Mehta,A.V.
How important are baleen whales as prey for killer whales (Orcinus orca) in high-latitude waters? PhD Thesis
2004.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Alaska, Antarctic, Atlantic, Australia, baleen whales, Blue whale, blue whales, Gulf of Maine, Humpback Whale, humpback whales, killer whale, killer whales, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Atlantic, North Atlantic right whale, North Pacific, Oman, Orca, Orcinus orca, population, prey, pygmy blue whale, Pygmy blue whales, right whale, right whales, whale, whales, whaling
@phdthesis{,
title = {How important are baleen whales as prey for killer whales (Orcinus orca) in high-latitude waters?},
author = {Mehta,A.V.},
year = {2004},
date = {2004-01-01},
number = {403},
pages = {1-15},
publisher = {Boston University},
abstract = {Data on humpback whales were collected from twenty-one regions: eleven in the North Atlantic and three in the North Pacific, as well as American Samoa, Vava'u (Tonga), New Zealand, New Caledonia, western Australia, the Antarctic Peninsula, and Oman. The other species and subspecies included in this project were sampled from a single population each (Fig. 1): North Atlantic right whales, blue whales off southeastern Australia, and pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) off western Australia. The proportion of whales in different sampling regions bearing rake marks ranged from 0% to over 40%. The Gulf of Maine population had a scarring rate of 9.9-11%, while SW Alaska had a rate of 21.1 to 21.9%. Oman had a rate of 9.1% (3 of 33 animals). The highest rate of scarring was the "Mexico" population with a scarring rate of over 40%. Of those scarred animals with multi-year sighting histories, 82.8% to 100% had those scars the first time they were sighted. Of the total number of whales sampled from these regions, 0% to only 4.8% acquired new or additional rake marks after their first sighting, supporting the hypothesis that most whales aquire their scars as calves, and that adult baleen whales do not constitute a major prey source for killer whales.Overall, the present study suggests that the hypothesis presented by Springer et al. (2003) - that killer whales in the North Pacific were forced by industrial whaling to switch prey from baleen whales to pinnipeds and sea otters - is untenable.},
keywords = {Alaska, Antarctic, Atlantic, Australia, baleen whales, Blue whale, blue whales, Gulf of Maine, Humpback Whale, humpback whales, killer whale, killer whales, New Caledonia, New Zealand, North Atlantic, North Atlantic right whale, North Pacific, Oman, Orca, Orcinus orca, population, prey, pygmy blue whale, Pygmy blue whales, right whale, right whales, whale, whales, whaling},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
Data on humpback whales were collected from twenty-one regions: eleven in the North Atlantic and three in the North Pacific, as well as American Samoa, Vava'u (Tonga), New Zealand, New Caledonia, western Australia, the Antarctic Peninsula, and Oman. The other species and subspecies included in this project were sampled from a single population each (Fig. 1): North Atlantic right whales, blue whales off southeastern Australia, and pygmy blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus brevicauda) off western Australia. The proportion of whales in different sampling regions bearing rake marks ranged from 0% to over 40%. The Gulf of Maine population had a scarring rate of 9.9-11%, while SW Alaska had a rate of 21.1 to 21.9%. Oman had a rate of 9.1% (3 of 33 animals). The highest rate of scarring was the "Mexico" population with a scarring rate of over 40%. Of those scarred animals with multi-year sighting histories, 82.8% to 100% had those scars the first time they were sighted. Of the total number of whales sampled from these regions, 0% to only 4.8% acquired new or additional rake marks after their first sighting, supporting the hypothesis that most whales aquire their scars as calves, and that adult baleen whales do not constitute a major prey source for killer whales.Overall, the present study suggests that the hypothesis presented by Springer et al. (2003) - that killer whales in the North Pacific were forced by industrial whaling to switch prey from baleen whales to pinnipeds and sea otters - is untenable.
Wood,A.M.,Lipsen,M.,Coble,P.
