Possible niche compression and individual specialization in Pacific Arctic beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) from the 19th to 20th century

Fraleigh, Devin C.; Archer, Frederick I.; Williard, Amanda S.; Hückstädt, Luis A.; Fleming, Alyson H.

doi:10.1002/ece3.10230

i

Possible niche compression and individual specialization in Pacific Arctic beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) from the 19th to 20th century

Supporting Files

2023
By Fraleigh, Devin C. ; Archer, Frederick I. ; Williard, Amanda S. ; ...

Details

Journal Title:

Ecology and Evolution
Personal Author:

Fraleigh, Devin C. ; Archer, Frederick I. ; Williard, Amanda S. ; Hückstädt, Luis A. ; Fleming, Alyson H.
NOAA Program & Office:

NMFS (National Marine Fisheries Service) ; SWFSC (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)
Description:

Cetaceans have shown a potential to be used as sentinel species for tracking environmental change in marine ecosystems, yet our assessment of change is typically limited to recent decades and lacks ecological baselines. Using historical museum specimens, we compared community niche metrics and degree of individual dietary specialization in groups of Pacific Arctic beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) from the 1800s (n = 5) to 1900s (n = 10) using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes drilled from teeth. Beluga occupied a broader trophic niche and demonstrated a higher degree of individual specialization in the 1800s than in the 1900s. The cause of this shift is difficult to confirm given long timescales and constraints of specimen‐based research but could indicate changes in the prey base or competition. The scale and nature of this detected shift provide perspective for continued research on these climate‐vulnerable species.
Keywords:

Ecology Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics Nature And Landscape Conservation Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics Nature And Landscape Conservation Ecology, Evolution, Behavior And Systematics Nature And Landscape Conservation
Source:

Ecology and Evolution, 13(7)
DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10230
ISSN:

2045-7758 ; 2045-7758
Format:

PDF
Publisher:

Wiley
Document Type:

Journal Article
License:

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Rights Information:

CC BY
Compliance:

Library
Main Document Checksum:

urn:sha-512:1687deabdff9bf225b04de46312ac178dbd6af781ff92ff1be0ca59cb733e0eedd2b0fc2bba1cc9cb83ce910617ed2f05408034369a14286d7023d3d6ebd0283
Download URL:

https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/62406/noaa_62406_DS1.pdf
File Type:

[PDF - 2.66 MB ]

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