scholarly journals Estimation of the feeding record of pregnant Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis of baleen plates

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 621-629
Author(s):  
Mayuka Uchida ◽  
Ippei Suzuki ◽  
Keizo Ito ◽  
Mayumi Ishizuka ◽  
Yoshinori Ikenaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Antarctic Krill ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Annual Growth Rate ◽  
Pleuragramma Antarcticum ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractAntarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) are migratory capital breeders that experience intensive summer feeding on Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in the Southern Ocean and winter breeding at lower latitudes, but their prey outside of the Antarctic is unknown. Stable isotope analyses were conducted on δ13C and δ15N from the baleen plates of ten pregnant Antarctic minke whales to understand the growth rate of the baleen plate and their diet in lower latitudes. Two to three oscillations along the length of the edge of the baleen plate were observed in δ15N, and the annual growth rate was estimated to be 75.2 ± 20.4 mm, with a small amplitude (0.97 ± 0.21 ‰). Bayesian stable isotope mixing models were used to understand the dominant prey that contributed to the isotopic component of the baleen plate using Antarctic krill from the stomach contents and reported values of Antarctic coastal krill (Euphausia crystallorophias), Antarctic silver fish (Pleuragramma antarcticum), Australian krill spp., and Australian pelagic fish spp.. The models showed that the diet composition of the most recent three records from the base of the baleen plates (model 1) and the highest δ15N values in each baleen plate (model 2) were predominantly Antarctic krill, with a contribution rate of approximately 80%. The rates were approximately 10% for Antarctic coastal krill and less than 2.0% for the two Australian prey groups in both models. These results suggest that pregnant Antarctic minke whales did not feed on enough prey outside of the Antarctic to change the stable isotope values in their baleen plates.

scholarly journals Foraging ecology of mature male Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) revealed by stable isotope analysis of baleen plates

Polar Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 100785
Author(s):  
Hiroshi Ishikawa ◽  
Mayuko Otsuki ◽  
Tsutomu Tamura ◽  
Kenji Konishi ◽  
Takaharu Bando ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Foraging Ecology ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis

scholarly journals Decline in body condition in the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in the Southern Ocean during the 1990s

Polar Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-273
Author(s):  
Céline Cunen ◽  
Lars Walløe ◽  
Kenji Konishi ◽  
Nils Lid Hjort
Keyword(s):  
Model Selection ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Model Building ◽  
Research Question ◽  
Information Criterion ◽  
The Body ◽  
Antarctic Minke Whale ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis ◽  
The Antarctic

AbstractChanges in the body condition of Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) have been investigated in a number of studies, but remain contested. Here we provide a new analysis of body condition measurements, with particularly careful attention to the statistical model building and to model selection issues. We analyse body condition data for a large number (4704) of minke whales caught between 1987 and 2005. The data consist of five different variables related to body condition (fat weight, blubber thickness and girth) and a number of temporal, spatial and biological covariates. The body condition variables are analysed using linear mixed-effects models, for which we provide sound biological motivation. Further, we conduct model selection with the focused information criterion (FIC), reflecting the fact that we have a clearly specified research question, which leads us to a clear focus parameter of particular interest. We find that there has been a substantial decline in body condition over the study period (the net declines are estimated to 10% for fat weight, 7% for blubber thickness and 3% for the girth). Interestingly, there seems to be some differences in body condition trends between males and females and in different regions of the Antarctic. The decline in body condition could indicate major changes in the Antarctic ecosystem, in particular, increased competition from some larger krill-eating whale species.

scholarly journals Diet of invasive pikeperch Sander lucioperca: developing non-destructive tissue sampling for stable isotope analysis with comparisons to stomach contents analysis

2018 ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma T. Nolan ◽  
J. Robert Britton
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Prey Size ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sander Lucioperca ◽  
Destructive Sampling ◽  
Stomach Contents Analysis ◽  
Non Destructive ◽  
Dietary Analyses

