Food caching by a marine apex predator, the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx)

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 573-578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas J. Krause ◽  
Tracey L. Rogers
Keyword(s):  
Marine Species ◽  
Leopard Seal ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Food Caching ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Hydrurga Leptonyx ◽  
Marine Reptile

The foraging behaviors of apex predators can fundamentally alter ecosystems through cascading predator–prey interactions. Food caching is a widely studied, taxonomically diverse behavior that can modify competitive relationships and affect population viability. We address predictions that food caching would not be observed in the marine environment by summarizing recent caching reports from two marine mammal and one marine reptile species. We also provide multiple caching observations from disparate locations for a fourth marine predator, the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx (de Blainville, 1820)). Drawing from consistent patterns in the terrestrial literature, we suggest the unusual diversity of caching strategies observed in leopard seals is due to high variability in their polar marine habitat. We hypothesize that caching is present across the spectrum of leopard seal social dominance; however, prevalence is likely to increase in smaller, less-dominant animals that hoard to gain competitive advantage. Given the importance of this behavior, we draw attention to the high probability of observing food caching behavior in other marine species.

High predatory efficiency and abundance drive expected ecological impacts of a marine invasive fish

2020 ◽  
Vol 637 ◽  
pp. 195-208 ◽  
Author(s):  
EM DeRoy ◽  
R Scott ◽  
NE Hussey ◽  
HJ MacIsaac
Keyword(s):  
Invasive Species ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Eastern Gulf Of Mexico ◽  
Red Grouper ◽  
Per Capita

The ecological impacts of invasive species are highly variable and mediated by many factors, including both habitat and population abundance. Lionfish Pterois volitans are an invasive marine species which have high reported detrimental effects on prey populations, but whose effects relative to native predators are currently unknown for the recently colonized eastern Gulf of Mexico. We used functional response (FR) methodology to assess the ecological impact of lionfish relative to 2 functionally similar native species (red grouper Epinephelus morio and graysby grouper Cephalopholis cruentata) foraging in a heterogeneous environment. We then combined the per capita impact of each species with their field abundance to obtain a Relative Impact Potential (RIP). RIP assesses the broader ecological impact of invasive relative to native predators, the magnitude of which predicts community-level negative effects of invasive species. Lionfish FR and overall consumption rate was intermediate to that of red grouper (higher) and graysby grouper (lower). However, lionfish had the highest capture efficiency of all species, which was invariant of habitat. Much higher field abundance of lionfish resulted in high RIPs relative to both grouper species, demonstrating that the ecological impact of lionfish in this region will be driven mainly by high abundance and high predator efficiency rather than per capita effect. Our comparative study is the first empirical assessment of lionfish per capita impact and RIP in this region and is one of few such studies to quantify the FR of a marine predator.

scholarly journals Ecological costs of climate change on marine predator–prey population distributions by 2050

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 1069-1086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinara Sadykova ◽  
Beth E. Scott ◽  
Michela De Dominicis ◽  
Sarah L. Wakelin ◽  
Judith Wolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Prey Population ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Population Distributions

scholarly journals Marine predator–prey contests: Ambush and speed versus vigilance and agility

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Aidan Martin ◽  
Neil Hammerschlag
Keyword(s):  
Predator Prey ◽  
Marine Predator

The Middle Triassic marine reptile biodiversity in the Germanic Basin, in the centre of the Pangaean world

2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cajus Diedrich
Keyword(s):  
Middle Triassic ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Southern Germany ◽  
Shallow Marine ◽  
Germanic Basin ◽  
Marine Reptiles ◽  
Marine Habitats ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
Marine Reptile

AbstractThe Middle Triassic fossil reptile localities near Bayreuth (Bavaria, southern Germany) consist of shallow marine autochthonous glauconitic marls and terebratulid-rich tempestite carbonates of the newly defined Bindlach and Hegnabrunn formations. Single bones and incomplete skeletons of marine reptiles have been recorded in bone beds within in the Illyrian and Fassanian stages. These include the remains of the sauropterygians Neusticosaurus sp., Lariosaurus cf. buzzii [1], Nothosaurus mirabilis [2], Paranothosaurus giganteus [2], Placodus gigas [3], Cyamodus rostratus [4], Cyamodus münsteri [5], Pistosaurus longaevus [6], and ichthyosaursOmphalosaurus sp., and Shastasaurus sp. or proterosaur Tanystrophaeus conspicuus [7]. New skeletal reconstructions are based on the osteological analysis of three dimensionally preserved bones and skeletal remains. The large number of marine endemic placodont macroalgae feeders (P. gigas) in the Bayreuth sites coincides with the presence of invertebrate palaeocommunities that are characteristic of macroalgae meadow paleoenvironments. Most of the reptile species and genera from the Bayreuth localities also occur in beds of similar ages from the Monte San Giorgio (Switzerland/Italy) or Perledo (Italy) lagoonal areas. Ichthyosaurs and pistosaurs were adapted for open marine conditions, and may have migrated from the Panthalassa Oceans into the shallow marine Germanic Basin to reproduce, whereas placodonts and many other sauropterygians seem to have lived permanently in those shallow marine habitats, with large squamates and thecodont or smaller archosaurs in coastal areas.

scholarly journals Circum-Antarctic coastal environmental shifts during the Late Quaternary reflected by emerged marine deposits

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 345-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul A. Berkman ◽  
John T. Andrews ◽  
Svante Björck ◽  
Eric A. Colhoun ◽  
Steven D. Emslie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Late Quaternary ◽  
Marine Species ◽  
Coastal Areas ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Marine Deposits ◽  
Quaternary Climate ◽  
Antarctic Marine ◽  
The Antarctic

