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Feeding ecology of the long finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas edwardii, in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, determined by stable isotopes analysis

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Abstract

Cetaceans are known to play an important role in ecosystem structure and dynamics because they occupy the highest position in food webs. In order to improve our knowledge on the feeding ecology of the long finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas edwardii, in the western South Atlantic Ocean, we analyzed carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope composition of bone collagen from 54 specimens found stranded along the coast of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina. Through Bayesian mixing models we estimated the contribution of the most putative prey to the consumer’s diet. Prey species were selected, based on previous knowledge and covered all possible foraging areas for the region that were analyzed through a visual spatial analysis (based on sightings records). Based on our results, the long finned pilot whale is mainly a teutophagous species, feeding on squids, and can complement its diet with neritic prey when moving sporadically to coastal areas. We found that the southeastern part of Tierra del Fuego, north of Staten Island and the slope break around the Burdwood Bank are plausible feeding areas, which offer suitable habitats where pilot whales can search for their preferred prey. These areas are important for Argentin’s conservation policies, since they enclose three oceanic Marine Protected Areas (Namuncurá–Burdwood Bank, Burdwood Bank II and Yaganes). Therefore, it is crucial to improve the knowledge regarding their foraging preferences in order to provide support for conservation and management strategies in these MPAs.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by CONICET, Fundación R. Natalie P. Goodall (Museo Acatushún de Aves y Mamíferos Marinos Australes, Argentina) and AMP Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank Administration. We are indebted to RNP Goodall and the Committee for Research and Exploration (CRE) of the National Geographic Society that supported the work of RNPG for many years until her death in 2015. We especially appreciate the hard work of volunteers who located strandings, collected data and cleaned specimens in Tierra del Fuego. We thank Estela Ducós (INGEIS) for technical isotope analysis. We are grateful to captains and crews of the R/V Puerto Deseado and R/V Austral for their assistant during each survey. Special thanks to G.A. Lovrich, Scientific Coordinator of the MPA Namuncurá-Burdwood Bank, the BB scientific group and the scientific chief of each survey. We thank L. Proto Cassina, S. Fioramonti and M. Liljesthrom for their help in the English language. We would like to thank Silvina Botta and two anonymous reviewers and editor for their valuable suggestions that improved this manuscript. This work is the Nº 49 contribution of the Marine Protected Area Namuncurá (Ley 26.875).

Funding

This study was funded by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2013-2228) and operating costs were afforded by the AMP Namuncurá (Ley 26.875).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Científicas (CADIC), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

    Yamila A. Becker, Nicolás E. Fioramonti, Natalia A. Dellabianca & Luciana Riccialdelli

  2. Museo Acatushún de Aves y Mamíferos Marinos Australes, Ea. Harberton, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

    Natalia A. Dellabianca

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  1. Yamila A. Becker
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  2. Nicolás E. Fioramonti
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  3. Natalia A. Dellabianca
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  4. Luciana Riccialdelli
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YAB, NAD and LR conceived and designed the research. YAB, NAD and LR conducted field work. YAB processed samples. YAB, NEF, NAD and LR analyzed data. LR acquired the funding. All authors wrote and approved the manuscript for publication.

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Correspondence to Yamila A. Becker.

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cetacean bone samples collection and processing was carried out under IMMA project and ex-AMMA project approved by Provincial permits (Resolution SDSyA Nº715/2015 and SUBS PAyS 0002/2017) granted by Secretaría de Ambiente, Desarrollo Sustentable y Cambio Climático de la provincial de Tierra del Fuego, Antártida e Islas del Atlántico Sur, Argentina.

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Becker, Y.A., Fioramonti, N.E., Dellabianca, N.A. et al. Feeding ecology of the long finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas edwardii, in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean, determined by stable isotopes analysis. Polar Biol 44, 1655–1667 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-021-02908-2

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