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Movement, site fidelity and connectivity in a top marine predator, the killer whale

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Abstract

Movement, site fidelity and connectivity have important consequences for the evolution of population structure and therefore the conservation and management of a species. In this study photographs of naturally marked killer whales collected from sites across the Northeast Atlantic are used to estimate fidelity to sampling locations and movement between locations, expressed as transition probabilities, pt, using maximum likelihood methods. High transition probabilities suggest there is high inter-annual site fidelity to all locations, and large-scale movement between the spawning and wintering grounds of both Norwegian and Iceland stocks of Atlantic herring. There was no evidence of movement between the Norwegian herring grounds and Icelandic herring grounds, or between the mackerel fishing grounds and the herring fishing grounds. Thus the movement of predictable and abundant prey resources can lead to intrinsic isolation in this species We also find movement between the Northern Isles, Scotland and East Iceland. An association network indicates that killer whales predating seals around the Northern Isles, Scotland are linked to the community of killer whales that follow the Icelandic summer-spawning herring. This adds support to existing evidence of a broad niche width in some populations.

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Acknowledgments

We thank all individuals and groups that supplied photographs and all those who worked on the dedicated photo-identification surveys including Anna Bisther, Harriet Bolt, Volker Deecke, Lewis Drydale, Sanna Kuningas, Genevieve Leaper, Thomas Lyrholm, Laura Mandleberg, Alice Rocco, Filipa Samara, Greg Schorr, Jóhann Sigurjónsson, Fernando Ugarte, and Natalie Ward. This manuscript was much improved by helpful comments from Sanna Kuningas, Paul Thompson and two anonymous reviewers. This work was supported by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland; Iceland Air; Northlink Ferries; Ocean Futures; the Scottish Executive; Scottish Natural Heritage; Shetland Amenity Trust; Shetland Sea Mammal Group; University of Aberdeen and WWF Sweden.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Lighthouse Field Station, Cromarty, Ross-shire, IV11 8YJ, UK

    Andrew D. Foote

  2. Wild Idea, Box 181, 8465, Straumsjøen, Norway

    Tiu Similä

  3. Marine Research Institute, Program for Whale Research, PO Box 1390, 121, Reykjavík, Iceland

    Gísli A. Víkingsson

  4. Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, 28 Main Street, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, PA75 6NU, UK

    Peter T. Stevick

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  1. Andrew D. Foote
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Correspondence to Andrew D. Foote.

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Foote, A.D., Similä, T., Víkingsson, G.A. et al. Movement, site fidelity and connectivity in a top marine predator, the killer whale. Evol Ecol 24, 803–814 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-009-9337-x

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