Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella

Abstract Competition for resources within a population can lead to niche partitioning between sexes, throughout ontogeny and among individuals, allowing con-specifics to co-exist. We aimed to quantify such partitioning in Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, breeding at South Georgia, which h...

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Autores principales:	Kayleigh A. Jones, Norman Ratcliffe, Stephen C. Votier, Jason Newton, Jaume Forcada, John Dickens, Gabriele Stowasser, Iain J. Staniland
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2020
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/a6327d6ad96644d0ad58c3c642b4eeb1
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:a6327d6ad96644d0ad58c3c642b4eeb12021-12-02T10:59:18ZIntra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella10.1038/s41598-020-59992-32045-2322https://doaj.org/article/a6327d6ad96644d0ad58c3c642b4eeb12020-02-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59992-3https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract Competition for resources within a population can lead to niche partitioning between sexes, throughout ontogeny and among individuals, allowing con-specifics to co-exist. We aimed to quantify such partitioning in Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, breeding at South Georgia, which hosts ~95% of the world’s population. Whiskers were collected from 20 adult males and 20 adult females and stable isotope ratios were quantified every 5 mm along the length of each whisker. Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) were used as proxies for trophic position and carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) indicated foraging habitat. Sexual segregation was evident: δ13C values were significantly lower in males than females, indicating males spent more time foraging south of the Polar Front in maritime Antarctica. In males δ13C values declined with age, suggesting males spent more time foraging south throughout ontogeny. In females δ13C values revealed two main foraging strategies: 70% of females spent most time foraging south of the Polar Front and had similar δ15N values to males, while 30% of females spent most time foraging north of the Polar Front and had significantly higher δ15N values. This niche partitioning may relax competition and ultimately elevate population carrying capacity with implications for ecology, evolution and conservation.Kayleigh A. JonesNorman RatcliffeStephen C. VotierJason NewtonJaume ForcadaJohn DickensGabriele StowasserIain J. StanilandNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 10, Iss 1, Pp 1-15 (2020)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Kayleigh A. Jones Norman Ratcliffe Stephen C. Votier Jason Newton Jaume Forcada John Dickens Gabriele Stowasser Iain J. Staniland Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
description	Abstract Competition for resources within a population can lead to niche partitioning between sexes, throughout ontogeny and among individuals, allowing con-specifics to co-exist. We aimed to quantify such partitioning in Antarctic fur seals, Arctocephalus gazella, breeding at South Georgia, which hosts ~95% of the world’s population. Whiskers were collected from 20 adult males and 20 adult females and stable isotope ratios were quantified every 5 mm along the length of each whisker. Nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) were used as proxies for trophic position and carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) indicated foraging habitat. Sexual segregation was evident: δ13C values were significantly lower in males than females, indicating males spent more time foraging south of the Polar Front in maritime Antarctica. In males δ13C values declined with age, suggesting males spent more time foraging south throughout ontogeny. In females δ13C values revealed two main foraging strategies: 70% of females spent most time foraging south of the Polar Front and had similar δ15N values to males, while 30% of females spent most time foraging north of the Polar Front and had significantly higher δ15N values. This niche partitioning may relax competition and ultimately elevate population carrying capacity with implications for ecology, evolution and conservation.
format	article
author	Kayleigh A. Jones Norman Ratcliffe Stephen C. Votier Jason Newton Jaume Forcada John Dickens Gabriele Stowasser Iain J. Staniland
author_facet	Kayleigh A. Jones Norman Ratcliffe Stephen C. Votier Jason Newton Jaume Forcada John Dickens Gabriele Stowasser Iain J. Staniland
author_sort	Kayleigh A. Jones
title	Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
title_short	Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
title_full	Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
title_fullStr	Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
title_full_unstemmed	Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella
title_sort	intra-specific niche partitioning in antarctic fur seals, arctocephalus gazella
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2020
url	https://doaj.org/article/a6327d6ad96644d0ad58c3c642b4eeb1
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Intra-specific Niche Partitioning in Antarctic Fur Seals, Arctocephalus gazella

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