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Reproductive Energetics of Phocids

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Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Phocids

Part of the book series: Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals ((EBEMM))

Abstract

Phocid seals have a highly derived reproductive strategy characterized by the separation of feeding and reproduction, oftentimes across considerable spatial and temporal scales. Seals spend an extended period of time foraging far from the breeding colony, building up their energy reserves for a relatively brief pupping season onshore where access to food is limited. During lactation, enormous amounts of energy are quickly transferred from mother to pup before an abrupt weaning. This unusual reproductive strategy enables phocids to utilize habitats unavailable to most other mammals that must feed during lactation, from the unproductive waters of the tropics to the unstable pack ice of the world’s polar seas. In this chapter, we examine: the physiological, ecological, and behavioral adaptations behind the phocid breeding system; the ways in which resources are acquired and allocated to understand the importance of body size, lactation interval, milk energy content, and lipid stores in support of phocid reproduction; the connections between phocid mating systems and pupping substrate; and, finally, the origins and evolutionary implications of this extraordinary life history pattern.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the many collaborators, students, and colleagues who, over the years, have shaped our thinking on reproductive patterns, energetics, and life history patterns. These individuals have freely shared their ideas, thoughts, and data. DPC thanks Mary I Zavanelli, whose support over his career made his work possible; he only wishes she was here to read this. We thank A. Valenzuela-Toro, R. Holser, S. Kienle, and P. Pomeroy for comments on drafts of this paper, and Jessica Kendall-Barr for assistance in the production of the figures. The writing of this chapter was supported by the Office of Naval Research N00014-18-1-2822, the E&P Sound and Marine Life Joint Industry Project of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (JIP2207–23); and the NSF Polar Programs and Environments award 1644256.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Marine Science, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA

    Daniel P. Costa

  2. Department of Biology, West Chester University, 730 S Church St, West Chester, PA, 19383, USA

    Jennifer L. Maresh

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  1. Daniel P. Costa
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  2. Jennifer L. Maresh
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Correspondence to Daniel P. Costa .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ocean Health, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

    Daniel P. Costa

  2. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    Elizabeth A. McHuron

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Costa, D.P., Maresh, J.L. (2022). Reproductive Energetics of Phocids. In: Costa, D.P., McHuron, E.A. (eds) Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Phocids . Ethology and Behavioral Ecology of Marine Mammals. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88923-4_8

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