Options for modulating intra-specific competition in colonial pinnipeds: the case of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea

Wilson, Rory P., Liebsch, Nikolai, Gomez-Laich, Agustina, Kay, William, Bone, Andrew, Hobson, Victoria J. and Siebert, Ursula 2015. Options for modulating intra-specific competition in colonial pinnipeds: the case of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the Wadden Sea. PeerJ 3 , e957. 10.7717/peerj.957

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Abstract

Colonial pinnipeds may be subject to substantial consumptive competition because they are large, slow-moving central place foragers. We examined possiblemechanisms for reducing this competition by examining the diving behaviour of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) after equipping 34 seals (11 females, 23 males) foraging from three locations; Rømø, Denmark and Lorenzenplate and Helgoland, Germany, in the Wadden Sea area with time-depth recorders. Analysis of 319,021 dives revealed little between-colony variation but appreciable inter-sex differences, with males diving deeper than females, but for shorter periods.Males also had higher vertical descent rates. This result suggests that males may have higher overall swim speeds, which would increase higher oxygen consumption, and may explain the shorter dive durations compared to females. Intersex variation in swim speed alone is predicted to lead to fundamental differences in the time use of three-dimensional space, which may help reduce consumptive competition in harbour seals and other colonial pinnipeds.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Biosciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QH Natural history > QH301 Biology
Publisher:	PeerJ
ISSN:	2167-8359
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	22 July 2021
Date of Acceptance:	24 April 2015
Last Modified:	14 May 2023 09:21
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/142783

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