Observations on Marine Mammals and Seabirds in the Antarctic: Ecological Fingerprints of Seaside Distributions during the 79th Voyage of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh.

A survey of the expedition on the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in the waters south of the southernmost tip of Argentina, in the Drake Passage, as well as in the vicinities of the Antarctic Peninsula, the Scotia Sea, and the northern part of the Weddell Sea, was undertaken during two trips: January 16–February 6 (hereafter, January) and February 8–March 3 (hereafter, February), 2020. We propose a new method for analyzing the results of ecological studies and, based on this method, present new information on the ecology and spatial distribution of marine mammals and seabirds of the Antarctic. A number of marine mammal and seabird species showed similar ecological fingerprints, indicating their similar spatial distributions and the same relations to the environmental conditions regardless of their systematic position. The fin whale, the humpback whale, the snow petrel, the Adélie penguin, the Antarctic petrel, and the southern fulmar showed similar specific patterns of ecological fingerprints in January, showing the association of these species to the sea areas with icebergs and/or cut ice. In February, the allocation of the whale species to icy areas weakened what was mirrored in their ecological fingerprints, while all the above-mentioned bird species still preserved this association. The ecological fingerprints clearly circumscribe the broadness of the abiotic ecological niche occupied by individual species or species clusters. Ecological fingerprints are capable of showing changes in species distribution areas in certain periods (the southern royal albatross), in the strategy of the area usage patterns (the Antarctic fur seal), as well as in other ecological features, including those not yet considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biology Bulletin is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)