calves were reported every month, but peaked in July, August, and September. Based on fetal size and an estimated fetal growth rate of 80 mm/month, mean (±SD) conception date (and range) was back-calculated to 11 October ± 30 days (16 August – 31 December) and was later than in most other studies. Using mean (±SD) length at birth (80 ± 5.8 cm), gestation was estimated to be approximately 10.8 months. Estimated birthing period was 16 July – 27 November, with a mean (±SD) birth date of 10 September (±30.7 days) and a birth length of 80.0 cm. Estimated pregnancy rate (0.28–0.29) is lower than reported in other areas and is likely an underestimate due to missed early embryos, poor postmortem condition of a large proportion of the stranded adult females, and potential biases related to the animals that strand and are available. This study of harbor porpoise reproduction and calving in the Salish Sea is the first assessment of calving seasonality for this species in the northeast Pacific Ocean.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- S.A. Norman
- Marine-Med: Marine Research, Epidemiology, and Veterinary Medicine, 24225 15th Place Southeast, Bothell, WA 98021, USA
| | - M.B. Hanson
- NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - J. Huggins
- Cascadia Research, 218½ West Fourth Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - D. Lambourn
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Investigations, 7801 Phillips Road Southwest, Lakewood, WA 98498, USA
| | - J. Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research, 218½ West Fourth Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - P. Cottrell
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Fisheries Management Branch, Suite 200-401 Burrard, Vancouver, BC V6C 3S4, Canada
| | - A. Greene
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Fisheries Management Branch, Suite 200-401 Burrard, Vancouver, BC V6C 3S4, Canada
| | - S. Raverty
- Animal Health Centre, BC Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, 1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, BC V3G 2M3, Canada
| | - S. Berta
- Orca Network, Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 485 Labella Vista Way, Freeland, WA 98249, USA
| | - S. Dubpernell
- Orca Network, Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 485 Labella Vista Way, Freeland, WA 98249, USA
| | - M. Klope
- Orca Network, Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 485 Labella Vista Way, Freeland, WA 98249, USA
| | - J.K. Olson
- The Whale Museum, 62 First Street North, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, USA
| | - S.J. Jeffries
- Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Investigations, 7801 Phillips Road Southwest, Lakewood, WA 98498, USA
| | - M. Carrasco
- Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 3842 Legoe Bay Road, Lummi Island, WA 98262, USA
| | - V. Souze
- Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 3842 Legoe Bay Road, Lummi Island, WA 98262, USA
| | - A. Elsby
- Whatcom County Marine Mammal Stranding Network, 3842 Legoe Bay Road, Lummi Island, WA 98262, USA
| | - C. McLean
- Port Townsend Marine Science Center, 532 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA
| | - B. Carlson
- Port Townsend Marine Science Center, 532 Battery Way, Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA
| | - C. Emmons
- NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - J.K. Gaydos
- Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center-Orcas Island Office, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, 942 Deer Harbor Road, Eastsound, WA 98245, USA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Boersma AT, Calambokidis J, Kahane-Rapport SR, Segre PS, Stimpert AK, Friedlaender AS. Using Digital Tags With Integrated Video and Inertial Sensors to Study Moving Morphology and Associated Function in Large Aquatic Vertebrates. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 300:1935-1941. [PMID: 28971623 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The anatomy of large cetaceans has been well documented, mostly through dissection of dead specimens. However, the difficulty of studying the world's largest animals in their natural environment means the functions of anatomical structures must be inferred. Recently, non-invasive tracking devices have been developed that measure body position and orientation, thereby enabling the detailed reconstruction of underwater trajectories. The addition of cameras to the whale-borne tags allows the sensor data to be matched with real-time observations of how whales use their morphological structures, such as flukes, flippers, feeding apparatuses, and blowholes for the physiological functions of locomotion, feeding, and breathing. Here, we describe a new tag design with integrated video and inertial sensors and how it can be used to provide insights to the function of whale anatomy. This technology has the potential to facilitate a wide range of discoveries and comparative studies, but many challenges remain to increase the resolution and applicability of the data. Anat Rec, 300:1935-1941, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - D E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - A T Boersma
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | | | - S R Kahane-Rapport
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - P S Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - A K Stimpert
- Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, California
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Arranz P, Benoit-Bird KJ, Southall BL, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Tyack PL. Risso's dolphins plan foraging dives. J Exp Biol 2018; 221:221/4/jeb165209. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.165209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
