Occurrence, habitat use, and behavior of seabirds, marine mammals, and arctic cod at the Pond Inlet [Northwest Territories] ice edge

The Arctic marine environment is changing rapidly through a combination of sea ice loss and increased anthropogenic activity. Given these changes can affect marine animals in a variety of ways, understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of Arctic marine animals is imperative. We use passive acoustic monitoring to examine the presence of marine mammals near Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada, from October 2016 to April 2017. We documented bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758) and beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas (Pallas, 1776)) vocalizations later into the autumn than expected, and we recorded bowhead whales in early April. We recorded ringed seal (Pusa hispida (Schreber, 1775)) vocalizations throughout our deployment, with higher vocal activity than in other studies and with peak vocal activity in January. We recorded bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus (Erxleben, 1777)) throughout the deployment, with peak vocal activity in February. We recorded lower bearded seal vocal activity than other studies, and almost no vocal activity near the beginning of the spring breeding season. Both seal species vocalized more when ice concentration was high. These patterns in vocal activity document the presence of each species at this site over autumn and winter and are a useful comparison for future monitoring.

Download Full-text

Stable oxygen isotopes reveal habitat use by marine mammals in the Río de la Plata estuary and adjoining Atlantic Ocean

Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science ◽

10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106708 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 238 ◽

pp. 106708

Author(s):

Massimiliano Drago ◽

Meica Valdivia ◽

Daniel Bragg ◽

Enrique M. González ◽

Alex Aguilar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Atlantic Ocean ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Oxygen Isotopes ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Rio De La Plata ◽

Stable Oxygen Isotopes ◽

Río De La Plata ◽

La Plata ◽

Stable Oxygen

Download Full-text

Summer Movements, Home Range, Habitat Use, and Behavior of Mule Deer Fawns

Journal of Wildlife Management ◽

10.2307/3801790 ◽

1984 ◽

Vol 48 (4) ◽

pp. 1302 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Shawn J. Riley ◽

Arnold R. Dood

Keyword(s):

Home Range ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Mule Deer ◽

And Behavior

Download Full-text

The diving physiology of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). II. Biomechanics and changes in buoyancy at depth

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.202.20.2749 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 202 (20) ◽

pp. 2749-2761 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

R.C. Skrovan ◽

T.M. Williams ◽

P.S. Berry ◽

P.W. Moore ◽

R.W. Davis

Keyword(s):

Tursiops Truncatus ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Bottlenose Dolphins ◽

Neutral Buoyancy ◽

Swimming Mode ◽

Locomotor Patterns ◽

The Cost ◽

Physical Changes ◽

And Behavior ◽

Limited Oxygen

During diving, marine mammals must balance the conservation of limited oxygen reserves with the metabolic costs of swimming exercise. As a result, energetically efficient modes of locomotion provide an advantage during periods of submergence and will presumably increase in importance as the animals perform progressively longer dives. To determine the effect of a limited oxygen supply on locomotor performance, we compared the kinematics and behavior of swimming and diving bottlenose dolphins. Adult bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) were trained to swim horizontally near the water surface or submerged at 5 m and to dive to depths ranging from 12 to 112 m. Swimming kinematics (preferred swimming mode, stroke frequency and duration of glides) were monitored using submersible video cameras (Sony Hi-8) held by SCUBA divers or attached to a pack on the dorsal fin of the animal. Drag and buoyant forces were calculated from patterns of deceleration for horizontally swimming and vertically diving animals. The results showed that dolphins used a variety of swimming gaits that correlated with acceleration. The percentage of time spent gliding during the descent phase of dives increased with depth. Glide distances ranged from 7.1+/−1.9 m for 16 m dives to 43.6+/−7.0 m (means +/− s.e.m.) for 100 m dives. These gliding patterns were attributed to changes in buoyancy associated with lung compression at depth. By incorporating prolonged glide periods, the bottlenose dolphin realized a theoretical 10–21 % energetic savings in the cost of a 100 m dive in comparison with dives based on neutral buoyancy models. Thus, modifying locomotor patterns to account for physical changes with depth appears to be one mechanism that enables diving mammals with limited oxygen stores to extend the duration of a dive.

Download Full-text

Habitat use by domestic reindeer in relation to food quality and disturbance - need for research? (In Swedish with Summary in English)

Rangifer ◽

10.7557/2.25.3.1742 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 25 (3) ◽

pp. 83

Author(s):

Christina Skarpe ◽

Duncan Halley

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Aerial Photographs ◽

Grazing Land ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Very High Spatial Resolution ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Vegetation Maps ◽

And Behavior

Competition for land in the mountains can be foreseen to increase in the near future. This development will result in trade offs and prioritization between the different demands for land. For reindeer husbandry it is essential to motivate the need for control over good grazing land for different seasons and situations, not only by preventing direct exploitation of such land, but also to minimize disturbance by traffic and people in the vicinity. It will therefore be important to demonstrate in quantitative terms 1) what habitat types and areas that are essential for the reindeer in different seasons and situations and for different activities (grazing, resting, protection for insects etc), and 2) how different forms and intensities of disturbance affect the reindeer. We plan a project with these aims and will primarily work with the summer grazing situation. For many years we have run a similar project related to sheep grazing in the vicinity of Hessdalen, and we have developed methods and techniques that to a large extent are applicable to reindeer. We will discuss methods and results from the sheep study, how they can apply to reindeer, and provide the quantitative information needed. We use modern, high resolution GPS telemetry with very high spatial resolution (95% within ca 6.4 m), and frequent recording, e.g., every five minutes during some periods. This provides knowledge not only of the movements by the animals in the landscape, but also on their activities and will be related to vegetation maps with the same accuracy as the telemetry data (from aerial photographs, offering higher resolution than available satellite data). Results show that sheep use only a very small portion of the available rangeland, and that selectivity varies with season and weather conditions. Almost certainly the situation is similar with reindeer, although the two species have rather different grazing pattern, with reindeer being much more mobile than sheep. We plan to use the same methods to describe what habitats and areas are essential for reindeer, and how it varies over time, with weather, insect abundance etc. The highly accurate telemetry also provides possibilities to quantify how different types and intensities of disturbance affects the habitat use and behavior of the different reindeer categories.

