Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica
<p>Understanding the foraging behavior of marine animals in Antarctica is crucial for assessing their ecological significance and responses to environmental changes, such as seasonal changes in seawater or light hours. However, studying their responses to these seasonal changes remains challen...
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Copernicus Publications
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Biogeosciences |
| Online Access: | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/5199/2024/bg-21-5199-2024.pdf |
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| author | H. Chung H. Chung H. Chung J. Park J. Park M. Park M. Park Y. Kim Y. Kim U. Chun S. Yun W. S. Lee H. A. Choi J. S. Na S.-T. Yoon S.-T. Yoon W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee |
| author_facet | H. Chung H. Chung H. Chung J. Park J. Park M. Park M. Park Y. Kim Y. Kim U. Chun S. Yun W. S. Lee H. A. Choi J. S. Na S.-T. Yoon S.-T. Yoon W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee |
| author_sort | H. Chung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Understanding the foraging behavior of marine animals in Antarctica is crucial for assessing their ecological significance and responses to environmental changes, such as seasonal changes in seawater or light hours. However, studying their responses to these seasonal changes remains challenging due to the difficult logistics of conducting observations, particularly during the harsh austral winter months. In this study, we investigated the influence of changes in seawater properties and light conditions on the seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. We affixed 64 Weddell seals with conductivity–temperature–depth tags for 3 consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 to record their locations and dive profiles, including depth, head acceleration, temperature, and salinity. We found that seals foraged more frequently in Modified Shelf Water and Ice Shelf Water than in Antarctic Surface Water. This preference could be connected to greater food availability. Seals also dove to greater depths and displayed increased activity in capturing prey during daylight hours. This behavior may correspond to the diel vertical migration of pelagic prey in response to varying light conditions. Consequently, marine fauna were confronted with distinct seasonal changes in the Antarctic environment and adjusted their foraging behaviors to respond to them. This highlights the importance of extrinsic factors in estimating their seasonal foraging behavior.</p> |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0dcd6989077c4797bbca0ef7edcce5f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1726-4170 1726-4189 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biogeosciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-0dcd6989077c4797bbca0ef7edcce5f52024-11-21T10:31:10ZengCopernicus PublicationsBiogeosciences1726-41701726-41892024-11-01215199521710.5194/bg-21-5199-2024Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, AntarcticaH. Chung0H. Chung1H. Chung2J. Park3J. Park4M. Park5M. Park6Y. Kim7Y. Kim8U. Chun9S. Yun10W. S. Lee11H. A. Choi12J. S. Na13S.-T. Yoon14S.-T. Yoon15W. Y. Lee16W. Y. Lee17W. Y. Lee18Division of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Koreacurrent address: Division of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biology, Kyung Hee University, Seoul 02447, Republic of KoreaDivision of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaDivision of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of KoreaDivision of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaSchool of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of KoreaDivision of EcoScience, Ewha Womans University, Seoul 03760, Republic of KoreaDivision of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaDivision of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaSchool of Earth System Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaDivision of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaSchool of Earth System Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaKyungpook Institute of Oceanography, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Republic of KoreaDivision of Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of KoreaPolar Science, University of Science and Technology, 217 Gajeong-ro, Daejeon 34113, Republic of Koreacurrent address: Division of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon 21990, Republic of Korea<p>Understanding the foraging behavior of marine animals in Antarctica is crucial for assessing their ecological significance and responses to environmental changes, such as seasonal changes in seawater or light hours. However, studying their responses to these seasonal changes remains challenging due to the difficult logistics of conducting observations, particularly during the harsh austral winter months. In this study, we investigated the influence of changes in seawater properties and light conditions on the seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals (<i>Leptonychotes weddellii</i>) in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. We affixed 64 Weddell seals with conductivity–temperature–depth tags for 3 consecutive years from 2021 to 2023 to record their locations and dive profiles, including depth, head acceleration, temperature, and salinity. We found that seals foraged more frequently in Modified Shelf Water and Ice Shelf Water than in Antarctic Surface Water. This preference could be connected to greater food availability. Seals also dove to greater depths and displayed increased activity in capturing prey during daylight hours. This behavior may correspond to the diel vertical migration of pelagic prey in response to varying light conditions. Consequently, marine fauna were confronted with distinct seasonal changes in the Antarctic environment and adjusted their foraging behaviors to respond to them. This highlights the importance of extrinsic factors in estimating their seasonal foraging behavior.</p>https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/5199/2024/bg-21-5199-2024.pdf |
| spellingShingle | H. Chung H. Chung H. Chung J. Park J. Park M. Park M. Park Y. Kim Y. Kim U. Chun S. Yun W. S. Lee H. A. Choi J. S. Na S.-T. Yoon S.-T. Yoon W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee W. Y. Lee Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica Biogeosciences |
| title | Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica |
| title_full | Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica |
| title_fullStr | Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica |
| title_short | Seasonal foraging behavior of Weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the Ross Sea, Antarctica |
| title_sort | seasonal foraging behavior of weddell seals in relation to oceanographic environmental conditions in the ross sea antarctica |
| url | https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/21/5199/2024/bg-21-5199-2024.pdf |
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