کد مقاله کد نشریه سال انتشار مقاله انگلیسی نسخه تمام متن
5764949 1626402 2017 9 صفحه PDF دانلود رایگان
عنوان انگلیسی مقاله ISI
Temporal variation in isotopic composition and diet of Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea
موضوعات مرتبط
مهندسی و علوم پایه علوم زمین و سیارات زمین شناسی
پیش نمایش صفحه اول مقاله
Temporal variation in isotopic composition and diet of Weddell seals in the western Ross Sea
چکیده انگلیسی
Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are important predators in the Antarctic marine ecosystem, yet little is known about their diet. Previous studies have used scat and stomach content analyses to examine Weddell seal diet, however, these methods are biased towards prey with indigestible hard parts. To provide a more complete picture of their diet, we analyzed the stable isotope composition (δ13C and δ15N values) of red blood cells (RBC, n=96, representing a time scale of weeks to months) and vibrissae (n=45, representing months to a year) collected over a three year period (2010-2012). Our objectives were to (1) examine isotopic variation in relation to Weddell seal mass, sex, season, location, percent lipid, and age, and (2) quantify the contribution of prey items to overall diet. Body mass was a significant predictor of δ13C and δ15N values for both tissues, though the strength and direction of the relationship varied by year. The prey group consisting of Pleurogramma antarcticum and Trematomus newnesi was found to be an important dietary component, but its proportional contribution to Weddell seal diet varied with the timeframe represented by each tissue type [median RBC (range): 59.2% (40.2-8 1.1%); median mean vibrissae (range): 69.3% (43.9-89.6%)]. Results from mixing models ran for each seal indicate individual variation in diet. Overall, this study presents novel information on the isotopic variation and diet of Weddell seals over two time scales and provides insight into the feeding ecology of an important Antarctic predator.
ناشر
Database: Elsevier - ScienceDirect (ساینس دایرکت)
Journal: Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography - Volume 140, June 2017, Pages 36-44
نویسندگان
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