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  • Jade Vacquié-Garcia
    Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
  • Jérôme Spitz
    Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
  • Mike Hammill
    Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, Mont-Joli, QC, Canada
  • Gary B. Stenson
    Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Centre, Canada
  • Kit M. Kovacs
    Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø
  • Christian Lydersen
    Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromsø
  • Marianna Chimienti
    Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR7372 CNRS-La Rochelle Université, Villiers-en-Bois, France
  • Mathylde Renaud
    Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
  • Paula Méndez Fernandez
    La Rochelle Université
  • Tiphaine Jeanniard du Dot
    Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé
The Arctic is a global warming ‘hot-spot’ that is experiencing rapid increases in air and ocean temperatures and concomitant decreases in sea ice cover. These environmental changes are having major consequences on Arctic ecosystems. All Arctic endemic marine mammals are highly dependent on ice-associated ecosystems for at least part of their life cycle and thus are sensitive to the changes occurring in their habitats. Understanding the biological consequences of changes in these environments is essential for ecosystem management and conservation. However, our ability to study climate change impacts on Arctic marine mammals is generally limited by the lack of sufficiently long data time series. In this study, we took advantage of a unique dataset on hooded seal (Cystophora cristata) movements (and serum samples) that spans more than 30 years in the Northwest Atlantic to (i) investigate foraging (distribution and habitat use) and dietary (trophic level of prey and location) habits over the last three decades and (ii) predict future locations of suitable habitat given a projected global warming scenario. We found that, despite a change in isotopic signatures that might suggest prey changes over the 30-year period, hooded seals from the Northwest Atlantic appeared to target similar oceanographic characteristics throughout the study period. However, over decades, they have moved northward to find food. Somewhat surprisingly, foraging habits differed between seals breeding in the Gulf of St Lawrence vs those breeding at the “Front” (off Newfoundland). Seals from the Gulf favoured colder waters while Front seals favoured warmer waters. We predict that foraging habitats for hooded seals will continue to shift northwards and that Front seals are likely to have the greatest resilience. This study shows how hooded seals are responding to rapid environmental change and provides an indication of future trends for the species—information essential for effective ecosystem management and conservation.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbere17186
JournalGlobal Change Biology
Volume30
Issue number3
Early online date7 Mar 2024
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Mar 2024
Externally publishedYes
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