Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) stable associations and dive profiles: New insights into foraging behavior

Alves, Filipe; Dinis, Ana; Cascão, Irma; Freitas, Luís

doi:10.1111/j.1748-7692.2009.00333.x

Cited by 31 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 14 publications

(18 reference statements)

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“…Although we do not expect the trends reported here (for deep dives directed at krill) to apply to rorquals foraging on fish aggregations or at shallow depths (Stimpert et al. 2007; Alves et al. 2009; Friedlaender et al.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Scaling of lunge‐feeding performance in rorqual whales: mass‐specific energy expenditure increases with body size and progressively limits diving capacity

et al. 2011

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Summary1. Diving capacity generally increases with body size both within and among taxanomic groups because of the differential scaling between body oxygen stores and metabolic rate. 2. Despite being some of the largest animals of all time, rorqual whales exhibit very short dive times relative to other large divers because of the high energetic costs incurred during lunge feeding. This mode of filter feeding requires high drag for the engulfment of large volumes of preyladen water, and the magnitude of both drag and engulfment volume is largely determined by the size and shape of the skull. 3. The positive allometry of rorqual skulls increases mass-specific engulfment capacity in larger whales, but the energetic requirements of feeding are also predicted to increase and thus further limit diving capacity. 4. To test the hypothesis that the energetic cost of a lunge is disproportionately higher in larger rorquals, we compared diving and lunge-feeding performance among three different-sized species (blue, fin and humpback whales) foraging on krill. 5. Our hydrodynamic analyses indicate that the mass-specific energy expenditure will increase with body size if rorquals lunge at length-specific speeds (in body lengths per second) that are independent of body size, a condition that is supported by tag data. 6. Although the absolute time required to filter each volume of water increased with body size, maximum dive duration and depth were not significantly different among species. As a consequence, the maximum number of lunges executed per dive decreased with body size. 7. These data suggest that, unlike all other true divers, adult rorqual species do not exhibit a positive relationship between body size and diving capacity. Larger rorquals forfeit diving capacity for greater engulfment capacity, a trade-off that favours the efficient exploitation of patchily dense prey aggregations. Such a trade-off may underlie different foraging strategies associated with resource partitioning, life history and ecological niche.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

Scaling of lunge‐feeding performance in rorqual whales: mass‐specific energy expenditure increases with body size and progressively limits diving capacity

et al. 2011

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“…4). The B. e. brydei clade exhibited a much wider geographic distribution, being found broadly in offshore waters of the Northwest Pacific, in the South Pacific south of Fiji and off Peru, in the eastern Indian Ocean south of Java (Yoshida & Kato 1999, Wada et al 2003, Sasaki et al 2005, Sasaki et al 2006, off Sri Lanka, Oman, and the Maldive Islands in the north-ern Indian Ocean (Herath 2007, Kershaw et al 2013, in both inshore and offshore waters of South Africa (Árnason et al 1993(Árnason et al , Penry 2010, in the Atlantic at Madeira (Alves et al 2010), and the Canary Islands (S. Hildebrandt et al unpublished, GenBank accession no. DQ340979).…”

Section: Geographic Distribution Of Bryde's Whale Taxamentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic evidence reveals a unique lineage of Bryde’s whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Rosel¹,

Wilcox²

2014

Endang. Species. Res.

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Bryde's whales Balaenoptera edeni are the only year-round resident baleen whale species in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOMx). The current population abundance estimate is 33 (CV 1.07) and the population is severely restricted in range. We characterized genetic diversity and phylogenetic relationships of these whales to other members of the Bryde's whale complex. We analyzed DNA sequence data from 3 mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and 9 nuclear genes, and examined 42 nuclear microsatellite loci for 21 Bryde's whale samples collected in the GOMx and 2 from the western North Atlantic. mtDNA diversity was extremely low; only 2 haplotypes were found in the first 375 bp of the control region and no variability in cytb or cox1 genes was seen. Twenty-five microsatellite loci were monomorphic, 16 had 2 or 3 alleles, and 1 had 4 alleles. Most nuclear genes exhibited shared alleles across balaenopterid species. Phylogenetic reconstruction using the control region and all published Bryde's whale sequences revealed that GOMx Bryde's whale haplotypes are evolutionarily distinct from other members of the Bryde's whale complex examined to date. Within the first 375 bp of the control region, we found 25−26 fixed differences between GOMx haplotypes and those from sei whales and the 2 recognized Bryde's whale subspecies. The GOMx whales are as divergent as these subspecies and species are from each other. The level of divergence suggests a unique evolutionary trajectory worthy of its own taxonomic standing. The small population size and markedly low genetic diversity raise conservation concern for this unique group of whales. KEY WORDS: Bryde's whale complex · Balaenoptera edeni · Mitochondrial DNA · Control region · CetaceanResale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher

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“…However, scientific knowledge on these whales' ecology and population structure in Madeiran waters is lacking. One study using photographically‐identified individuals suggested seasonal site fidelity for Bryde's whales ( Balaenoptera brydei ) (Alves et al ., ). Knowing if short‐finned pilot whales in Madeiran waters belong to a single large oceanic population and thus be regarded as a single conservation unit, or if they are divided into multiple populations, could greatly improve future management decisions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Population structure of short‐finned pilot whales in the oceanic archipelago of Madeira based on photo‐identification and genetic analyses: implications for conservation

Alves

Quérouil

Dinis

et al. 2013

Aquatic Conservation

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118

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1. Pilot whales Globicephala spp. are known to display a hierarchical social pattern, but longitudinal data to infer population structure of short-finned pilot whales Globicephala macrorhynchus are rare.2. Using data collected between 2003-2011 in the oceanic archipelago of Madeira, the grouping structure of short-finned pilot whales was studied using photo-identification methods and mtDNA sequences and microsatellite markers to test the hypotheses that (1) there is at least one pelagic and one or more island-associated communities, and (2) groups are made of related individuals, with a matrilineal social structure.3. Pilot whales demonstrated a large degree of variability in site fidelity, including residents (up to 14-year interval), regular visitors and transients. The social and temporal analyses revealed a well-differentiated society with long-lasting relationships (of years). The genetic analyses suggested that individuals of the three residency patterns may not be genetically isolated, and that small groups are made up of related individuals, suggesting some degree of social philopatry, while large groups are probably temporary associations of smaller groups.4. It is proposed that the pilot whales encountered in Madeira belong to a single population encompassing several clans, possibly three clans of island-associated whales and others of transients, each containing two to three matrilineal pods, each with a mean of 15 individuals (SD=9,. We suggest that the clans interact for mating purposes when they meet.5. For management decisions, it is considered that the island-associated whales should not be regarded as demographically independent populations, but instead as stable social entities to be included in governmental management plans and requiring periodic evaluation of their status. The high proportion of marked individuals and low rate of mark change encourages further research in this species.

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Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) stable associations and dive profiles: New insights into foraging behavior

Cited by 31 publications

References 14 publications

Scaling of lunge‐feeding performance in rorqual whales: mass‐specific energy expenditure increases with body size and progressively limits diving capacity

Scaling of lunge‐feeding performance in rorqual whales: mass‐specific energy expenditure increases with body size and progressively limits diving capacity

Genetic evidence reveals a unique lineage of Bryde’s whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Population structure of short‐finned pilot whales in the oceanic archipelago of Madeira based on photo‐identification and genetic analyses: implications for conservation

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