Humans remember the past and use that information to plan future actions. Lab experiments that test memory for the location of food show that animals have a similar capability to act in anticipation of future needs, but less work has been done on animals foraging in the wild. We hypothesized that planning abilities are critical and common in breath-hold divers who adjust each dive to forage on prey varying in quality, location and predictability within constraints of limited oxygen availability. We equipped Risso's dolphins with sound-and-motion recording tags to reveal where they focus their attention through their externally observable echolocation and how they fine tune search strategies in response to expected and observed prey distribution. The information from the dolphins was integrated with synoptic prey data obtained from echosounders on an underwater vehicle. At the start of the dives, whales adjusted their echolocation inspection ranges in ways that suggest planning to forage at a particular depth. Once entering a productive prey layer, dolphins reduced their search range comparable to the scale of patches within the layer, suggesting that they were using echolocation to select prey within the patch. On ascent, their search range increased, indicating that they decided to stop foraging within that layer and started searching for prey in shallower layers. Information about prey, learned throughout the dive, was used to plan foraging in the next dive. Our results demonstrate that planning for future dives is modulated by spatial memory derived from multi-modal prey sampling (echoic, visual and capture) during earlier dives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Arranz
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
- Department of Animal Biology, University of La Laguna, Avda. Astrofisico Fco Sanchez s/n, La Laguna 36200, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Kelly J. Benoit-Bird
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Brandon L. Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, 9099 Soquel Drive, Suite 8, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Long Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, 1156 High St, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 4th Ave W, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Southall Environmental Associates, 9099 Soquel Drive, Suite 8, Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, 2030 Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Peter L. Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Fossette S, Abrahms B, Hazen EL, Bograd SJ, Zilliacus KM, Calambokidis J, Burrows JA, Goldbogen JA, Harvey JT, Marinovic B, Tershy B, Croll DA. Resource partitioning facilitates coexistence in sympatric cetaceans in the California Current. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:9085-9097. [PMID: 29152200 PMCID: PMC5677487 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2017] [Revised: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource partitioning is an important process driving habitat use and foraging strategies in sympatric species that potentially compete. Differences in foraging behavior are hypothesized to contribute to species coexistence by facilitating resource partitioning, but little is known on the multiple mechanisms for partitioning that may occur simultaneously. Studies are further limited in the marine environment, where the spatial and temporal distribution of resources is highly dynamic and subsequently difficult to quantify. We investigated potential pathways by which foraging behavior may facilitate resource partitioning in two of the largest co-occurring and closely related species on Earth, blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae) whales. We integrated multiple long-term datasets (line-transect surveys, whale-watching records, net sampling, stable isotope analysis, and remote-sensing of oceanographic parameters) to compare the diet, phenology, and distribution of the two species during their foraging periods in the highly productive waters of Monterey Bay, California, USA within the California Current Ecosystem. Our long-term study reveals that blue and humpback whales likely facilitate sympatry by partitioning their foraging along three axes: trophic, temporal, and spatial. Blue whales were specialists foraging on krill, predictably targeting a seasonal peak in krill abundance, were present in the bay for an average of 4.7 months, and were spatially restricted at the continental shelf break. In contrast, humpback whales were generalists apparently feeding on a mixed diet of krill and fishes depending on relative abundances, were present in the bay for a more extended period (average of 6.6 months), and had a broader spatial distribution at the shelf break and inshore. Ultimately, competition for common resources can lead to behavioral, morphological, and physiological character displacement between sympatric species. Understanding the mechanisms for species coexistence is both fundamental to maintaining biodiverse ecosystems, and provides insight into the evolutionary drivers of morphological differences in closely related species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Fossette
- Environmental Research Division NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Monterey CA USA.,Present address: Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions 17 Dick Perry Av Kensington WA 6151 Australia
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Environmental Research Division NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Monterey CA USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Environmental Research Division NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Monterey CA USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Steven J Bograd
- Environmental Research Division NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center Monterey CA USA
| | - Kelly M Zilliacus
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | | | - Julia A Burrows
