Abstract
between 1987 and 2010 in the Sound (high season, 34 porpoises; low season, 19 porpoises). A total of 1,442 individual Wsh specimens from thirteen species were identiWed. Twelve of these were present in the high–porpoise density
season and seven in the low-density season. The distribution of occurrence and the distribution of number of Wsh species were diVerent between seasons, indicating a shift in prey intake between seasons. Furthermore, during the highdensity season, the mean and total prey weight per stomach
as well as the prey species diversity was higher. However, no diVerence was found in the number of prey species between the two seasons, indicating a higher quality of prey in the high-density season. Atlantic cod was found to be the
main prey species in terms of weight in the high-density season while Atlantic herring and Atlantic cod were equally important during the low-density season. Prey availability and predictability are suggested as the main drivers for harbour
porpoise distribution, and this could be caused by the formation of frontal zones in spring in the northern part of the Sound, leading to prey concentrations in predictable areas
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Marine Biology |
| Volume | 159 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1029-1037 |
| ISSN | 0025-3162 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Cite this
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Correlation between the seasonal distribution of harbour porpoises and their prey in the Sound, Baltic Sea. / Sveegaard, Signe; Andreasen, Heidi; Mouritsen, Kim N.; Jeppesen, Jens Peder; Teilmann, Jonas; Kinze, Carl C.
In: Marine Biology, Vol. 159, No. 5, 2012, p. 1029-1037.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Correlation between the seasonal distribution of harbour porpoises and their prey in the Sound, Baltic Sea
AU - Sveegaard, Signe
AU - Andreasen, Heidi
AU - Mouritsen, Kim N.
AU - Jeppesen, Jens Peder
AU - Teilmann, Jonas
AU - Kinze, Carl C.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Low densities of harbour porpoises in winter (November–March) and high densities in summer (April–October) were found in the Sound, connecting the Baltic Sea and Kattegat. Due to their high energy requirements, it is hypothesized that the density of harbour porpoises is related to local prey abundance. This was tested by examining the stomach content of 53 harbour porpoises collected between 1987 and 2010 in the Sound (high season, 34 porpoises; low season, 19 porpoises). A total of 1,442 individual Wsh specimens from thirteen species were identiWed. Twelve of these were present in the high–porpoise density season and seven in the low-density season. The distribution of occurrence and the distribution of number of Wsh species were diVerent between seasons, indicating a shift in prey intake between seasons. Furthermore, during the highdensity season, the mean and total prey weight per stomach as well as the prey species diversity was higher. However, no diVerence was found in the number of prey species between the two seasons, indicating a higher quality of prey in the high-density season. Atlantic cod was found to be the main prey species in terms of weight in the high-density season while Atlantic herring and Atlantic cod were equally important during the low-density season. Prey availability and predictability are suggested as the main drivers for harbour porpoise distribution, and this could be caused by the formation of frontal zones in spring in the northern part of the Sound, leading to prey concentrations in predictable areas
AB - Low densities of harbour porpoises in winter (November–March) and high densities in summer (April–October) were found in the Sound, connecting the Baltic Sea and Kattegat. Due to their high energy requirements, it is hypothesized that the density of harbour porpoises is related to local prey abundance. This was tested by examining the stomach content of 53 harbour porpoises collected between 1987 and 2010 in the Sound (high season, 34 porpoises; low season, 19 porpoises). A total of 1,442 individual Wsh specimens from thirteen species were identiWed. Twelve of these were present in the high–porpoise density season and seven in the low-density season. The distribution of occurrence and the distribution of number of Wsh species were diVerent between seasons, indicating a shift in prey intake between seasons. Furthermore, during the highdensity season, the mean and total prey weight per stomach as well as the prey species diversity was higher. However, no diVerence was found in the number of prey species between the two seasons, indicating a higher quality of prey in the high-density season. Atlantic cod was found to be the main prey species in terms of weight in the high-density season while Atlantic herring and Atlantic cod were equally important during the low-density season. Prey availability and predictability are suggested as the main drivers for harbour porpoise distribution, and this could be caused by the formation of frontal zones in spring in the northern part of the Sound, leading to prey concentrations in predictable areas
U2 - 10.1007/s00227-012-1883-z
DO - 10.1007/s00227-012-1883-z
M3 - Journal article
VL - 159
SP - 1029
EP - 1037
JO - Marine Biology
JF - Marine Biology
SN - 0025-3162
IS - 5
ER -