Amb motiu del tancament d'estiu, la validació de documents es reprendrà a partir del 28 d'agost de 2026. Disculpeu les molèsties.
Con motivo del cierre de verano, la validación de documentos se reanudará a partir del 28 de agosto de 2026. Disculpad las molestias
Due to the summer closure, document validation will resume starting August 28, 2026. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Files

864668.pdf (3.08 MB)

Document type

Article

Version

Published version

Publication date

2024-05-09

Publication license

cc-by (c) García-Vernet, R. et al., 2024
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/222337

Order within chaos: potential migratory strategies and individual associations in fin whales feeding off Iceland

Journal Title

Authors

Director/Tutor

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Related resource

https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-024-00474-w

Abstract

Background: The life cycle of most baleen whales involves annual migrations from low-latitude breeding grounds to high latitude feeding grounds. In most species, these migrations are traditionally considered to be carried out according to information acquired through vertical social learning during the first months of life and made individually. However, some recent studies have suggested a more complex scenario, particularly for the species of the Balaenoptera genus. Methods: Here, we studied the variation of δ15N and δ13C values along the growth axis of the baleen plate from 24 fin whales feeding off western Iceland to delve into their pattern of movements and to identify potential associations between individuals. The segment of baleen plate analyzed informed about at least two complete migratory cycles. We performed cluster analyses through two different methodologies and, whenever possible, we genotyped 20 microsatellite loci to determine potential existence of kinship. Results: Results of the of δ15N and δ13C values agree with a dispersion strategy in the winter breeding grounds. However, and despite the overall large variability, several pairs or groups of individuals with no kinship showed highly similar isotopic patterns for two consecutive years for both δ15N and δ13C values. Conclusions: Our results suggest that, notably, some whales without kinship share the same migratory regime and destinations. We hypothesize that this could reflect either: (i) the sharing of particularly beneficial migratory regimes, and/or (ii) long-term association between individuals.

Subject

Migració d'animals, Parentiu, Balenes

Subject (English)

Animal migration, Kinship, Whales

Citation

Collections

Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)

Citation

GARCÍA-VERNET, Raquel, et al. Order within chaos: potential migratory strategies and individual associations in fin whales feeding off Iceland. Movement Ecology. 2024. Vol. 12, num. 1, pags. 1-12. [consulted: 16 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/222337

Export metadata

JSON - METS

Share record