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation Duke University Marine Laboratory Beaufort NC USA.,Moss Landing Marine Laboratories Moss Landing CA USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | | | - Baldo Marinovic
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Bernie Tershy
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Donald A Croll
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Rockwood RC, Calambokidis J, Jahncke J. High mortality of blue, humpback and fin whales from modeling of vessel collisions on the U.S. West Coast suggests population impacts and insufficient protection. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0183052. [PMID: 28827838 PMCID: PMC5565115 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0183052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Mortality from collisions with vessels is one of the main human causes of death for large whales. Ship strikes are rarely witnessed and the distribution of strike risk and estimates of mortality remain uncertain at best. We estimated ship strike mortality for blue humpback and fin whales in U.S. West Coast waters using a novel application of a naval encounter model. Mortality estimates from the model were far higher than current minimum estimates derived from stranding records and are closer to extrapolations adjusted for detection probabilities of dead whales. Our most conservative model estimated mortality to be 7.8x, 2.0x and 2.7x the U.S. recommended limit for blue, humpback and fin whales, respectively, suggesting that death from vessel collisions may be a significant impediment to population growth and recovery. Comparing across the study area, the majority of strike mortality occurs in waters off California, from Bodega Bay south and tends to be concentrated in a band approximately 24 Nm (44.5 km) offshore and in designated shipping lanes leading to and from major ports. While some mortality risk exists across nearly all West Coast waters, 74%, 82% and 65% of blue, humpback and fin whale mortality, respectively, occurs in just 10% of the study area, suggesting conservation efforts can be very effective if focused in these waters. Risk is highest in the shipping lanes off San Francisco and Long Beach, but only a fraction of total estimated mortality occurs in these proportionally small areas, making any conservation efforts exclusively within these areas insufficient to address overall strike mortality. We recommend combining shipping lane modifications and re-locations, ship speed reductions and creation of ‘Areas to be Avoided’ by vessels in ecologically important locations to address this significant source of whale mortality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- R. Cotton Rockwood
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, United States of America
| | - Jaime Jahncke
- Point Blue Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
38
|
Kvadsheim PH, DeRuiter S, Sivle LD, Goldbogen J, Roland-Hansen R, Miller PJO, Lam FPA, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender A, Visser F, Tyack PL, Kleivane L, Southall B. Avoidance responses of minke whales to 1-4kHz naval sonar. Mar Pollut Bull 2017; 121:60-68. [PMID: 28552251 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.05.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2017] [Revised: 05/15/2017] [Accepted: 05/16/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Minke whales are difficult to study and little information exists regarding their responses to anthropogenic sound. This study pools data from behavioural response studies off California and Norway. Data are derived from four tagged animals, of which one from each location was exposed to naval sonar signals. Statistical analyses were conducted using Mahalanobis distance to compare overall changes in parameters summarising dive behaviour, avoidance behaviour, and potential energetic costs of disturbance. Our quantitative analysis showed that both animals initiated avoidance behaviour, but responses were not associated with unusual dive behaviour. In one exposed animal the avoidance of the sonar source included a 5-fold increase in horizontal speed away from the source, implying a significant increase in metabolic rate. Despite the different environmental settings and exposure contexts, clear changes in behaviour were observed providing the first insights into the nature of responses to human noise for this wide-ranging species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stacy DeRuiter
- Calvin College, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Grand Rapids, MI 49546-4301, USA
| | - Lise D Sivle
- Institute of Marine Research (IMR), NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | - Patrick J O Miller
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LB, UK
| | - Frans-Peter A Lam
- Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), The Hague, The Netherlands
| | | | - Ari Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, 2030 Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA; Southall Environmental Associates Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - Fleur Visser
- Kelp Marine Research (KMR), 1624 CJ Hoorn, The Netherlands; Behavioural Biology, Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2333 BE Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Peter L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LB, UK
| | - Lars Kleivane
- Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), NO-3191 Horten, Norway
| | - Brandon Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA; Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, Institute of Marine Sciences, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Clark CT, Fleming AH, Calambokidis J, Kellar NM, Allen CD, Catelani KN, Robbins M, Beaulieu NE, Steel D, Harvey JT. Erratum: Heavy with child? Pregnancy status and stable isotope ratios as determined from biopsies of humpback whales. Conserv Physiol 2017; 5:cox047. [PMID: 28852518 PMCID: PMC5569938 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cow050.].
