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García-Vernet R, Rita D, Bérubé M, Elgueta-Serra J, Pascual Guasch M, Víkingsson G, Ruiz-Sagalés M, Borrell A, Aguilar A. Order within chaos: potential migratory strategies and individual associations in fin whales feeding off Iceland. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:36. [PMID: 38725038 PMCID: PMC11080271 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00474-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The life cycle of most baleen whales involves annual migrations from low-latitude breeding grounds to high latitude feeding grounds. In most species, these migrations are traditionally considered to be carried out according to information acquired through vertical social learning during the first months of life and made individually. However, some recent studies have suggested a more complex scenario, particularly for the species of the Balaenoptera genus. METHODS Here, we studied the variation of δ15N and δ13C values along the growth axis of the baleen plate from 24 fin whales feeding off western Iceland to delve into their pattern of movements and to identify potential associations between individuals. The segment of baleen plate analyzed informed about at least two complete migratory cycles. We performed cluster analyses through two different methodologies and, whenever possible, we genotyped 20 microsatellite loci to determine potential existence of kinship. RESULTS Results of the of δ15N and δ13C values agree with a dispersion strategy in the winter breeding grounds. However, and despite the overall large variability, several pairs or groups of individuals with no kinship showed highly similar isotopic patterns for two consecutive years for both δ15N and δ13C values. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, notably, some whales without kinship share the same migratory regime and destinations. We hypothesize that this could reflect either: (i) the sharing of particularly beneficial migratory regimes, and/or (ii) long-term association between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel García-Vernet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Diego Rita
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Martine Bérubé
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA, 02657, USA
| | - Julia Elgueta-Serra
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Marina Pascual Guasch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Gísli Víkingsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, PO Box 1390, Fornubúðum 5, 220, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | - Marc Ruiz-Sagalés
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Asunción Borrell
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Alex Aguilar
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
- Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (RACAB), La Rambla 115, Barcelona, 08001, Spain.
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Werth AJ, Sformo TL, Lysiak NS, Rita D, George JC. Differential baleen growth and its consequences. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02878-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Reiss L, Häussermann V, Mayr C. Stable isotope records of sei whale baleens from Chilean Patagonia as archives for feeding and migration behavior. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:808-818. [PMID: 32015845 PMCID: PMC6988525 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope variations in baleen plates of sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) stranded after a mass mortality event in Chilean Patagonia were investigated to assess potential dietary and migratory patterns. Carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios of seven baleens from six individuals were analyzed. The δ13C values ranged from - 19.1 to - 15.9‰ and the δ15N values from 8.7 to 15.4‰. Variations of up to 2.9‰ for δ13C and 5.3‰ for δ15N were observed within one baleen. Carbon and nitrogen isotope records of each baleen were significantly correlated and showed recurring oscillations confirmed by wavelet analyses. Oscillations slightly differed in periodicity indicating variable baleen growth rates between 10.0 and 16.5 cm/year. Food sources of the whales are discussed in terms of available isotope data for potential prey taxa and potential migratory behavior on the basis of latitudinal isotope gradients of particulate organic matter. Cyclicity could be explained by regular migrations of the sei whales from subtropical calving areas to high-latitude foraging grounds. δ15N records of baleens differed between individuals eventually pointing to diverse feeding and migratory preferences among sei whale individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilian Reiss
- Institute of GeographyFriedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
| | - Verena Häussermann
- Huinay Scientific Field StationEscuela de Ciencias del MarFacultad de Recursos NaturalesPontificia Universidad Católica de ValparaísoValparaísoChile
| | - Christoph Mayr
- Institute of GeographyFriedrich‐Alexander‐Universität Erlangen‐NürnbergErlangenGermany
- GeoBio‐CenterDepartment of Earth and Environmental SciencesLudwig‐Maximilians‐UniversitätMünchenGermany
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Vighi M, Borrell A, Víkingsson G, Gunnlaugsson T, Aguilar A. Strontium in fin whale baleen: A potential tracer of mysticete movements across the oceans? THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 650:1224-1230. [PMID: 30308810 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/08/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Strontium is a metal broadly distributed in oceanic waters, where its concentrations follow gradients mainly driven by oceanographic and biological factors. Studies on terrestrial vertebrates show that Sr can accumulate in mammalian hair in amounts mainly related to the external environment, a property that has been scarcely investigated in aquatic mammals. Cetaceans are marine mammals whose skin is generally hairless, but the species belonging to the mysticete group feed through a filtering apparatus made of keratinous baleen plates that, like hair, grow continuously. During their annual latitudinal migrations, mysticetes cross water masses with variable chemo-physical characteristics that may be reflected in these tissues. In the present study, baleen plates were sampled from 10 fin whales obtained from NW Spain (N = 5) and SW Iceland (N = 5) to investigate Sr concentrations along the plates growth axis. Samples were taken longitudinally at regular 1 cm-intervals on each plate. Sr concentrations, determined through mass spectrometry, ranged from 5 to 40 mg kg-1 and increased from proximal to distal positions along plates. These results suggest a progressive adsorption of Sr on the plate surface, a process that also occurs in mammalian hair. Increasing trends were similar in the two regions but overall concentrations were significantly higher in NW Spain, reflecting different Sr baseline concentrations in the two areas and indicating isolation between the two whale populations. Some oscillations in Sr longitudinal trends were also detected, likely indicating that whales migrate across water masses with different Sr baselines. These results suggest that Sr concentrations in keratinous tissues of marine mammals can be used as ecological tracers of their migrations and habitat use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgana Vighi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences; IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - A Borrell
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences; IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - G Víkingsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Skúlagata 4, 121 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - Th Gunnlaugsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, Skúlagata 4, 121 Reykjavík, Iceland
| | - A Aguilar
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences; IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
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