Prey selection of common minke (<i>Balaenoptera acutorostrata</i>) and Bryde's (<i>Balaenoptera edeni</i>) whales in the western North Pacific in 2000 and 2001

Murase, Hiroto; Tamura, Tsutomu; Kiwada, Hiroshi; Fujise, Yoshihiro; Watanabe, Hikaru; Ohizumi, Hiroshi; Yonezaki, Shiroh; Okamura, Hiroshi; Kawahara, Shigeyuki

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2419.2006.00426.x

Cited by 38 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Some of the larger rorquals clearly have the ability to capture fast fish, but foraging on krill may simply be energetically more efficient with increasing body size. By contrast, some populations of the two smallest rorqual species, Bryde's (B. brydei) and minke whales (B. acutorostrata) feed only on fish (Gaskin 1982) or tend to select fish over krill (Murase et al 2007). The general inverse relationship between prey size and rorqual body size can be attributed to physiological constraints that have a strong influence on foraging ecology, behaviour and energetics (Tershy 1992).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skull and buccal cavity allometry increase mass-specific engulfment capacity in fin whales

2009

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Rorqual whales (Balaenopteridae) represent not only some of the largest animals of all time, but also exhibit a wide range in intraspecific and interspecific body size. Balaenopterids are characterized by their extreme lunge-feeding behaviour, a dynamic process that involves the engulfment of a large volume of prey-laden water at a high energetic cost. To investigate the consequences of scale and morphology on lunge-feeding performance, we determined allometric equations for fin whale body dimensions and engulfment capacity. Our analysis demonstrates that larger fin whales have larger skulls and larger buccal cavities relative to body size. Together, these data suggest that engulfment volume is also allometric, increasing with body length as L 3:5 body . The positive allometry of the skull is accompanied by negative allometry in the tail region. The relative shortening of the tail may represent a trade-off for investing all growth-related resources in the anterior region of the body. Although enhanced engulfment volume will increase foraging efficiency, the work (energy) required to accelerate the engulfed water mass during engulfment will be relatively higher in larger rorquals. If the mass-specific energetic cost of a lunge increases with body size, it will have major consequences for rorqual foraging ecology and evolution.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Skull and buccal cavity allometry increase mass-specific engulfment capacity in fin whales

2009

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“…In general, they seem to prefer pelagic fish to zooplankton in northern ecosystems (Murase et al 2007, Smout & Lindstrøm 2007, Witteveen et al 2008. However, in comparison with that in early summer, the prey assemblage in late summer (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Baleen whale distributions and prey associations in the Barents Sea

Skern‐Mauritzen¹,

Johannesen²,

Bjørge³

et al. 2011

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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We investigated the spatial associations between minke Balaenoptera acutorostrata, fin B. physalus and humpback Megaptera novaeangliae whales and their prey in the Barents Sea in late summer of 2003 to 2007. During these years the abundance of their assumed primary prey, capelin Mallotus villotus, was low due to a stock collapse. The whales were therefore expected to associate with abundant herring Clupea harengus in the southern Barents Sea and krill (Euphausiacea) in the central and northern Barents Sea. The baleen whales predominantly occupied a narrow, northern area that had high densities of krill, amphipods Themisto spp., and polar cod Boreogadus saida along the northern range of the capelin distribution. A small proportion of the Barents Sea minke and fin whales occurred in the southern areas. Herring was therefore not an important prey species in the Barents Sea in this season. Ecosystem-scale associations, which were determined by spatial associations between species distributions averaged across years, indicated that krill was the predominant prey species. However, contrasting mesoscale associations with their prey in 50 km grid cells and a preference for shallow northern banks suggests that these whales have a diverse diet within a preferred habitat. Finally, positive density dependence and facilitation can be significant processes that influence whale distributions, as the 3 baleen whale species were positively associated at both ecosystem-and mesoscales. KEY WORDS: Ecosystem survey · Pelagic communities · Trophic interactions · Marine mammals Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherMar Ecol Prog Ser 426: [289][290][291][292][293][294][295][296][297][298][299][300][301] 2011 while herring and krill (Euphausiacea) were abundant (Gjøsaeter et al. 2009, Zhukova et al. 2009). The diet and prey selection of minke whales has been thoroughly studied in early summer (May to June) when the northern Barents Sea is ice-covered (e.g. , Smout & Lindstrøm 2007. During this season, minke whales in the Barents Sea preferentially forage on capelin, but the dietary importance of herring and krill increases when capelin abundance decreases , Smout & Lindstrøm 2007. However, little knowledge exists on minke whale-prey interactions in late summer or on interactions between fin and humpback whales and their prey in this ecosystem.Minke, fin and humpback whales often congregate in the same feeding areas, likely targeting similar prey (Piatt & Methven 1992, Murase et al. 2002). In general, they seem to prefer pelagic fish to zooplankton in northern ecosystems (Murase et al. 2007, Smout & Lindstrøm 2007, Witteveen et al. 2008. However, in comparison with that in early summer, the prey assemblage in late summer (e.g. August to September) may include additional species. Northern areas with high amphipod Themisto spp. (Dalpadado et al. 2001) and polar cod Boreogadus saida (Stiansen & Filin 2008) densities are exposed so these prey species become available for pelagic predators ...

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“…Chittleborough 1965). Yet, in their Discussion, Murase et al (2007) consistently make population-level inference from their data with no mention of gender bias in their samples.…”

Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Results on feeding ecology and ecosystem components were published by Murase et al (2007); '(T)he top priority in JARPN II deal with feeding ecology and ecosystem studies ' (GJ 2002a, p. 4). Based on the feasibility study, 'the main purpose' of JARPN II 'is to study the competition between whales and fisheries, and to elucidate the role of the cetaceans in the marine ecosystem of the western North Pacific' (GJ 2002b, p. 4).…”

Section: Jarpn IImentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reconsidering the science of scientific whaling

Corkeron¹

2009

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Scientific whaling is one of the most publicly contentious applications of marine ecological research today. An evaluation of the second phase of Japan's Institute of Cetacean Research (ICR) program in the western North Pacific (JARPN II) is soon to be conducted under the auspices of the Scientific Committee (SC) of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Previous IWC SC reviews identified serious problems with the programs, yet reached inconsequential conclusions, and the JARPN II review is the first under a new format. The basic design of this study -forestomach sampling coupled with acoustic and trawl surveys for prey -is an unsophisticated approach to investigating the foraging ecology of Balaenoptera spp. Published results of the JARPN II feasibility study demonstrate problems with the execution of field work. Data analyses were simplistic. Nonlethal studies into the foraging ecology of Balaenoptera spp., using far fewer resources, have produced more definitive information. The recent changes in the IWC SC review process should result in unambiguous advice on how to improve the design of JARPN II. If the review recommends improvements that are not acted upon by the program's proponents, the IWC may need to decide whether the JARPN II program can be considered to be scientific research under Article VIII of the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling.

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Prey selection of common minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and Bryde's (Balaenoptera edeni) whales in the western North Pacific in 2000 and 2001

Cited by 38 publications

References 23 publications

Skull and buccal cavity allometry increase mass-specific engulfment capacity in fin whales

Skull and buccal cavity allometry increase mass-specific engulfment capacity in fin whales

Baleen whale distributions and prey associations in the Barents Sea

Reconsidering the science of scientific whaling

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