Collapse
|
40
|
Busquets-Vass G, Newsome SD, Calambokidis J, Serra-Valente G, Jacobsen JK, Aguíñiga-García S, Gendron D. Estimating blue whale skin isotopic incorporation rates and baleen growth rates: Implications for assessing diet and movement patterns in mysticetes. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177880. [PMID: 28562625 PMCID: PMC5451050 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Stable isotope analysis in mysticete skin and baleen plates has been repeatedly used to assess diet and movement patterns. Accurate interpretation of isotope data depends on understanding isotopic incorporation rates for metabolically active tissues and growth rates for metabolically inert tissues. The aim of this research was to estimate isotopic incorporation rates in blue whale skin and baleen growth rates by using natural gradients in baseline isotope values between oceanic regions. Nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values of blue whale skin and potential prey were analyzed from three foraging zones (Gulf of California, California Current System, and Costa Rica Dome) in the northeast Pacific from 1996–2015. We also measured δ15N and δ13C values along the lengths of baleen plates collected from six blue whales stranded in the 1980s and 2000s. Skin was separated into three strata: basale, externum, and sloughed skin. A mean (±SD) skin isotopic incorporation rate of 163±91 days was estimated by fitting a generalized additive model of the seasonal trend in δ15N values of skin strata collected in the Gulf of California and the California Current System. A mean (±SD) baleen growth rate of 15.5±2.2 cm y-1 was estimated by using seasonal oscillations in δ15N values from three whales. These oscillations also showed that individual whales have a high fidelity to distinct foraging zones in the northeast Pacific across years. The absence of oscillations in δ15N values of baleen sub-samples from three male whales suggests these individuals remained within a specific zone for several years prior to death. δ13C values of both whale tissues (skin and baleen) and potential prey were not distinct among foraging zones. Our results highlight the importance of considering tissue isotopic incorporation and growth rates when studying migratory mysticetes and provide new insights into the individual movement strategies of blue whales.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Busquets-Vass
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Seth D. Newsome
- Biology Department, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington, United States of America
| | - Gabriela Serra-Valente
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, California, United States of America
| | - Jeff K. Jacobsen
- Vertebrate Museum, Department of Biological Sciences, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, United States of America
| | - Sergio Aguíñiga-García
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Diane Gendron
- Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
- * E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
DeRuiter SL, Langrock R, Skirbutas T, Goldbogen JA, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Southall BL. A multivariate mixed hidden Markov model for blue whale behaviour and responses to sound exposure. Ann Appl Stat 2017. [DOI: 10.1214/16-aoas1008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
|
42
|
Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Potvin J, Segre PS, Werth AJ. How Baleen Whales Feed: The Biomechanics of Engulfment and Filtration. Ann Rev Mar Sci 2017; 9:367-386. [PMID: 27620830 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-122414-033905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Baleen whales are gigantic obligate filter feeders that exploit aggregations of small-bodied prey in littoral, epipelagic, and mesopelagic ecosystems. At the extreme of maximum body size observed among mammals, baleen whales exhibit a unique combination of high overall energetic demands and low mass-specific metabolic rates. As a result, most baleen whale species have evolved filter-feeding mechanisms and foraging strategies that take advantage of seasonally abundant yet patchily and ephemerally distributed prey resources. New methodologies consisting of multi-sensor tags, active acoustic prey mapping, and hydrodynamic modeling have revolutionized our ability to study the physiology and ecology of baleen whale feeding mechanisms. Here, we review the current state of the field by exploring several hypotheses that aim to explain how baleen whales feed. Despite significant advances, major questions remain about the processes that underlie these extreme feeding mechanisms, which enabled the evolution of the largest animals of all time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - D E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - J Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington 98501;
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon 97365;
| | - J Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri 63103;
| | - P S Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - A J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 23943;
