66 research outputs found
Electronic Supplementary Material 1 from A temporal shift in trophic diversity among a predator assemblage in a warming Arctic
No full textYurkowski-Figures-Tables-ES
Electronic Supplementary Material - Data from A temporal shift in trophic diversity among a predator assemblage in a warming Arctic
No full textYurkowski-SupportingData-ES
Validating fin tissue as a non-lethal proxy to liver and muscle tissue for stable isotope analysis of yellow perch (<i>Perca flavescens</i>)
No full textThis research was supported by funding from NSERC PGS-M and OGS (MM), W. Garfield Weston Foundation (DJY), NSERC Discovery Grant and a UWindsor Research Grant for Women (CADS).Stable isotope ecology typically involves sacrificing the animal to obtain tissues. However, with threatened species or in long-term longitudinal studies, non-lethal sampling techniques should be used. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if caudal fin tissue could be used as a non-lethal proxy to liver and muscle for stable isotope analysis, and (2) assess the effects of ethanol preservation on δ15N and δ13C in fin tissue of juvenile yellow perch Perca flavescens. The δ13C of caudal fin was not significantly different from liver (t23 = −0.58; p = 0.57), and was more correlated with δ15N in liver (r2 = 0.78) than muscle (r2 = 0.56). Ethanol preservation enriched 15N and 13C for caudal fins, but by using our developed regression models, these changes in δ15N and δ13C can now be corrected. Overall, caudal fin tissue is a more reliable proxy to liver than muscle for δ15N and δ13C in yellow perch
Yurkowski et al. 2018 - Arctic Hotspots DDI shapefiles.zip
No full textThese filesets support data from the following paper published in Diversity and Distributions:Abundance and species diversity hotspots of tracked marine predators across the North American ArcticDOI: 10.1111/ddi.12860These
filesets are GIS shapefiles (WGS84 projection) which contain the
Getis-Ord Gi* analysis outputs for abundance densities and hotspots by
species
group and abundance and species diversity densities and hotspots across
species
groups by season.Species groups"CP" - cetaceans and pinnipeds"SB" - seabirds"PB" - polar bearsHeadings"FID" - grid cell number"Count_PTT" - number of unique individuals"Count_Spec" - number of unique species"GiZScore" - Getis-Ord Z score"GiPValue" - Getis-Ord P-value"Gi_Bin" - statistically significant hotspots at a=0.90 (1), 0.95 (2) and 0.99 (3) levels. Statistically significant coldspots at a=0.90 (-1), 0.95 (-2) and 0.99 (-3) levels. A score of 0 is non-significant. See the following link for more details on Getis-Ord Gi* output from ArcGIS: http://desktop.arcgis.com/en/arcmap/10.3/tools/spatial-statistics-toolbox/hot-spot-analysis.htm</div
Bacular and testicular growth and allometry in the ringed seal (<i>Pusa hispida</i>): evidence of polygyny?
No full textSpring distribution of ringed seals (Pusa hispida) in Eclipse Sound and Milne Inlet, Nunavut: implications for potential ice-breaking activities
No full textResource development in Arctic waters is proceeding rapidly leading to increased interactions with Arctic wildlife. As sea ice extent decreases, the demand for shipping and ice-breaking operations will expand into winter and spring with greater impact on ice-dependent pinnipeds. However, knowledge of the distribution of these species, such as ringed seals (Pusa hispida), during spring within areas of resource development is lacking. Baffinlandâ s Mary River iron ore port in southern Milne Inlet, Nunavut opened in 2015 with proposed ice-breaking activities in spring â an important period in ringed seal seasonal life-history. We conducted infrared and photographic aerial surveys in June 2016 and 2017 to overlay the proposed ice-breaking route with ringed seal hotspots (i.e. areas of higher density). We identified four areas of overlap where proposed ice-breaking would traverse through ringed seal hotspots: eastern and western Eclipse Sound (a ringed seal pupping ground identified by local knowledge), middle of Milne Inlet, and southern Milne Inlet. We identified potential negative implications of spring ice-breaking operations on ringed seals such as displacement, separation of mothers and pups, destruction of resting and birth lairs, and vessel-seal collisions. Results are relevant to policy decision-makers who can develop mitigation strategies in the rapidly thawing and developing Arctic.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Top predator sea stars are the benthic equivalent to polar bears of the pelagic realm
No full textInternational audienceThe marine pelagic compartment spans numerous trophic levels and consists of numerous reticulate connections between species from primary producers to iconic apex predators, while the benthic compartment is perceived to be simpler in structure and comprised of only low trophic level species. Here, we challenge this paradigm by illustrating that the benthic compartment is home to a subweb of similar structure and complexity to that of the pelagic realm, including the benthic equivalent to iconic polar bears: megafaunal-predatory sea stars
Effects of decomposition on carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values of muscle tissue of varying lipid content from three aquatic vertebrate species
