Amphipod prey of gray whales in the northern Bering Sea: Comparison of biomass and distribution between the 1980s and 2002–2003

Coyle, Kenneth O.; Bluhm, Bodil A.; Konar, Brenda; Blanchard, Arny L.; Highsmith, Raymond C.

doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.08.026

Cited by 72 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Their benthic and epi benthic prey in the Piltun feeding area have a patchy spatial distribution, and locations of high biomass vary across years (Fadeev 2013). Gray whales also have a top-down effect on their prey supply (Coyle et al 2007) and thus exhaust localized patches with a high prey biomass. Consequently, gray whales likely would have been shifting their distribution during the time of our study, independent of any effects of sound, which would have reduced the predictive ability of the model and confounded our ability to assess the effects of sound.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distance from shore as an indicator of disturbance of gray whales during a seismic survey off Sakhalin Island, Russia

Muir¹,

Ainsworth²,

Joy³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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A seismic survey was conducted adjacent to the nearshore feeding ground of gray whales Eschrichtius robustus off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia. Scan surveys were conducted at 7 shore stations before, during and after the seismic survey. We investigated whether gray whales shifted their distribution with respect to distance from the shoreline in response to acoustic pulses from the seismic source. To do this, we used linear mixed effects modelling that included effects of detection, space and time. Data were tested for effects of magnitude and presence/absence of sound from seismic activity on whale distance from shore. Sound covariates were estimated over 3 temporal scales (8 h, 3 d and since the start of seismic activity) at locations 500 and 5000 m offshore each observation station. Sighting distance from shore was less in poor visibility and at earlier times of day. No significant effects of sound were identified, although data suggest that at most stations, sighting distance from shore increased slightly over the 2 wk of the seismic survey. The analysis was limited, however, by several factors that included low numbers of sightings throughout most of the study, non-availability of data on biomass of gray whale prey and sources of error that could not be accounted for in the model. Sensitivity to potential errors in sighting distance estimation was assessed using a correction factor based on known locations of vessels and gray whales when sighted. The model was refitted using distance-corrected sightings. Results were consistent with the original model.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distance from shore as an indicator of disturbance of gray whales during a seismic survey off Sakhalin Island, Russia

Muir¹,

Ainsworth²,

Joy³

et al. 2015

Endang. Species. Res.

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“…However, the rapid retreat of summertime sea ice cover has exposed these waters to the atmosphere, allowing for enhanced air-sea exchange, and increased the sink for atmospheric CO 2 from 24 TgC yr -1 to 66 TgC yr -1 over the past three decades . Furthermore, melting of sea ice reduces the CaCO 3 saturation state of seawater, primarily by reducing alkalinity (Steinacher et al, 2009 Polar marine invertebrates often exhibit low metabolic rates (Bluhm et al, 1998;Peck and Conway, 2000) and very slow development and growth (Pearse et al, 1991;Arntz et al, 1994;Coyle and Highsmith, 1994) are increasing in the north (Grebmeier et al, 2006, Cui et al, 2009), whereas ampeliscid amphipods that are the prey of gray whales are declining (Moore et al, 2003;Coyle et al, 2007). Whether these crustaceans will be impacted by increasing CO 2 levels in bottom waters is unknown.…”

Section: The Arctic Oceanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ocean Acidification at High Latitudes: The Bellwether

Fabry¹,

McClintock²,

Mathis³

et al. 2009

Oceanog.

373

306

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“…Biomass of ampeliscid amphipods (Moore et al 2003, Coyle et al 2007, as well as total macrofaunal biomass (Dunton et al 2005, Grebmeier et al 2006b), declined roughly 50% from the 1980s to the early 2000s. In contrast, significant increases in epibenthic abundance and biomass were recorded for the benthic community in Norton Sound from 1976 to 2002 (Hamazaki et al 2005) and the southeastern Chukchi Sea from 1976 to 1998 (Fair & Nelson 1999, Feder et al 2005) and for ground fishes in the southeastern Bering Sea from 1960 to 2000 (Conners et al 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In all cases, the changes have at least in part been attributed to North Pacific or Bering Sea regime shifts (e.g. Rodionov & Overland 2005) and/or long-term climate change, but predation pressure imposed through selective bottom-feeding by marine mammals is another possible cause (Coyle et al 2007). The goal of the present study was to provide quantitative data for epibenthic megafaunal abundance, biomass, and community structure for a large area of the Chukchi shelf and to examine relationships to environmental variables.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Community structure of epibenthic megafauna in the Chukchi Sea

Bluhm

Iken²,

Mincks³

et al. 2009

Aquat. Biol.

111

105

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Climate change and increased focus on resource development in Arctic Seas have fueled interest in the Chukchi Sea, yet few quantitative studies have been conducted on the larger, epifaunal component of seafloor communities, which serves important roles in sediment biogeochemical processes and provides a food source for fishes and marine mammals. Here we provide quantitative data on the present condition of benthic epifaunal abundance and biomass from the Chukchi shelf and examine the influence of environmental variables on epifaunal communities. We . Overall, abundance and biomass were dominated by echinoderms (66 and 45%, respectively) and crustaceans (17 and 31%, respectively). The ophiuroid Ophiura sarsi and the snow crab Chionoecetes opilio overwhelmingly dominated abundance and biomass. The holothurian Myriotrochus rinkii also occurred in large numbers, and the urchin Strongylocentrotus pallidus was another major contributor to biomass. A total of 165 taxa (mostly species) were identified; the highest numbers were Mollusca (45) and Crustacea (33). Cluster analysis identified 6 distinct groups plus 6 unique stations with 54 to 88% between-cluster dissimilarity, with separation based largely on substrate type and latitude. Water mass characteristics and indices of food availability appeared less influential in generating the observed composition, abundance and biomass patterns. Comparisons with previous studies suggested an increase in overall epibenthic biomass since 1976, including an increase in the biomass of C. opilio.

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Amphipod prey of gray whales in the northern Bering Sea: Comparison of biomass and distribution between the 1980s and 2002–2003

Cited by 72 publications

References 37 publications

Distance from shore as an indicator of disturbance of gray whales during a seismic survey off Sakhalin Island, Russia

Distance from shore as an indicator of disturbance of gray whales during a seismic survey off Sakhalin Island, Russia

Ocean Acidification at High Latitudes: The Bellwether

Community structure of epibenthic megafauna in the Chukchi Sea

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