Foraging energetics and prey density requirements of western North Atlantic blue whales in the Estuary and Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada
| Autor: | Ian H. McQuinn, Thomas Doniol-Valcroze, Robert Michaud, Michel Moisan, Gesche Winkler, Marie Guilpin, Jean Potvin, Jeremy A. Goldbogen, Tiphaine Jeanniard-du-Dot, Véronique Lesage |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Maurice-Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Marine Science Institute Quebec-Ocean [Canada], University of Quebec in Rimouski [Canada], Pacific Biological Station (PBS), Department of Biology [Pacific Grove, CA, USA] (Hopkins Marine Station), Stanford University, Department of Physics, Saint Louis University [USA], Saint Louis University [USA], Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC), Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Group of Research and Education on Marine Mammals [Canada], Stanford University [Stanford], Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de La Rochelle (ULR) |
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2019 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Prey requirements Foraging efficiency Foraging Aquatic Science 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Predation Energetics 14. Life underwater Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics Balaenoptera musculus geography geography.geographical_feature_category Ecology biology 010604 marine biology & hydrobiology Estuary biology.organism_classification Blue whale Blue Whales Fishery Krill density [SDE]Environmental Sciences Environmental science |
| Zdroj: | Marine Ecology Progress Series Marine Ecology Progress Series, Inter Research, 2019, 625, pp.205-223. ⟨10.3354/meps13043⟩ |
| ISSN: | 0171-8630 1616-1599 |
| Popis: | International audience; Foraging efficiency (FE) is determined by the ratio of energy intake to energy expenditure and represents a metric for estimating the capacity to store energy. Blue whales Balaenoptera musculus rely mostly on stored energy reserves for reproduction. They feed almost exclusively on krill, which vary in density and abundance both spatially and temporally. We used 10 depth-velocity archival tags deployed on blue whales foraging in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Canada, to identify feeding events. We modeled krill densities required to equal or exceed energy expenditures and allow energy storage. During the daytime, blue whales generally dove deeper and performed fewer but longer feeding dives than at other times of the diel cycle (10 vs. 28 feeding dives h-1); however, they performed more lunges per dive during daytime (3 vs. 1 lunge dive-1), which resulted in a stable feeding rate around the clock. Only 11.7 and 5.5% of the Arctic and northern krill patches measured in situ contained densities allowing blue whales to achieve neutral energetic balance (FE = 1); less than 1.5% of patches allowed FE of ≥3. While FE leading to successful reproduction and adequate fitness is unknown, these results underscore the necessity for blue whales to seek the highest densities within patches to reach neutral balance or allow energy storage. These findings further our understanding of blue whale foraging ecology and habitat suitability, and may help predict the effects of climate and natural variability or of potential fisheries on krill densities and blue whale condition. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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