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Cade DE, Barr KR, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA. Determining forward speed from accelerometer jiggle in aquatic environments. J Exp Biol 2017; 221:jeb.170449. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.170449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 11/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
How fast animals move is critical to understanding their energetic requirements, locomotor capacity, and foraging performance, yet current methods for measuring speed via animal-attached devices are not universally applicable. Here we present and evaluate a new method that relates forward speed to the stochastic motion of biologging devices since tag jiggle, the amplitude of the tag vibrations as measured by high sample rate accelerometers, increases exponentially with increasing speed. We successfully tested this method in a flow tank using two types of biologging devices and tested the method in situ on wild cetaceans spanning ∼3 to >20 m in length using two types of suction cup-attached and two types of dart-attached tag. This technique provides some advantages over other approaches for determining speed as it is device-orientation independent and relies only on a pressure sensor and a high sample rate accelerometer, sensors that are nearly universal across biologging device types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David E. Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Kelly R. Barr
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Present address: Center for Tropical Research, Institute for the Environment and Sustainability, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 1/2 W. 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Department of Fish and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
- Present address: Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Cade D, Friedlaender A, Calambokidis J, Goldbogen J. Kinematic Diversity in Rorqual Whale Feeding Mechanisms. Curr Biol 2016; 26:2617-2624. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.07.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2016] [Revised: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
45
|
Allen AN, Goldbogen JA, Friedlaender AS, Calambokidis J. Development of an automated method of detecting stereotyped feeding events in multisensor data from tagged rorqual whales. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:7522-7535. [PMID: 28725418 PMCID: PMC5513260 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The introduction of animal‐borne, multisensor tags has opened up many opportunities for ecological research, making previously inaccessible species and behaviors observable. The advancement of tag technology and the increasingly widespread use of bio‐logging tags are leading to large volumes of sometimes extremely detailed data. With the increasing quantity and duration of tag deployments, a set of tools needs to be developed to aid in facilitating and standardizing the analysis of movement sensor data. Here, we developed an observation‐based decision tree method to detect feeding events in data from multisensor movement tags attached to fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus). Fin whales exhibit an energetically costly and kinematically complex foraging behavior called lunge feeding, an intermittent ram filtration mechanism. Using this automated system, we identified feeding lunges in 19 fin whales tagged with multisensor tags, during a total of over 100 h of continuously sampled data. Using movement sensor and hydrophone data, the automated lunge detector correctly identified an average of 92.8% of all lunges, with a false‐positive rate of 9.5%. The strong performance of our automated feeding detector demonstrates an effective, straightforward method of activity identification in animal‐borne movement tag data. Our method employs a detection algorithm that utilizes a hierarchy of simple thresholds based on knowledge of observed features of feeding behavior, a technique that is readily modifiable to fit a variety of species and behaviors. Using automated methods to detect behavioral events in tag records will significantly decrease data analysis time and aid in standardizing analysis methods, crucial objectives with the rapidly increasing quantity and variety of on‐animal tag data. Furthermore, our results have implications for next‐generation tag design, especially long‐term tags that can be outfitted with on‐board processing algorithms that automatically detect kinematic events and transmit ethograms via acoustic or satellite telemetry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ann N Allen
- Cascadia Research Collective 218 1/2 W. 4th Avenue Olympia Washington 98501
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove California 93950
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Marine Mammal Institute Hatfield Marine Science Center Oregon State University Newport Oregon 97365
| | - John Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective 218 1/2 W. 4th Avenue Olympia Washington 98501
