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Isotopic evidence for intersexual foraging variation in northern elephant seals from Baja California, Mexico

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Abstract

Intersexual foraging variation is a strategy that is usually adopted by sexually dimorphic species. The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) exhibits one of the most pronounced examples of sexual dimorphism in pinnipeds and segregation in this species’ migration toward foraging grounds in the North Pacific is well-documented for colonies in California; however, we lack comparable data from colonies in Mexico. The aim of this study was to use stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) to evaluate diet variation between adult males and females from a Mexican colony. Fur was collected from adult males (N = 15) and pups (N = 42) on the San Benito Archipelago during the 2012 molting season (summer) and the 2013 breeding season (winter). Values for adult females were inferred from their pups, based on previous studies. The resulting δ13C and δ15N values were significantly lower than those of their male counterparts. This difference may be due to the higher trophic position and a probable consumption of benthic prey (δ15N) by males, and the use of mostly oceanic habitats (δ13C) by adult females; the latter also had a larger isotopic niche than that of the former, as a probable consequence of more variable foraging grounds. Although our results are not the reflection of a simultaneous segregation, we obtained solid evidence on intersexual variation, which is common among dimorphic pinnipeds, particularly in terms of trophic position and habitat use, which tend to be the result of a marked difference in body mass and different energetic requirements.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support was provided by Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT, Mexico, Grant Number CB-181876). We thank the Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (SEMARNAT, Mexico), through the Dirección General de Vida Silvestre, for granting us research permits SGPA/DGVS/11309/12 and 11744/13. We also thank Cooperativa Pesquera “Pescadores Nacionales de Abulón” from Cedros Island, for their support in the field. FREV thanks the Instituto Politécnico Nacional for the support received through the Programa de Contratación por Excelencia (Contracting Excellence Program) and the EDI Fellowship. We thank Kristin Sullivan for editing the English version of the manuscript.

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  1. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ), Ave. de las Ciencias s/n, 76230, Juriquilla, Querétaro, Mexico

    Miriam A. Velázquez-Castillo

  2. Departamento de Pesquerías y Biología Marina, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas-Instituto Politécnico Nacional (CICIMAR-IPN), Ave. IPN s/n, Playa Palo de Santa Rita, 23096, La Paz, Mexico

    Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken

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  1. Miriam A. Velázquez-Castillo
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Correspondence to Fernando R. Elorriaga-Verplancken.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest, of any kind. All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Velázquez-Castillo, M.A., Elorriaga-Verplancken, F.R. Isotopic evidence for intersexual foraging variation in northern elephant seals from Baja California, Mexico. Mar Biol 164, 168 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-017-3192-z

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