Fluorescence-based characterization of phycoerythrin-containing cyanobacterial communities in the Arabian Sea during the Northeast and early Southwest Monsoon (1994-1995) Journal Article
In: Deep-Sea Research Part II, vol. 46, no. 265, pp. 1769-1790, 1999.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Arabian Sea, Distribution, Gulf of Maine, population, populations, salinity, temperature, Upwelling
@article{,
title = {Fluorescence-based characterization of phycoerythrin-containing cyanobacterial communities in the Arabian Sea during the Northeast and early Southwest Monsoon (1994-1995)},
author = {Wood,A.M.,Lipsen,M.,Coble,P.},
year = {1999},
date = {1999-01-01},
journal = {Deep-Sea Research Part II},
volume = {46},
number = {265},
pages = {1769-1790},
abstract = {Scanning fluorescence spectroscopy was used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability in the fluorescence signature of phycoerythrin-containing organisms in the Arabian Sea during the early Northeast and early Southwest Monsoon (1994-1995). Phycoerythrin (PE) emission spectra were relatively invariant among all the samples collected on either cruise; the relatively symmetrical PE emission peaks showed maxima at wavelengths ranging from 563-572 nm. PE excitation spectra always showed either a strong shoulder or a peak at wavelengths absorbed maximally by phycourobilin (PUB) chromophores as well as a peak at wavelengths absorbed maximally by phycoerythrobilin (PEB) chromophores. Thus, the Arabian Sea appears to be different from the Black Sea or Gulf of Maine in that PUB-lacking forms of PE rarely, if ever, dominate the PE signal. Fluorescence excitation signatures differed in the relative excitation of PE emission by wavelengths absorbed by PUB (~495 nm, ExPUB) and bywavelengths absorbed by PEB (~550 nm, ExPEB); these were distinguished by having either very low (~0.6), very high (~1.8), or intermediate ExPUB:ExPEB ratios. The distribution of samples with different PE fluorescence signatures was investigated extensively during the early Southwest Monsoon, and communities characterized by the low ExPUB:ExPEB ratios were closely associated with cooler (24-27§C), fresher (35.7-36.25 psu) water influenced by coastal upwelling. In general, "ambient" surface water of the Arabian Sea during the early Southwest Monsoon was of intermediate temperature (27-29§C) and salinity (36.15-36.4 psu) and showed intermediate or high values for ExPUB :ExPEB. This suggests that the PE fluorescence signature can be used to follow the fate of upwelling-influenced water masses and the populations they transport. },
keywords = {Arabian Sea, Distribution, Gulf of Maine, population, populations, salinity, temperature, Upwelling},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Scanning fluorescence spectroscopy was used to investigate the spatial and temporal variability in the fluorescence signature of phycoerythrin-containing organisms in the Arabian Sea during the early Northeast and early Southwest Monsoon (1994-1995). Phycoerythrin (PE) emission spectra were relatively invariant among all the samples collected on either cruise; the relatively symmetrical PE emission peaks showed maxima at wavelengths ranging from 563-572 nm. PE excitation spectra always showed either a strong shoulder or a peak at wavelengths absorbed maximally by phycourobilin (PUB) chromophores as well as a peak at wavelengths absorbed maximally by phycoerythrobilin (PEB) chromophores. Thus, the Arabian Sea appears to be different from the Black Sea or Gulf of Maine in that PUB-lacking forms of PE rarely, if ever, dominate the PE signal. Fluorescence excitation signatures differed in the relative excitation of PE emission by wavelengths absorbed by PUB (~495 nm, ExPUB) and bywavelengths absorbed by PEB (~550 nm, ExPEB); these were distinguished by having either very low (~0.6), very high (~1.8), or intermediate ExPUB:ExPEB ratios. The distribution of samples with different PE fluorescence signatures was investigated extensively during the early Southwest Monsoon, and communities characterized by the low ExPUB:ExPEB ratios were closely associated with cooler (24-27§C), fresher (35.7-36.25 psu) water influenced by coastal upwelling. In general, "ambient" surface water of the Arabian Sea during the early Southwest Monsoon was of intermediate temperature (27-29§C) and salinity (36.15-36.4 psu) and showed intermediate or high values for ExPUB :ExPEB. This suggests that the PE fluorescence signature can be used to follow the fate of upwelling-influenced water masses and the populations they transport.