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2013-12-06

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cc-by (c) Borrell Thió, Assumpció et al., 2013
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/122524

Stable isotopes provide insight into population structure and segregation in eastern North Atlantic sperm whales

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Abstract

In pelagic species inhabiting large oceans, genetic differentiation tends to be mild and populations devoid of structure. However, large cetaceans have provided many examples of structuring. Here we investigate whether the sperm whale, a pelagic species with large population sizes and reputedly highly mobile, shows indication of structuring in the eastern North Atlantic, an ocean basin in which a single population is believed to occur. To do so, we examined stable isotope values in sequential growth layer groups of teeth from individuals sampled in Denmark and NW Spain. In each layer we measured oxygen- isotope ratios (δ18O) in the inorganic component (hydroxyapatite), and nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios (δ15N: δ13C) in the organic component (primarily collagenous). We found significant differences between Denmark and NW Spain in δ15N and δ18O values in the layer deposited at age 3, considered to be the one best representing the baseline of the breeding ground, in δ15N, δ13C and δ18O values in the period up to age 20, and in the ontogenetic variation of δ15N and δ18O values. These differences evidence that diet composition, use of habitat and/or migratory destinations are dissimilar between whales from the two regions and suggest that the North Atlantic population of sperm whales is more structured than traditionally accepted.

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0082398.g001

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Balenes, Ecologia marina, Biologia de poblacions, Poblacions animals, Atlàntic, Oceà

Subject (English)

Whales, Marine ecology, Population biology, Animal populations, Atlantic Ocean

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Articles publicats en revistes (Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals)
Articles publicats en revistes (Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio))

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BORRELL THIÓ, Assumpció, et al. Stable isotopes provide insight into population structure and segregation in eastern North Atlantic sperm whales. PLoS One. 2013. Vol. 8, num. 12, pags. e82398. ISSN 1932-6203. [consulted: 10 of October of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/122524

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