Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:44:11.810Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dispersal and dispersion of southern elephant seals in the Kerguelen province, Southern Ocean

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 July 2011

W. Chris Oosthuizen ,
Marthán N. Bester ,
Cheryl A. Tosh ,
Christophe Guinet ,
Dominique Besson  and
P.J. Nico de Bruyn
W. Chris Oosthuizen*
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 00028, South Africa
Marthán N. Bester
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 00028, South Africa
Cheryl A. Tosh
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 00028, South Africa
Christophe Guinet
Affiliation:
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chize, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, France
Dominique Besson
Affiliation:
Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chize, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, F-79360 Villiers en Bois, France
P.J. Nico de Bruyn
Affiliation:
Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 00028, South Africa
*
wcoosthuizen@zoology.up.ac.za
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina within the Kerguelen province disperse between Marion Island (MI), Iles Crozet (IC) and Iles Kerguelen (IK) despite the high site fidelity characteristic of this species. From 1987–2002, 199 IC individuals, or 11.63% of the tagged population there, were resighted at MI. Resights of IC seals at MI peaked during the juvenile moult and seals aged 0–2 represent 66% of all resights made. Equal numbers of male and female seals (all age classes) were dispersing. Dispersing breeding females (n = 22, on 33 occasions) outnumbered dispersing breeding males (n = 6, on 16 occasions), after initially emigrating from IC to MI as juvenile seals (natal dispersal). Greater male-mediated gene flow was ultimately attained due to the polygynous mating system and some extremely successful males. Of 132 seals fitted with satellite-relay data loggers at MI, six hauled out at IC and three at IK. Two of the seals which migrated to IC were born at MI; all others were unmarked males likely to be native to IC or IK. Dispersal should ideally be considered when assessing vital rates for southern Indian Ocean elephant seal populations.

Keywords

gene flowIles CrozetIles Kerguelenmark-resightingmetapopulationmigrationMrounga leoninaMarion Island
Type
Biological Sciences
Information
Antarctic Science , Volume 23 , Issue 6 , 22 November 2011 , pp. 567 - 577
Copyright
Copyright © Antarctic Science Ltd 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Authier, M., Delord, K.Guinet, C. 2011. Population trends of female elephant seals breeding on the Courbet Peninsula, Iles Kerguelen. Polar Biology, 34, 319–328.Google Scholar
Bailleul, F., Charrassin, J.-B., Ezraty, R., Girard-Ardhuin, F., McMahon, C.R., Field, I.C.Guinet, C. 2007. Southern elephant seals from Kerguelen Islands confronted by Antarctic sea ice: changes in movements and in diving behaviour. Deep-Sea Research II, 54, 343–355.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bester, M.N. 1988. Marking and monitoring studies of the Kerguelen stock of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina and their bearing on biological research in the Vestfold Hills. Hydrobiologia, 165, 269–277.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bester, M.N. 1989. Movements of southern elephant seals and subantarctic fur seals in relation to Marion Island. Marine Mammal Science, 5, 257–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, C.J.A., Hindell, M.A., Sumner, M.D.Michael, K.J. 2004. Loyalty pays: potential life history consequences of fidelity to marine foraging regions by southern elephant seals. Animal Behaviour, 68, 1349–1360.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bradshaw, C.J.A., McMahon, C.R., Hindell, M.A., Pistorius, P.A.Bester, M.N. 2002. Do southern elephant seals show density dependence in fecundity? Polar Biology, 25, 650–655.Google Scholar
Chauke, L.F. 2008. Genetic variation and population structure of southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina from Marion Island. MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, 93 pp. [Unpublished.]Google Scholar
Clobert, J., Danchin, E., Dhondt, A.A.Nichols, J.D. 2001. Dispersal. New York: Oxford University Press, 480 pp.Google Scholar
