Insights from the first global population estimate of Weddell seals in Antarctica

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dc.contributor.authorSalas L
dc.contributor.authorNur N
dc.contributor.authorAinley D
dc.contributor.authorStammerjohn S
dc.contributor.authorPennycook J
dc.contributor.authorDozier M
dc.contributor.authorSaints J
dc.contributor.authorStamatiou K
dc.contributor.authorBarrington L
dc.contributor.authorRotella J
dc.contributor.authorLaRue, Michelle
dc.date.accessioned2022-05-12T23:16:42Z
dc.date.available2022-05-12T23:16:42Z
dc.date.issued2021en
dc.date.updated2022-03-16T23:37:10Z
dc.description.abstractThe Weddell seal is one of the best-studied marine mammals in the world, owing to a multidecadal demographic effort in the southernmost part of its range. Despite their occurrence around the Antarctic coastline, we know little about larger scale patterns in distribution, population size, or structure. We combined high-resolution satellite imagery from 2011, crowd-sourcing, and habitat modeling to report the first global population estimate for the species and environmental factors that influence its distribution. We estimated ~202,000 (95% confidence interval: 85,345 to 523,140) sub-adult and adult female seals, with proximate ocean depth and fast-ice variables as factors explaining spatial prevalence. Distances to penguin colonies were associated with seal presence, but only emperor penguin population size had a strong negative relationship. The small, estimated population size relative to previous estimates and the seals' nexus with trophic competitors indicates that a community ecology approach is required in efforts to monitor the Southern Ocean ecosystem.en
dc.identifier.citationLaRue M, Salas L, Nur N, Ainley D, Stammerjohn S, Pennycook J, Dozier M, Saints J, Stamatiou K, Barrington L, Rotella J (2021). Insights from the first global population estimate of Weddell seals in Antarctica. Science Advances. 7(39). eabh3674-.en
dc.identifier.doihttp://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abh3674
dc.identifier.issn2375-2548
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10092/103683
dc.languageeng
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)en
dc.rightsAll rights reserved unless otherwise stateden
dc.rights.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10092/17651en
dc.subject.anzsrcFields of Research::31 - Biological sciencesen
dc.titleInsights from the first global population estimate of Weddell seals in Antarcticaen
dc.typeJournal Articleen
uc.collegeFaculty of Science
uc.departmentSchool of Earth and Environment
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