Ecological correlates of blue whale movement behavior and its predictability in the California Current Ecosystem during the summer-fall feeding season

Movement Ecology
Daniel M PalaciosBruce R Mate

Abstract

Species distribution models have shown that blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) occur seasonally in high densities in the most biologically productive regions of the California Current Ecosystem (CCE). Satellite telemetry studies have additionally shown that blue whales in the CCE regularly switch between behavioral states consistent with area-restricted searching (ARS) and transiting, indicative of foraging in and moving among prey patches, respectively. However, the relationship between the environmental correlates that serve as a proxy of prey relative to blue whale movement behavior has not been quantitatively assessed. We investigated the association between blue whale behavioral state and environmental predictors in the coastal environments of the CCE using a long-term satellite tracking data set (72 tagged whales; summer-fall months 1998-2008), and predicted the likelihood of ARS behavior at tracked locations using nonparametric multiplicative regression models. The models were built using data from years of cool, productive conditions and validated against years of warm, low-productivity conditions. The best model contained four predictors: chlorophyll-a, sea surface temperature, and seafloor aspect and depth. This mode...Continue Reading

References

Aug 13, 2005·Bioinformatics·Tobias SingThomas Lengauer
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Jan 28, 2010·Ecology Letters·Colin M BealeDavid A Elston
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Jan 25, 2017·Ecology and Evolution·Bruce R MateDaniel M Palacios
Oct 22, 2017·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Quinn M R Webber, Eric Vander Wal

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