Condy, P.R., van Aarde, R.J.Bester, M.N. 1978. The seasonal occurrence and behaviour of killer whales Orcinus orca, at Marion Island. Journal of Zoology, 184, 449–464.Google Scholar
de Bruyn, P.J.N. 2009. Life history studies of the southern elephant seal population at Marion Island. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, 196 pp. [Unpublished.]Google Scholar
de Bruyn, P.J.N., Tosh, C.A., Oosthuizen, W.C., Phalanndwa, M.V.Bester, M.N. 2008. Temporary marking of unweaned southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina L.) pups. South African Journal of Wildlife Research, 38, 133–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Elmhagen, B.Angerbjörn, A. 2001. The applicability of metapopulation theory to large mammals. Oikos, 94, 89–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fabiani, A., Hoelzel, A.R., Galimberti, F.Muelbert, M.M.C. 2003. Long-range paternal gene flow in the southern elephant seal. Science, 299, 676.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferriere, R., Belthoff, J.R., Olivieri, I.Krackow, S. 2000. Evolving dispersal: where to go next? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 15, 5–7.Google Scholar
Greenwood, P.J. 1980. Mating systems, philopatry and dispersal in birds and mammals. Animal Behaviour, 28, 1140–1162.Google Scholar
Guinet, C., Jouventin, P.Weimerskirch, H. 1992. Population changes, movements of southern elephant seals on Crozet and Kerguelen archipelagos in the last decades. Polar Biology, 12, 349–356.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Guinet, C., Jouventin, P.Weimerskirch, H. 1999. Recent population change of the southern elephant seal at Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen: the end of the decrease? Antarctic Science, 11, 193–197.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hanski, I. 1999. Metapopulation ecology. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 328 pp.Google Scholar
Herreman, J.K., Blundell, G.M., McDonald, D.B.Ben-David, M. 2009. Asymmetrical male-mediated gene flow between harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) populations in Alaska. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 87, 498–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hindell, M.A.McMahon, C.R. 2000. A long distance movement of a southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) from Macquarie Island to Peter I Øy. Marine Mammal Science, 16, 504–507.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoelzel, A.R., Campagna, C.Arnbom, T. 2001. Genetic and morphometric differentiation between island and mainland southern elephant seal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society, B268, 325–332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hofmeyr, G.J.G. 2000. Dispersal and dispersion in the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina at Marion Island. MSc dissertation, University of Pretoria, 181 pp. [Unpublished.]Google Scholar
Howard, W.E. 1960. Innate and environmental dispersal of individual vertebrates. American Midland Naturalist, 63, 152–161.Google Scholar
Keith, M., Bester, M.N., Bartlett, P.A.Baker, D. 2001. Killer whales (Orcinus orca) at Marion Island, Southern Ocean. African Zoology, 36, 163–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kirkman, S.P., Hofmeyr, G.J.G., Bester, M.N.Isaksen, K. 2001. Counts of southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina at Bouvet Island. Polar Biology, 24, 62–65.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lenglart, P.Y.Bester, M.N. 1982. Post-weaning dispersion of southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina underyearlings at Kerguelen. Review de Ecologie (Terre et la Vie), 36, 175–186.Google Scholar
Lewis, M., Campagna, C.Quintana, F. 1996. Site fidelity and dispersion of southern elephant seals from Patagonia. Marine Mammal Science, 12, 138–147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lewis, M., Campagna, C., Marin, M.R.Fernandez, T. 2006. Southern elephant seals north of the Antarctic Polar Front. Antarctic Science, 18, 213–221.Google Scholar
McConnell, B.J., Chambers, C.Fedak, M.A. 1992. Foraging ecology of southern elephant seals in relation to bathymetry and productivity of the Southern Ocean. Antarctic Science, 4, 393–398.Google Scholar
McMahon, C.R., Burton, H.R.Bester, M.N. 2003. A demographic comparison of two southern elephant seal populations. Journal of Animal Ecology, 72, 61–74.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMahon, C.R., Bester, M.N., Burton, H.R., Hindell, M.A.Bradshaw, C.J.A. 2005a. Population status, trends and a re-examination of the hypotheses explaining the recent declines of the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina. Mammal Review, 35, 82–100.Google Scholar
