Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales

Abstract Bulk stable isotope analysis provides information regarding food web interactions, and has been applied to several cetacean species for the study of migration ecology. One limitation in bulk stable isotope analysis arises when a species, such as Southern hemisphere humpback whales, utilises...

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Autores principales:	Pascale Eisenmann, Brian Fry, Debashish Mazumder, Geraldine Jacobsen, Carlysle Sian Holyoake, Douglas Coughran, Susan Bengtson Nash
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/3ab97d69d2c44a1eb2733ae187eb83b1
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:3ab97d69d2c44a1eb2733ae187eb83b12021-12-02T11:53:07ZRadiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales10.1038/s41598-017-04698-22045-2322https://doaj.org/article/3ab97d69d2c44a1eb2733ae187eb83b12017-06-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04698-2https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Bulk stable isotope analysis provides information regarding food web interactions, and has been applied to several cetacean species for the study of migration ecology. One limitation in bulk stable isotope analysis arises when a species, such as Southern hemisphere humpback whales, utilises geographically distinct food webs with differing isotopic baselines. Migrations to areas with different baselines can result in isotopic changes that mimic changes in feeding relations, leading to ambiguous food web interpretations. Here, we demonstrate the novel application of radiocarbon measurement for the resolution of such ambiguities. Radiocarbon was measured in baleen plates from humpback whales stranded in Australia between 2007 and 2013, and in skin samples collected in Australia and Antarctica from stranded and free-ranging animals. Radiocarbon measurements showed lower values for Southern Ocean feeding than for extra-Antarctic feeding in Australian waters. While the whales mostly relied on Antarctic-derived energy stores during their annual migration, there was some evidence of feeding within temperate zone waters in some individuals. This work, to our knowledge, provides the first definitive biochemical evidence for supplementary feeding by southern hemisphere humpback whales within temperate waters during migration. Further, the work contributes a powerful new tool (radiocarbon) for tracing source regions and geographical feeding.Pascale EisenmannBrian FryDebashish MazumderGeraldine JacobsenCarlysle Sian HolyoakeDouglas CoughranSusan Bengtson NashNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-9 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Pascale Eisenmann Brian Fry Debashish Mazumder Geraldine Jacobsen Carlysle Sian Holyoake Douglas Coughran Susan Bengtson Nash Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
description	Abstract Bulk stable isotope analysis provides information regarding food web interactions, and has been applied to several cetacean species for the study of migration ecology. One limitation in bulk stable isotope analysis arises when a species, such as Southern hemisphere humpback whales, utilises geographically distinct food webs with differing isotopic baselines. Migrations to areas with different baselines can result in isotopic changes that mimic changes in feeding relations, leading to ambiguous food web interpretations. Here, we demonstrate the novel application of radiocarbon measurement for the resolution of such ambiguities. Radiocarbon was measured in baleen plates from humpback whales stranded in Australia between 2007 and 2013, and in skin samples collected in Australia and Antarctica from stranded and free-ranging animals. Radiocarbon measurements showed lower values for Southern Ocean feeding than for extra-Antarctic feeding in Australian waters. While the whales mostly relied on Antarctic-derived energy stores during their annual migration, there was some evidence of feeding within temperate zone waters in some individuals. This work, to our knowledge, provides the first definitive biochemical evidence for supplementary feeding by southern hemisphere humpback whales within temperate waters during migration. Further, the work contributes a powerful new tool (radiocarbon) for tracing source regions and geographical feeding.
format	article
author	Pascale Eisenmann Brian Fry Debashish Mazumder Geraldine Jacobsen Carlysle Sian Holyoake Douglas Coughran Susan Bengtson Nash
author_facet	Pascale Eisenmann Brian Fry Debashish Mazumder Geraldine Jacobsen Carlysle Sian Holyoake Douglas Coughran Susan Bengtson Nash
author_sort	Pascale Eisenmann
title	Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
title_short	Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
title_full	Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
title_fullStr	Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
title_full_unstemmed	Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales
title_sort	radiocarbon as a novel tracer of extra-antarctic feeding in southern hemisphere humpback whales
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/3ab97d69d2c44a1eb2733ae187eb83b1
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Radiocarbon as a Novel Tracer of Extra-Antarctic Feeding in Southern Hemisphere Humpback Whales

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