Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., Paris 06, UMR 7159 CNRS-IRD-MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, 75005, Paris, France.
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania, 7001, Australia.
Sci Rep. 2018 Feb 16;8(1):3183. doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-21388-9.
Antarctic coastal polynyas are regions of persistent open water and are thought to be key bio-physical features within the sea-ice zone. However, their use by the upper trophic levels of ecosystems remains unclear. A unique bio-physical dataset recorded by southern elephant seals reveals that East Antarctic polynyas are a key winter foraging habitat for male seals. During their post-moult trips from Isles Kerguelen to the Antarctic continental shelf, a total of 18 out of 23 seals visited 9 different polynyas, spending on average 25 ± 20% (up to 75%) of their total trip time inside polynyas. Changes in seal foraging and diving behaviours are observed inside polynyas as compared to outside polynyas. Two polynya usages by seals are observed for the inactive and active polynya phases, pointing to different seasonal peaks in prey abundance. During the active polynya phase, we link seal foraging behaviour to changes in the physical stability of the water-column, which likely impact the seasonal biological dynamics within polynyas.
南极沿海冰间湖是持续存在开阔水域的区域，被认为是海冰区的关键生物物理特征。然而，它们在生态系统的上层营养级中的利用情况仍不清楚。由南部象海豹记录的独特生物物理数据集显示，东南极冰间湖是雄性海豹冬季觅食的重要栖息地。在它们从凯尔盖朗群岛到南极大陆架的换毛后旅行中，总共有 23 只海豹中的 18 只访问了 9 个不同的冰间湖，在冰间湖中的总旅行时间平均占 25±20%（高达 75%）。与冰间湖外相比，海豹的觅食和潜水行为在冰间湖内发生了变化。海豹对不活跃和活跃冰间湖阶段的两种使用方式表明，猎物丰度存在不同的季节性峰值。在活跃的冰间湖阶段，我们将海豹的觅食行为与水柱物理稳定性的变化联系起来，这可能会影响冰间湖内的季节性生物动态。