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Arranz P, DeRuiter SL, Stimpert AK, Neves S, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Visser F, Calambokidis J, Southall BL, Tyack PL. Discrimination of fast click-series produced by tagged Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) for echolocation or communication. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:2898-2907. [PMID: 27401759 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.144295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Early studies that categorized odontocete pulsed sounds had few means of discriminating signals used for biosonar-based foraging from those used for communication. This capability to identify the function of sounds is important for understanding and interpreting behavior; it is also essential for monitoring and mitigating potential disturbance from human activities. Archival tags were placed on free-ranging Grampus griseus to quantify and discriminate between pulsed sounds used for echolocation-based foraging and those used for communication. Two types of rapid click-series pulsed sounds, buzzes and burst pulses, were identified as produced by the tagged dolphins and classified using a Gaussian mixture model based on their duration, association with jerk (i.e. rapid change of acceleration) and temporal association with click trains. Buzzes followed regular echolocation clicks and coincided with a strong jerk signal from accelerometers on the tag. They consisted of series averaging 359±210 clicks (mean±s.d.) with an increasing repetition rate and relatively low amplitude. Burst pulses consisted of relatively short click series averaging 45±54 clicks with decreasing repetition rate and longer inter-click interval that were less likely to be associated with regular echolocation and the jerk signal. These results suggest that the longer, relatively lower amplitude, jerk-associated buzzes are used in this species to capture prey, mostly during the bottom phase of foraging dives, as seen in other odontocetes. In contrast, the shorter, isolated burst pulses that are generally emitted by the dolphins while at or near the surface are used outside of a direct, known foraging context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Arranz
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - S L DeRuiter
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, UK Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA
| | - A K Stimpert
- Vertebrate Ecology Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - S Neves
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97635, USA
| | - J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - F Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn 1624 CJ, The Netherlands Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden 2311, The Netherlands
| | | | - B L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Aptos, CA 95003, USA University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - P L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA, Stimpert AK, Calambokidis J, Southall BL. Prey-mediated behavioral responses of feeding blue whales in controlled sound exposure experiments. Ecol Appl 2016; 26:1075-1085. [PMID: 27509749 DOI: 10.1002/15-0783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral response studies provide significant insights into the nature, magnitude, and consequences of changes in animal behavior in response to some external stimulus. Controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) to study behavioral response have faced challenges in quantifying the importance of and interaction among individual variability, exposure conditions, and environmental covariates. To investigate these complex parameters relative to blue whale behavior and how it may change as a function of certain sounds, we deployed multi-sensor acoustic tags and conducted CEEs using simulated mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS) and pseudo-random noise (PRN) stimuli, while collecting synoptic, quantitative prey measures. In contrast to previous approaches that lacked such prey data, our integrated approach explained substantially more variance in blue whale dive behavioral responses to mid-frequency sounds (r2 = 0.725 vs. 0.14 previously). Results demonstrate that deep-feeding whales respond more clearly and strongly to CEEs than those in other behavioral states, but this was only evident with the increased explanatory power provided by incorporating prey density and distribution as contextual covariates. Including contextual variables increases the ability to characterize behavioral variability and empirically strengthens previous findings that deep-feeding blue whales respond significantly to mid-frequency sound exposure. However, our results are only based on a single behavioral state with a limited sample size, and this analytical framework should be applied broadly across behavioral states. The increased capability to describe and account for individual response variability by including environmental variables, such as prey, that drive foraging behavior underscores the importance of integrating these and other relevant contextual parameters in experimental designs. Our results suggest the need to measure and account for the ecological dynamics of predator-prey interactions when studying the effects of anthropogenic disturbance in feeding animals.
