Journal article
Acute and chronic behavioral effects of kelp gull micropredation on southern right whale mother-calf pairs off Península Valdés, Argentina
Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol.668, pp.133-148
2021
Abstract
Kelp gulls Larus dominicanus (KG) feed on the skin and blubber of living southern right whales Eubalaena australis (SRWs) off Península Valdés (PV), Argentina. The whales respond strongly to KG micropredation by changing their immediate (acute) behavior during attacks and their overall (chronic) surfacing pattern and body posture to minimize gull exposure. The energetic and large-scale behavioral consequences of these attacks are unknown. To address this knowledge gap, we quantified the effect size of both acute (during attacks) and chronic (not during attacks) responses by comparing the respiration rates, swim speed, and nursing behavior of PV SRWs to undisturbed (control) SRW mother-calf pairs in Head of Bight, Australia, using unmanned aerial vehicle focal follows. Even when gulls were not attacking, PV SRW mothers and calves demonstrated ~50 and ~25% higher respiration rates, respectively, than whales in Australia. During attacks, PV calf respiration rates increased by an additional 10%. PV SRW mothers also frequently (>76% of respirations) exhibited irregular breathing postures, causing the whales to potentially expend extra energy by working against their natural buoyancy. Despite no significant increase in average maternal swim speed, 76 and 90% of gull attacks elicited strong behavioral reactions from mothers and calves, respectively. Overall, PV calves spent less time nursing during individual bouts compared to those in Australia but entered suckling position more frequently. Furthermore, kelp gulls seemed to show a preference for attacking previously wounded calves and at a higher rate. These chronic and acute behavioral effects may carry energetic costs, which could have long-term consequences for SRW survival and reproduction.
Details
- Title
- Acute and chronic behavioral effects of kelp gull micropredation on southern right whale mother-calf pairs off Península Valdés, Argentina
- Authors/Creators
- T.R. Azizeh (Author/Creator) - Aarhus UniversityK.R. Sprogis (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityR. Soley (Author/Creator) - Instituto de Conservación de Ballenas, Buenos Aires 1429, ArgentinaM.L.K. Nielsen (Author/Creator) - University of ExeterM.M. Uhart (Author/Creator) - University of California, DavisM. Sironi (Author/Creator) - Universidad Nacional de CórdobaC.F. Marón (Author/Creator) - Universidad Nacional de CórdobaL. Bejder (Author/Creator) - Murdoch UniversityP.T. Madsen (Author/Creator) - Aarhus UniversityF. Christiansen (Author/Creator) - Murdoch University
- Publication Details
- Marine Ecology Progress Series, Vol.668, pp.133-148
- Publisher
- Inter-Research
- Identifiers
- 991005540236107891
- Copyright
- © 2021 Inter-Research.
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Ecosystems; Harry Butler Institute
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.796 Marine Mammal Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Marine & Freshwater Biology
- Oceanography
- ESI research areas
- Environment/Ecology