No full textRationale Stable isotopes are a prominent tool in animal ecology where data is obtained from analyzing animal tissues, which are typically stored prior to analysis. However, the effect of decomposition on the reliability of stable isotope ratios from animal tissue prior to storage has been seldom studied. Here, we examine the long-term effects of freezing and decomposition of animal tissue on δ13C and δ15N values across three different aquatic species of varying lipid content. Methods Ringed seal, lake trout and Greenland shark muscle were divided into different treatment groups and analyzed for their δ13C values, carbon content (%C), δ15N values, and nitrogen content (%N) at specific time intervals. The intervals included days 0, 128 and 700 for the frozen storage treatment and at days 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128 and 256 for the tissue decomposition treatment in open and closed vials at room temperature. Results The difference in δ13C and δ15N values between the control and days 128 and 700 for the frozen treatment was minimal and not significant for any species. Generally, significant decreases in carbon (%C) and nitrogen (%N) content and significant increases ( > 0.5‰) in δ13C and δ15N values occurred for muscle of each species left to decompose for 256 days, probably due to the preferential uptake of lighter isotopes during decomposition by microbes. However, the magnitude of change in the δ13C and δ15N values up to 8 days in both treatments was low (generally ≤ 0.1‰) and not significant across most species. Conclusions Freezing for extended time periods (up to 700 days) is a viable storage technique for stable isotope analysis of aquatic animal muscle tissue across a range of lipid contents. Muscle tissue left to decompose at room temperature showed no significant change in δ13C and δ15N values after 8 days, and such tissues would still be reliable for ecological interpretations. However, caution should be used for decomposed tissue for > 8 days as the δ13C and δ15N values will probably be artificially high. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
Corrigendum to “Environmental and life-history factors influence inter-colony multidimensional niche metrics of a breeding Arctic marine bird” [Sci. Total Environ. 796 (2021) 148935] (Science of the Total Environment (2021) 796, (S0048969721040079), (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148935))
No full textThe authors regret that the printed version of the above article contained an omission of an individual deserving of co-authorship. The correct and final version follows. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused. < Reyd A. Smith1⁎, David J. Yurkowski2, Kyle J.L. Parkinson1, Jérôme Fort3, Holly L. Hennin4, H. Grant Gilchrist4, Keith A. Hobson5, Mark L. Mallory6, Paco Bustamante3, Jóhannis Danielsen7, Svend E. Garbus8, Sveinn A. Hanssen9, Jón Einar Jónsson10, Christopher J. Latty11, Ellen Magnúsdóttir10, Børge Moe9, Glen J. Parsons12, Christian Sonne8, Grigori Tertitski13, and Oliver P. Love1> Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, N9B 3P4 2 Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, R3T 2N6 3 Littoral, Environnement et Sociétés (LIENSs), UMR 7266 CNRS – La Rochelle University, La Rochelle, France, FR-17000 4 Environment and Climate Change Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, K0A 1H0. 5 Western University, London, Ontario, Canada, N6A 3K7 6Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, B4P 2R6 7 Faroe Marine Research Institute, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands, FO-110 8 Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark, DK-4000 9 Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Tromsø, Norway, N-9296 10 University of Iceland's Research Centre at Snæfellsnes, Hafnargata 3, 340, Stykkishólmur, Iceland 11 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fairbanks, Alaska, United States, 99701 12 Nova Scotia Department of Lands and Forestry, Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, B4N 4E5 13 Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 119017>
Geographic variation in ringed seal growth rate and body size
No full textWe summarize geographical patterns in ringed seal (Pusa hispida Schreber, 1775) body length and girth growth using 3012 samples collected by Inuit hunters in the eastern Canadian Arctic, 1990-2016. Spatial structure was detected using cluster analysis of environmental variables separating a northern region in the eastern Canadian High Arctic and a southern region in Hudson Bay. The north was characterized by more fast ice, multi-year ice, greater snow depth, colder temperatures, and greater sea ice concentration in the spring seal breeding season. Hierarchical Bayesian models described length and axillary girth growth of northern seals as slower than in the south, reaching asymptotic size 5-7 years later. Northern females were larger than males (asymptotic length of 149 versus 140 cm, respectively) and both were larger than southern seals (males and females 126 cm). We conclude that environmental variation was best represented by regions rather than latitude, regional body size differences were driven by differential growth rates, and northern ringed seals may be characterized by reverse sexual size dimorphism.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
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