| Title | The effects of prey demography on humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) abundance around Anvers Island, Antarctica |
| Author | Friedlaender, A.S.; Fraser, W.R.; Patterson, D.; Qian, S.S.; Halpin, P.N. |
| Author Affil | Friedlaender, A.S., Duke University, Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC. Other: Polar Oceans Research Group |
| Source | Polar Biology, 31(10), p.1217-1224, . Publisher: Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany. ISSN: 0722- 4060 |
| Publication Date | Sept. 2008 |
| Notes | In English. 34 refs. GeoRef Acc. No: 288497 |
| Index Terms | Antarctica--Anvers Island; Southern Ocean; Antarctica; Anvers Island; Arthropoda; Aves; Cetacea; Chordata; Crustacea; ecology; Eutheria; Invertebrata; Mammalia; Mandibulata; Neornithes; populations; predation; predators; quantitative analysis; Sphenisciformes; Tetrapoda; Theria; Vertebrata |
| Abstract | Baleen whales and Adelie penguins in the near-shore waters around the Antarctic Peninsula forage principally on Antarctic krill. Given the spatial overlap in the distribution of these krill predators (particularly humpback whales) and their dependence on krill, the goals of this paper are to determine if the inter-annual community structure and relative abundance of baleen whales around Anvers Island is related to krill demography and abundance, and if the potential exists for inter-specific interactions between Adelie penguins and baleen. We use whale sightings and prey data from both net tows and Adelie penguin stomach samples to correlate the abundance of humpback whales with krill demography and abundance from 1993 to 2001. We find significant relationships between whale abundance and the size-frequency distribution of krill targeted by Adelie penguins, as well as the foraging success of Adelie penguins. (modif. j. abstr.) |
| URL | http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s00300-008-0460-x |
| Publication Type | journal article |
| Record ID | 85168 |