Seasonal Movements and Diving of Ringed Seals, &lt;i&gt;Pusa hispida&lt;/i&gt;, in the Western Canadian Arctic, 1999–2001 and 2010–11

Harwood, Lois A.; Smith, Thomas G.; Auld, James C.; Melling, Humfrey; Yurkowski, David J.

doi:10.14430/arctic4479

Cited by 33 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 81 publications

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“…Models could be prepared for multiple species tracked concurrently, to reveal areas which are the most productive and provide clues as to what types of prey are available there. Results to date contribute to an emerging picture of distant, offshore foraging habitats favoured by belugas, bowheads and ringed seals (Richard et al, 2001;Citta et al, 2015;Harwood et al, 2015).…”

Section: Biophysical Sampling In Vast and Distant Feeding Areas: Usinmentioning

confidence: 73%

“…A second example, using a behavioral state model (D. Yurkowski, unpublished data; methods described in Harwood et al, 2015) was applied to satellite tracking data from subadult ringed seals tagged in Amundsen Gulf in 2001 and 2002, and subsequently tracked to the Chukchi Sea (reported in Harwood et al (2012b). It is possible to differentiate between locations where the tagged ringed seals made sustained, directional movements indicative of migration, vs. areas where the tagged seals lingered and were likely foraging (Fig.…”

Section: Biophysical Sampling In Vast and Distant Feeding Areas: Usinmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Each location represents a 12-h time-step and is associated with a behavior state estimate (blue = traveling, red = resident/foraging; (methods as inHarwood et al (2015))).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Change in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem: Diverging trends in body condition and/or production in five marine vertebrate species

Harwood

Smith²,

George

et al. 2015

Progress in Oceanography

107

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a b s t r a c tStudies of the body condition of five marine vertebrate predators in the Beaufort Sea, conducted independently during the past 2-4 decades, suggest each has been affected by biophysical changes in the marine ecosystem. We summarize a temporal trend of increasing body condition in two species (bowhead whale subadults, Arctic char), in both cases influenced by the extent and persistence of annual sea ice. Three other species (ringed seal, beluga, black guillemot chicks), consumers with a dietary preference for Arctic cod, experienced declines in condition, growth and/or production during the same time period. The proximate causes of these observed changes remain unknown, but may reflect an upward trend in secondary productivity, and a concurrent downward trend in the availability of forage fishes, such as the preferred Arctic cod. To further our understanding of these apparent ecosystem shifts, we urge the use of multiple marine vertebrate species in the design of biophysical sampling studies to identify causes of these changes. Continued long-term, standardized monitoring of vertebrate body condition should be paired with concurrent direct (stomach contents) or indirect (isotopes, fatty acids) monitoring of diet, detailed study of movements and seasonal ranges to establish and refine baselines, and identification of critical habitats of the marine vertebrates being monitored. This would be coordinated with biophysical and oceanographic sampling, at spatial and temporal scales, and geographic locations, that are relevant to the home range, critical habitats and prey of the vertebrate indicator species showing changes in condition and related parameters. Crown

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Section: Biophysical Sampling In Vast and Distant Feeding Areas: Usinmentioning

confidence: 73%

Section: Biophysical Sampling In Vast and Distant Feeding Areas: Usinmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Change in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem: Diverging trends in body condition and/or production in five marine vertebrate species

Harwood

Smith²,

George

et al. 2015

Progress in Oceanography

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…(, ), Ferguson, Dueck, Loseto, and Luque (), Gaston et al. (), Fisk, Lydersen, and Kovacs (), Peklova, Hussey, Hedges, Treble, and Fisk (), Spencer, Gilchrist, and Mallory (), Harwood, Smith, Auld, Melling, and Yurkowski (), Maftei, Davis, and Mallory (), Davis, Maftei, and Mallory (), Auger‐Méthé, Lewis, and Derocher (), Lunn et al. () and Bartzen, Dickson, and Bowman ().…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and species diversity hotspots of tracked marine predators across the North American Arctic