McMahon, C.R., Hindell, M.A., Burton, H.R.Bester, M.N. 2005b. Comparison of southern elephant seal populations, and observations of a population on a demographic knife-edge. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 288, 273–283.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McMahon, C.R., Bester, M.N., Hindell, M.A., Brook, B.W.Bradshaw, C.J.A. 2009. Shifting trends: detecting environmentally mediated regulation in long lived marine vertebrates using time-series data. Oecologia, 159, 69–82.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Möller, L.M.Beheregaray, L.B. 2004. Genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal in resident bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus). Molecular Ecology, 13, 1607–1612.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nathan, R. 2001. The challenges of studying dispersal. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 16, 481–483.Google Scholar
Nicholls, D.G. 1970. Dispersal and dispersion in relation to the birthsite of the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina (L.), of Macquarie Island. Mammalia, 34, 598–616.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oosthuizen, W.C., Bester, M.N., de Bruyn, P.J.N.Hofmeyr, G.J.G. 2009. Intra-archipelago moult dispersion of southern elephant seals at the Prince Edward Islands, southern Indian Ocean. African Journal of Marine Science, 31, 457–462.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oosthuizen, W.C., de Bruyn, P.J.N., Bester, M.N.Girondot, M. 2010. Cohort and tag-site specific tag-loss rates in mark-recapture studies: a southern elephant seal cautionary case. Marine Mammal Science, 26, 350–369.Google Scholar
Pistorius, P.A., Bester, M.N.Kirkman, S.P. 1999. Survivorship of a declining population of southern elephant seals, Mirounga leonina, in relation to age, sex, and cohort. Oecologia, 121, 201–211.Google Scholar
Pistorius, P.A., Bester, M.N., Kirkman, S.P.Taylor, F.E. 2001. Temporal changes in fecundity and age at sexual maturity of southern elephant seals at Marion Island. Polar Biology, 24, 343–348.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pistorius, P.A., Bester, M.N., Lewis, M.N., Taylor, F.E., Campagna, C.Kirkman, S.P. 2004. Adult female survival, population trend, and the implications of early primiparity in a capital breeder, the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina). Journal of Zoology, 263, 107–119.Google Scholar
Reisinger, R.R.Bester, M.N. 2010. Long distance breeding dispersal of a southern elephant seal. Polar Biology, 33, 1289–1291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Setsaas, T.H., Bester, M.N., van Niekerk, J.H., Roux, J.P.Hofmeyr, G.J.G. 2008. Dispersion during the moult haulout of southern elephant seals at the Courbet Peninsula, Iles Kerguelen. Polar Biology, 31, 249–253.Google Scholar
Slade, R.W., Moritz, C., Hoelzel, A.R.Burton, H.R. 1998. Molecular population genetics of the southern elephant seal Mirounga leonina. Genetics, 149, 1945–1957.Google Scholar
Slip, D.J.Burton, H.R. 1999. Population status and seasonal haulout patterns of the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) at Heard Island. Antarctic Science, 11, 38–47.Google Scholar
Smith, V.R. 2008. Energy flow and nutrient cycling in the Marion Island terrestrial ecosystem: 30 years on. Polar Record, 44, 211–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tosh, C.A. 2010. Oceanographic signatures and foraging areas of southern elephant seals. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, 151 pp. [Unpublished.]Google Scholar
Trakhtenbrot, A., Nathan, R., Perry, G.Richardson, D.M. 2005. The importance of long-distance dispersal in biodiversity conservation. Diversity and Distributions, 11, 173–181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van den Hoff, J. 2001. Dispersal of southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) marked at Macquarie Island. Wildlife Research, 28, 413–418.Google Scholar
Van den Hoff, J., Davies, R.Burton, H. 2003. Origins, age composition and change in numbers of moulting southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) in the Windmill Islands, Vincennes Bay, East Antarctica, 1988–2001. Wildlife Research, 30, 275–280.Google Scholar