Collapse
|
48
|
Fleming AH, Clark CT, Calambokidis J, Barlow J. Humpback whale diets respond to variance in ocean climate and ecosystem conditions in the California Current. Glob Chang Biol 2016; 22:1214-24. [PMID: 26599719 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Revised: 10/20/2015] [Accepted: 11/02/2015] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Large, migratory predators are often cited as sentinel species for ecosystem processes and climate-related changes, but their utility as indicators is dependent upon an understanding of their response to environmental variability. Documentation of the links between climate variability, ecosystem change and predator dynamics is absent for most top predators. Identifying species that may be useful indicators and elucidating these mechanistic links provides insight into current ecological dynamics and may inform predictions of future ecosystem responses to climatic change. We examine humpback whale response to environmental variability through stable isotope analysis of diet over a dynamic 20-year period (1993-2012) in the California Current System (CCS). Humpback whale diets captured two major shifts in oceanographic and ecological conditions in the CCS. Isotopic signatures reflect a diet dominated by krill during periods characterized by positive phases of the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO), cool sea surface temperature (SST), strong upwelling and high krill biomass. In contrast, humpback whale diets are dominated by schooling fish when the NPGO is negative, SST is warmer, seasonal upwelling is delayed and anchovy and sardine populations display increased biomass and range expansion. These findings demonstrate that humpback whales trophically respond to ecosystem shifts, and as a result, their foraging behavior is a synoptic indicator of oceanographic and ecological conditions across the CCS. Multi-decadal examination of these sentinel species thus provides insight into biological consequences of interannual climate fluctuations, fundamental to advancing ecosystem predictions related to global climate change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alyson H Fleming
- Center for Marine Biodiversity & Conservation, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Casey T Clark
- School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, PO Box 757220, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA
| | | | - Jay Barlow
- NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Clark CT, Fleming AH, Calambokidis J, Kellar NM, Allen CD, Catelani KN, Robbins M, Beaulieu NE, Steel D, Harvey JT. Heavy with child? Pregnancy status and stable isotope ratios as determined from biopsies of humpback whales. Conserv Physiol 2016; 4:1-13. [PMID: 27766149 PMCID: PMC5070529 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cow050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2016] [Revised: 09/16/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding reproductive rates of wild animal populations is crucially important for management and conservation. Assessing pregnancy status of free-ranging cetaceans has historically been difficult; however, recent advances in analytical techniques have allowed the diagnosis of pregnancy from small samples of blubber tissue. The primary objectives of this study were as follows: (i) to test the efficacy of blubber progesterone assays as a tool for diagnosing pregnancy in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae); (ii) to estimate the pregnancy rate of humpback whales in Monterey Bay, California; and (iii) to investigate the relationship between stable isotopes and reproductive status of these whales. Progesterone concentrations of female whales fell into two distinct groups, allowing for diagnostic separation of pregnant and non-pregnant individuals. Pregnancy rate varied between years of the study (48.4%% in 2011 and 18.5% in 2012), but fell within the range of other estimates of reproductive success for this population. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios were examined to investigate the impacts of pregnancy on these values. Neither δ15N nor δ13C varied in a consistent way among animals of different sex or reproductive status. The relationship between δ15N and δ13C was strongly positive for male and non-pregnant female humpbacks; however, no relationship existed for pregnant whales. This difference may be indicative of the effects of pregnancy on δ15N, resulting from tissue synthesis and reduced excretion of nitrogenous waste, as well as on δ13C through increased mobilization of lipid stores to meet the energetic demands of pregnancy. Ultimately, our results support the use of blubber progesterone assays for diagnosing pregnancy in humpback whales and indicate that, when paired with other approaches (e.g. stable isotope analysis), pregnancy status can be an informative tool for addressing questions about animal physiology, ecology and population biology. This information will provide for more effective management and conservation efforts in a rapidly changing world.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Casey T. Clark
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA
- Corresponding author:College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA. Tel: +1 907 474-7824.
| | - Alyson H. Fleming
- Department of Paleobiology and Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | | | - Nicholas M. Kellar
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Camryn D. Allen
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Krista N. Catelani
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Michelle Robbins
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Nicole E. Beaulieu
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Debbie Steel
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - James T. Harvey
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Segre PS, Cade DE, Fish FE, Potvin J, Allen AN, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA. Hydrodynamic properties of fin whale flippers predict maximum rolling performance. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3315-3320. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.137091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2016] [Accepted: 08/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Maneuverability is one of the most important and least understood aspects of animal locomotion. The hydrofoil-like flippers of cetaceans are thought to function as control surfaces that effect maneuvers, but quantitative tests of this hypothesis have been lacking. Here we construct a simple hydrodynamic model to predict the longitudinal-axis roll performance of fin whales, and we test its predictions against kinematic data recorded by on-board movement sensors from 27 free-swimming fin whales. We found that for a given swimming speed and roll excursion, the roll velocity of fin whales calculated from our field data agrees well with that predicted by our hydrodynamic model. Although fluke and body torsion may further influence performance, our results indicate that lift generated by the flippers is sufficient to drive most of the longitudinal-axis rolls used by fin whales for feeding and maneuvering.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P. S. Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - D. E. Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - F. E. Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | - J. Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - A. N. Allen
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 ½ W. 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - J. Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, 218 ½ W. 4th Avenue, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - A. S. Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - J. A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| |
Collapse
|