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Burkhardt E, Van Opzeeland I, Cisewski B, Mattmüller R, Meister M, Schall E, Spiesecke S, Thomisch K, Zwicker S, Boebel O. Seasonal and diel cycles of fin whale acoustic occurrence near Elephant Island, Antarctica. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:201142. [PMID: 34084537 PMCID: PMC8150045 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the relevance of the Elephant Island (EI) region for Southern Hemisphere fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in their annual life cycle. We collected 3 years of passive acoustic recordings (January 2013 to February 2016) northwest of EI to calculate time series of fin whale acoustic indices, daily acoustic occurrence, spectrograms, as well as the abundance of their 20 Hz pulses. Acoustic backscatter strength, sea ice concentration and chlorophyll-a composites provided concurrent environmental information for graphic comparisons. Acoustic interannual, seasonal and diel patterns together with visual information and literature resources were used to define the period of occupancy and to infer potential drivers for their behaviour. Spectral results suggest that these fin whales migrate annually to and from offshore central Chile. Acoustic data and visual information reveal their arrival at EI in December to feed without producing their typical 20 Hz pulse. For all 3 years, acoustic activity commences in February, peaks in May and decreases in August, in phase with the onset of their breeding season. Our results emphasize the importance of EI for fin whales throughout most of the year. Our recommendation is to consider EI for establishing a marine protected area to expedite the recovery of this vulnerable species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Burkhardt
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse Van Opzeeland
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carl von Ossietzky University, Ammerländer Heerstraße 231, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Boris Cisewski
- Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Herwigstraße 31, 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ramona Mattmüller
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Marlene Meister
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Elena Schall
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Stefanie Spiesecke
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Karolin Thomisch
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Sarah Zwicker
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Olaf Boebel
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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Filun D, Thomisch K, Boebel O, Brey T, Širović A, Spiesecke S, Van Opzeeland I. Frozen verses: Antarctic minke whales ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis) call predominantly during austral winter. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:192112. [PMID: 33204440 PMCID: PMC7657898 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192112] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The recent identification of the bio-duck call as Antarctic minke whale (AMW) vocalization allows the use of passive acoustic monitoring to retrospectively investigate year-round spatial-temporal patterns in minke whale occurrence in ice-covered areas. Here, we present an analysis of AMW occurrence patterns based on a 9-year passive acoustic dataset (2008-2016) from 21 locations throughout the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (Weddell Sea). AMWs were detected acoustically at all mooring locations from May to December, with the highest presence between August and November (bio-duck calls present at more than 80% of days). At the southernmost recording locations, the bio-duck call was present up to 10 months of the year. Substantial inter-annual variation in the seasonality of vocal activity correlated to variation in local ice concentration. Our analysis indicates that part of the AMW population stays in the Weddell Sea during austral winter. The period with the highest acoustic presence in the Weddell Sea (September-October) coincides with the timing of the breeding season of AMW in lower latitudes. The bio-duck call could therefore play a role in mating, although other behavioural functions of the call cannot be excluded to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Filun
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Faculty of Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Karolin Thomisch
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Olaf Boebel
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Thomas Brey
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Faculty of Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carlvon Ossietzky University, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Ana Širović
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Stefanie Spiesecke
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse Van Opzeeland
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred-Wegener-Institute Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carlvon Ossietzky University, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
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Colabuono FI, Vander Pol SS, Huncik KM, Taniguchi S, Petry MV, Kucklick JR, Montone RC. Persistent organic pollutants in blood samples of Southern Giant Petrels (Macronectes giganteus) from the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Environ Pollut 2016; 216:38-45. [PMID: 27235927 PMCID: PMC6057619 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2016.05.041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2016] [Revised: 05/13/2016] [Accepted: 05/16/2016] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Seabirds play an important role as top consumers in the food web and can be used as biomonitors of exposure to pollutants. Contamination studies involving non-destructive sampling methods are of considerable importance, allowing better evaluation of the levels of pollutants and their toxic effects. In the present study, organohalogen contaminants were analyzed in 113 blood samples from Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteus) adults and chicks collected in the austral summer of 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 from colonies on Elephant and Livingston Islands, South Shetland, Antarctica. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), mirex, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroetane and derivatives (DDTs) and chlordanes were detected in all birds, whereas polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) were not detected in any blood samples. No significant differences were found in organochlorine levels between sampling events. Adults exhibited significantly higher levels than chicks, except for PeCB. PCBs, HCB, mirex and DDTs were statistically similar in males and females from Elephant Island. Females on Livingston Island exhibited higher HCB values than males, but no sex differences were found regarding other organochlorines. The similarity in organochlorine levels between sexes in birds with very marked sexual segregation in feeding habits during the breeding season may indicate that significant amounts of contaminants are acquired during migration to lower latitudes, when the diets of males and females are similar. Birds sampled on Livingston Island exhibited significantly lower levels of PCBs, HCB, DDTs, mirex and chlordanes in comparison to those on Elephant Island, which could be the result of distinct foraging patterns between the two colonies. Organochlorine levels were similar between years in birds captured in two consecutive breeding seasons. Blood samples from Southern Giant Petrels adults and chicks proved to be useful for the comparison of intraspecific contamination levels and appear to be adequate for the long-term assessment of organohalogen contaminants in antarctic top predators. Organochlorine contaminants in blood samples of Southern Giant Petrels reflected intra-specific differences and suggested distinct foraging patterns between colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernanda I Colabuono
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Oceanográfico, Laboratório de Química Orgânica Marinha, Praça do Oceanográfico 191, São Paulo, SP, 05508-120, Brazil.
| | - Stacy S Vander Pol
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Kevin M Huncik
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Satie Taniguchi
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Oceanográfico, Laboratório de Química Orgânica Marinha, Praça do Oceanográfico 191, São Paulo, SP, 05508-120, Brazil
| | - Maria V Petry
- Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Laboratório de Ornitologia e Animais Marinhos 950, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil
| | - John R Kucklick
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Hollings Marine Laboratory, 331 Fort Johnson Road, Charleston, SC, 29412, USA
| | - Rosalinda C Montone
- Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Oceanográfico, Laboratório de Química Orgânica Marinha, Praça do Oceanográfico 191, São Paulo, SP, 05508-120, Brazil
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