Abstract
AbstractRapid and regionally contrasting climate changes have been observed around Antarctica. However, our understanding of the impact of these changes on ecosystems remains limited, and there is an urgent need to better identify habitats of Antarctic species. The Weddell seal (Leptonychotes weddellii) is a circumpolar mesopredator and an indicative species of Antarctic marine communities. It has been extensively studied in the western Ross Sea and East Antarctica, and an understanding of its ecology in the Weddell Sea in the wintertime is emerging. We documented the behavioural response(s) of four Weddell seals from February to June in 2017 in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf region and related these to unusual oceanographic conditions in 2017. Unexpectedly, we found that Weddell seals had the longest foraging effort within the outflow of Ice Shelf Water or at its turbulent boundary. They also foraged on the eastern side of the trough from April to June within the Modified Warm Deep Water and seem to take advantage of the unusual conditions of persistent inflow of warm waters through the winter. Linking animal behavioural responses to oceanographic conditions is informative for quantifying rarely recorded events and provides great insight into how predators may respond to changing conditions.
Highlights
The Antarctic climate has changed rapidly over the past decades, but there is still a paucity of information on many of the effects of these changes on Antarctic marine communities
Weddell seals have been intensively studied in the western Ross Sea and East Antarctica (e.g. Stirling 1969, Harcourt et al 2000, Burns & Kooyman 2001, Hindell et al 2002, Lake et al 2005, Wheatley et al 2006, Heerah et al 2013); our understanding of their ecology in the Weddell Sea in the wintertime is still sparse (Langley et al 2018, Nachtsheim et al 2019, Photopoulou et al 2020)
We found that 3.9% of dives had an average dive depth greater than bathymetry at the same position
Summary
The Antarctic climate has changed rapidly over the past decades, but there is still a paucity of information on many of the effects of these changes on Antarctic marine communities. There is an urgent need to measure and forecast how Antarctic marine communities, including Antarctic predators and mesopredators, will respond to these large changes in their habitats (https:// www.ipcc.ch/srocc/chapter/chapter-3-2/). Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) are a sentinel of the Antarctic marine ecosystem. These circumpolar mesopredators are the only mammal species breeding and living year-round in the high Antarctic (Smith 1965). We document the behaviour and habitat utilization of four Weddell seals in the Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf region in 2017
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