Impact assessments of invasive piscivorous fishes usually rely on dietary analyses to quantify their predation pressure on prey communities. Stomach contents analysis (SCA), typically a destructive sampling method, is frequently used for this. However, many invasive piscivores are exploited by catch-and-release sport angling, with destructive sampling often not feasible. Stable isotope analysis (SIA) provides an alternative dietary analysis tool to SCA, with use of fin tissue, scales and/or epidermal mucus potentially enabling its non-destructive application. Here, the diet of a population of pikeperch Sander lucioperca, an invasive sport fish to Great Britain, was investigated by applying SIA to a range of tissues. Testing SI data of dorsal muscle (destructive sampling) versus fin, scale and mucus (non-destructive sampling) revealed highly significant relationships, indicating that the tissues collected non-destructively can be reliably applied to pikeperch diet assessments. Application of these SI data to Bayesian mixing models predicted that as S. lucioperca length increased, their diet shifted from macro-invertebrates to fish. Although similar ontogenetic patterns were evident in SCA, this was inhibited by 54% of fish having empty stomachs. Nevertheless, SCA revealed that as S. lucioperca length increased, their prey size significantly increased. However, the prey:predator length ratios ranged between 0.08 and 0.38, indicating most prey were relatively small. These results suggest that when non-destructive sampling is required for dietary analyses of sport fishes, SIA can be applied using fin, scales and/ or mucus. However, where destructive sampling has been completed, SCA provides complementary dietary insights, especially in relation to prey size.

Decrease in stomach contents in the Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in the Southern Ocean

Polar Biology ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Konishi ◽  
Takashi Hakamada ◽  
Hiroshi Kiwada ◽  
Toshihide Kitakado ◽  
Lars Walløe
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Minke Whale ◽  
Antarctic Minke Whale ◽  
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis ◽  
The Antarctic

BIVALVE CONTRIBUTION TO SHALLOW SANDY BOTTOM FOOD WEB OFF MAR DEL PLATA (ARGENTINA): INFERENCE FROM STOMACH CONTENTS AND STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS

2006 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
PABLO E. PENCHASZADEH ◽  
FLORENCIA ARRIGHETTI ◽  
MAXIMILIANO CLEDÓN ◽  
JUAN PABLO LIVORE ◽  
FLORENCIA BOTTO ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Food Web ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Sandy Bottom

scholarly journals The influence of sex, hormone status, and growth rate on dietary isotope fractionation: a case study with laboratory rats

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Santollo ◽  
Caroline Jones ◽  
Sora L Kim
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Stable Isotope Analysis ◽  
Trophic Ecology ◽  
Isotope Composition ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Gonadal Hormones ◽  
Gonadal Hormone ◽  
Laboratory Rats

Stable isotope analysis is increasingly used to discern ecological differences within and among species, especially those difficult to observe. In applied ecological studies, variations in stable isotope composition are often attributed to foraging behavior or trophic ecology rather than fractionation during metabolic processes. One physiological difference among individuals is gonadal hormone levels, which affects food intake, metabolism, and locomotor activity. However, it is unclear how these effects, isolated from ecology, affect metabolic dynamics and expression in stable isotope analysis. Here, we test the linkage between gonadal hormones and isotopic heterogeneity among individuals with captive rats. We found that sex and removal of gonadal hormones are factors either individually or interactive for d15N and d13C values in serum and blood as well as d15N values of muscle and liver. Furthermore, the degree of fractionation in these tissues is related to growth rate. Gonadectomization also affected isotopic composition for liver d13C values and kidney d15N values, but fat d13C values were affected only by sex. The pattern of differentiation between groups was most different for kidney d15N and d13C values, which also had the largest isotopic variability among groups. Overall, isotopic variation within one tissue for the four groups demonstrated up to 1 ‰ difference in d13C and d15N values suggesting that sex based within population variations should into consideration these potential physiological effects.

scholarly journals Mysterious bio-duck sound attributed to the Antarctic minke whale ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis )

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 20140175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Risch ◽  
Nicholas J. Gales ◽  
Jason Gedamke ◽  
Lars Kindermann ◽  
Douglas P. Nowacek ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Ocean ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Antarctic Minke Whale ◽  
Minke Whales ◽  
Antarctic Waters ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Balaenoptera Bonaerensis ◽  
Acoustic Recording ◽  
The Antarctic

For decades, the bio-duck sound has been recorded in the Southern Ocean, but the animal producing it has remained a mystery. Heard mainly during austral winter in the Southern Ocean, this ubiquitous sound has been recorded in Antarctic waters and contemporaneously off the Australian west coast. Here, we present conclusive evidence that the bio-duck sound is produced by Antarctic minke whales ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis ). We analysed data from multi-sensor acoustic recording tags that included intense bio-duck sounds as well as singular downsweeps that have previously been attributed to this species. This finding allows the interpretation of a wealth of long-term acoustic recordings for this previously acoustically concealed species, which will improve our understanding of the distribution, abundance and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales. This is critical information for a species that inhabits a difficult to access sea-ice environment that is changing rapidly in some regions and has been the subject of contentious lethal sampling efforts and ongoing international legal action.

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