This review assesses the circumpolar occurrence of emerged marine macrofossils and sediments from Antarctic coastal areas in relation to Late Quaternary climate changes. Radiocarbon ages of the macrofossils, which are interpreted in view of the complexities of the Antarctic marine radiocarbon reservoir and resolution of this dating technique, show a bimodal distribution. The data indicate that marine species inhabited coastal environments from at least 35 000 to 20 000 yr BP, during Marine Isotope Stage 3 when extensive iceberg calving created a ‘meltwater lid’ over the Southern Ocean. The general absence of these marine species from 20 000 to 8500 yr BP coincides with the subsequent advance of the Antarctic ice sheets during the Last Glacial Maximum. Synchronous re-appearance of the Antarctic marine fossils in emerged beaches around the continent, all of which have Holocene marine-limit elevations an order of magnitude lower than those in the Arctic, reflect minimal isostatic rebound as relative sea-level rise decelerated. Antarctic coastal marine habitat changes around the continent also coincided with increasing sea-ice extent and outlet glacial advances during the mid-Holocene. In view of the diverse environmental changes that occurred around the Earth during this period, it is suggested that Antarctic coastal areas were responding to a mid-Holocene climatic shift associated with the hydrological cycle. This synthesis of Late Quaternary emerged marine deposits demonstrates the application of evaluating circum-Antarctic phenomena from the glacial-terrestrial-marine transition zone.

scholarly journals Vulnerability of a Top Marine Predator in One of the World’s Most Impacted Marine Environments (Arabian Gulf)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruno Diaz Lopez ◽  
Séverine Methion ◽  
Himansu Das ◽  
Ibrahim Bugla ◽  
Maitha Al Hameli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Bottlenose Dolphin ◽  
Prey Availability ◽  
Arabian Gulf ◽  
Marine Environments ◽  
Marine Habitat ◽  
Predator Species ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Conservation Measures ◽  
Abundance Estimates

Abstract Knowledge of the habitat use of wildlife in highly impacted areas is essential to identify areas of biological importance and to implement appropriate conservation measures. The Arabian Gulf represents one of the most extreme marine environments and is considered one of the regions in the world with the greatest anthropogenic impact. Information on the habitat use and abundance of marine top predator species is however lacking, despite being a prerequisite for effective planning of conservation measures. Here, we provide novel information for the Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) in the Arabian Gulf (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates). Data from 80 daily surveys conducted between June 2014 and November 2019 were used both to assess correlates of bottlenose dolphin habitat use and relative density and to calculate mark-recapture abundance estimates. This study confirms the strong adaptability and tolerance of this top marine predator to extreme environmental conditions within a highly heterogeneous and impacted marine habitat. The observed preferences for areas with less human pressure were likely a result of the interactions of environmental factors with prey availability and human disturbance. This study also provides the first abundance estimates for a bottlenose dolphin population in the Arabian Gulf. Our findings support the call for increased marine protected areas and the creation of transboundary conservation areas in the region. Regional connectivity should be of value to marine predators whose wide distribution and vulnerability to human activities means that alteration of their habitats can result in population declines and eventual local or regional extinctions.

scholarly journals Eggs for breakfast? Analysis of a probable mosasaur biting trace on the Cretaceous echinoid <i>Echinocorys ovata</i> Leske, 1778

Fossil Record ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Neumann ◽  
Oliver Hampe
Keyword(s):  
Food Webs ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Northern Germany ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Tooth Position ◽  
Oral Surface ◽  
Marine Reptile ◽  
Skeletal Regeneration ◽  
Shed Light

Abstract. Fossil biting traces (praedichnia) represent indirect evidence of predation and shed light on fossil predator–prey interactions and fossil food webs. Especially from echinoderm skeletons, biting traces are well known. Here, we describe the oral surface of a large Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) holasteroid echinoid Echinocorys ovata Leske, 1778 from Hemmoor (northern Germany) which exhibits four circular punctures arranged in a semi-circular arc. Whereas three of the punctures penetrated the skeleton, one puncture only just hit the margin of the echinoid test at the ambitus, leaving a long incision furrow in the skeleton. The punctures were not lethal to the sea urchin as is indicated by progressed skeletal regeneration and closure of the fractures. The overall appearance of the punctures suggests that they were produced during a single mechanical event, most likely by the biting action of the teeth of a large vertebrate animal. We analysed the shape and arrangement of the biting trace and conclude that it was probably produced by a marine reptile possessing a prognath tooth position, most likely by a globidensine mosasauroid. Our finding not only sheds light on mosasaur feeding behaviour and prey selection but also increases the knowledge of the food webs in the chalk sea ecosystem during the uppermost Cretaceous.

The Nutritional Ecology of Marine Apex Predators

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 361-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel E. Machovsky-Capuska ◽  
David Raubenheimer
Keyword(s):  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Nutritional Ecology ◽  
Ecological Interactions ◽  
Multidimensional Approach ◽  
Apex Predators ◽  
Marine Predator ◽  
Marine Predators ◽  
Nutritional Geometry ◽  
Niche Concept

Apex predators play pivotal roles in marine ecosystems, mediated principally through diet and nutrition. Yet, compared with terrestrial animals, the nutritional ecology of marine predators is poorly understood. One reason is that the field has adhered to an approach that evaluates diet principally in terms of energy gain. Studies in terrestrial systems, by contrast, increasingly adopt a multidimensional approach, the nutritional geometry framework, that distinguishes specific nutrients and calories. We provide evidence that a nutritional approach is likewise relevant to marine apex predators, then demonstrate how nutritional geometry can characterize the nutrient and energy content of marine prey. Next, we show how this framework can be used to reconceptualize ecological interactions via the ecological niche concept, and close with a consideration of its application to problems in marine predator research.

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