Yurkowski

Auger‐Méthé

Mallory

et al. 2018

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Climate change is altering marine ecosystems worldwide and is most pronounced in the Arctic. Economic development is increasing leading to more disturbances and pressures on Arctic wildlife. Identifying areas that support higher levels of predator abundance and biodiversity is important for the implementation of targeted conservation measures across the Arctic. Location Primarily Canadian Arctic marine waters but also parts of the United States, Greenland and Russia. Methods We compiled the largest data set of existing telemetry data for marine predators in the North American Arctic consisting of 1,283 individuals from 21 species. Data were arranged into four species groups: (a) cetaceans and pinnipeds, (b) polar bears Ursus maritimus (c) seabirds, and (d) fishes to address the following objectives: (a) to identify abundance hotspots for each species group in the summer–autumn and winter–spring; (b) to identify species diversity hotspots across all species groups and extent of overlap with exclusive economic zones; and (c) to perform a gap analysis that assesses amount of overlap between species diversity hotspots with existing protected areas. Results Abundance and species diversity hotpots during summer–autumn and winter–spring were identified in Baffin Bay, Davis Strait, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Amundsen Gulf, and the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering seas both within and across species groups. Abundance and species diversity hotpots occurred within the continental slope in summer–autumn and offshore in areas of moving pack ice in winter–spring. Gap analysis revealed that the current level of conservation protection that overlaps species diversity hotspots is low covering only 5% (77,498 km2) in summer–autumn and 7% (83,202 km2) in winter–spring. Main conclusions We identified several areas of potential importance for Arctic marine predators that could provide policymakers with a starting point for conservation measures given the multitude of threats facing the Arctic. These results are relevant to multilevel and multinational governance to protect this vulnerable ecosystem in our rapidly changing world.

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“…() for Saglek Bay ringed seals; Harwood et al. for Ulukhaktok ringed seals; D. J. Yurkowski unpubl. data for other locations).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Latitudinal variation in ecological opportunity and intraspecific competition indicates differences in niche variability and diet specialization of Arctic marine predators

Yurkowski

Ferguson

Choy

et al. 2016

Ecology and Evolution

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Individual specialization (IS), where individuals within populations irrespective of age, sex, and body size are either specialized or generalized in terms of resource use, has implications on ecological niches and food web structure. Niche size and degree of IS of near‐top trophic‐level marine predators have been little studied in polar regions or with latitude. We quantified the large‐scale latitudinal variation of population‐ and individual‐level niche size and IS in ringed seals (Pusa hispida) and beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) using stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis on 379 paired ringed seal liver and muscle samples and 124 paired beluga skin and muscle samples from eight locations ranging from the low to high Arctic. We characterized both within‐ and between‐individual variation in predator niche size at each location as well as accounting for spatial differences in the isotopic ranges of potential prey. Total isotopic niche width (TINW) for populations of ringed seals and beluga decreased with increasing latitude. Higher TINW values were associated with greater ecological opportunity (i.e., prey diversity) in the prey fish community which mainly consists of Capelin (Mallotus villosus) and Sand lance (Ammodytes sp.) at lower latitudes and Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) at high latitudes. In beluga, their dietary consistency between tissues also known as the within‐individual component (WIC) increased in a near 1:1 ratio with TINW (slope = 0.84), suggesting dietary generalization, whereas the slope (0.18) of WIC relative to TINW in ringed seals indicated a high degree of individual specialization in ringed seal populations with higher TINWs. Our findings highlight the differences in TINW and level of IS for ringed seals and beluga relative to latitude as a likely response to large‐scale spatial variation in ecological opportunity, suggesting species‐specific variation in dietary plasticity to spatial differences in prey resources and environmental conditions in a rapidly changing ecosystem.

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Seasonal Movements and Diving of Ringed Seals, <i>Pusa hispida</i>, in the Western Canadian Arctic, 1999–2001 and 2010–11

Cited by 33 publications

References 81 publications

Change in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem: Diverging trends in body condition and/or production in five marine vertebrate species

Change in the Beaufort Sea ecosystem: Diverging trends in body condition and/or production in five marine vertebrate species

Abundance and species diversity hotspots of tracked marine predators across the North American Arctic

Latitudinal variation in ecological opportunity and intraspecific competition indicates differences in niche variability and diet specialization of Arctic marine predators

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