Download Full-text

Oceanographic, ecological, and socio-economic impacts of an unusual summer storm in the Mackenzie Estuary

Arctic Science ◽

10.1139/as-2018-0029 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 62-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Kevin C. Scharffenberg ◽

Dustin Whalen ◽

Shannon A. MacPhee ◽

Marianne Marcoux ◽

John Iacozza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Marine Mammals ◽

Storm Surges ◽

Open Water ◽

Water Levels ◽

Environmental Drivers ◽

Mackenzie Delta ◽

Arctic Ecosystems ◽

Significant Drop ◽

The Impact

With increased warming and open water due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of storm surges is expected to increase. Although studies have shown that strong storms can negatively impact Arctic ecosystems, the impact of storms on Arctic marine mammals is relatively unknown. In July 2016, an unusually large storm occurred in the Mackenzie Delta while instrumented seabed moorings equipped with hydrophones and oceanographic sensors were in place to study environmental drivers of beluga habitat use during their summer aggregation. The storm lasted up to 88 h, with maximum wind speeds reaching 60 km/h; historical wind data from Tuktoyaktuk revealed a storm of similar duration has not occurred in July in at least the past 28 years. This provided a unique opportunity to study the impacts of large storms on oceanographic conditions, beluga habitat use, and the traditional subsistence hunt that occurs annually in the delta. The storm resulted in increased water levels and localized flooding as well as a significant drop in water temperature (∼10 °C) and caused belugas to leave the area for 5 days. Although belugas returned after the storm ended, the subsistence hunt was halted resulting in the lowest beluga harvest between 1978 and 2017.

Download Full-text

Killer whale presence drives bowhead whale selection for sea ice in Arctic seascapes of fear

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1911761117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (12) ◽

pp. 6590-6598 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Cory J. D. Matthews ◽

Greg A. Breed ◽

Bernard LeBlanc ◽

Steven H. Ferguson

Keyword(s):

Habitat Use ◽

Sea Ice ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystem ◽

Arctic Sea Ice ◽

Bowhead Whale ◽

Apex Predators ◽

Killer Whales ◽

Ice Dynamics ◽

Bowhead Whales ◽

And Behavior

The effects of predator intimidation on habitat use and behavior of prey species are rarely quantified for large marine vertebrates over ecologically relevant scales. Using state space movement models followed by a series of step selection functions, we analyzed movement data of concurrently tracked prey, bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus;n= 7), and predator, killer whales (Orcinus orca; n= 3), in a large (63,000 km2), partially ice-covered gulf in the Canadian Arctic. Our analysis revealed pronounced predator-mediated shifts in prey habitat use and behavior over much larger spatiotemporal scales than previously documented in any marine or terrestrial ecosystem. The striking shift from use of open water (predator-free) to dense sea ice and shorelines (predators present) was exhibited gulf-wide by all tracked bowheads during the entire 3-wk period killer whales were present, constituting a nonconsumptive effect (NCE) with unknown energetic or fitness costs. Sea ice is considered quintessential habitat for bowhead whales, and ice-covered areas have frequently been interpreted as preferred bowhead foraging habitat in analyses that have not assessed predator effects. Given the NCEs of apex predators demonstrated here, however, unbiased assessment of habitat use and distribution of bowhead whales and many marine species may not be possible without explicitly incorporating spatiotemporal distribution of predation risk. The apparent use of sea ice as a predator refuge also has implications for how bowhead whales, and likely other ice-associated Arctic marine mammals, will cope with changes in Arctic sea ice dynamics as historically ice-covered areas become increasingly ice-free during summer.

Download Full-text

Issues Based on Species Life History and Behavior

Habitat Ecology and Analysis ◽

10.1093/oso/9780198829287.003.0006 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 89-94

Author(s):

Joseph A. Veech

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Habitat Use ◽

Life Histories ◽

Radio Telemetry ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Habitat Characteristics ◽

Habitat Analysis ◽

The Individual ◽

And Behavior

Species vary tremendously in their life histories and behavior. The particular life history traits and behavior of the focal species must be considered when designing a study to examine habitat associations. For some species, individuals use different areas (of the landscape or territory) for breeding and foraging. As such, the important characteristics for the foraging and breeding habitats may be different. The dramatically different life stages of some organisms (e.g., amphibians and some insects) often correspond to equally dramatic differences in habitat use between juveniles and adults. For some species, habitat use differs among seasons. Species that are highly mobile and have individuals that move around substantially on a daily or weekly basis are particularly challenging for a habitat analysis. For these species, the most efficient and appropriate study design may be one that tracks individuals (through radio-telemetry or GPS) and analyzes the environmental or habitat characteristics at locations where the individual has stopped, rather than trying to survey for the species in pre-established and insufficiently small survey plots. In addition, individual movement and the issues mentioned above may necessitate that environmental variables are measured and analyzed at multiple spatial scales.

Download Full-text