Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes
Species occurring in sympatry and relying on similar and limited resources may partition resource use to avoid overlap and interspecific competition. Aotearoa, New Zealand hosts an extraordinarily rich marine megafauna, including 50% of the world’s cetacean species. In this study, we used carbon and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Biology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1179 |
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| author | Katharina J. Peters Sarah J. Bury Bethany Hinton Emma L. Betty Déborah Casano-Bally Guido J. Parra Karen A. Stockin |
| author_facet | Katharina J. Peters Sarah J. Bury Bethany Hinton Emma L. Betty Déborah Casano-Bally Guido J. Parra Karen A. Stockin |
| author_sort | Katharina J. Peters |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Species occurring in sympatry and relying on similar and limited resources may partition resource use to avoid overlap and interspecific competition. Aotearoa, New Zealand hosts an extraordinarily rich marine megafauna, including 50% of the world’s cetacean species. In this study, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes as ecological tracers to investigate isotopic niche overlap between 21 odontocete (toothed whale) species inhabiting neritic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic waters. Results showed a clear niche separation for the bathypelagic Gray’s beaked whales (<i>Mesoplodon grayi</i>) and sperm whales (<i>Physeter macrocephalus</i>), but high isotopic niche overlap and potential interspecific competition for neritic and mesopelagic species. For these species, competition could be reduced via temporal or finer-scale spatial segregation or differences in foraging behaviour. This study represents the first insights into the coexistence of odontocetes in a biodiverse hotspot. The data presented here provide a critical baseline to a system already ongoing ecosystem change via ocean warming and subsequent effects on prey abundance and distributions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:00:40Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-afef573585f2446996e0e9ce4b4a9dd0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:00:40Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Biology |
| spelling | doaj.art-afef573585f2446996e0e9ce4b4a9dd02023-12-01T23:26:18ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372022-08-01118117910.3390/biology11081179Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s OdontocetesKatharina J. Peters0Sarah J. Bury1Bethany Hinton2Emma L. Betty3Déborah Casano-Bally4Guido J. Parra5Karen A. Stockin6Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New ZealandNational Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington 6021, New ZealandCetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New ZealandCetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New ZealandCetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New ZealandCetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, AustraliaCetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland 0745, New ZealandSpecies occurring in sympatry and relying on similar and limited resources may partition resource use to avoid overlap and interspecific competition. Aotearoa, New Zealand hosts an extraordinarily rich marine megafauna, including 50% of the world’s cetacean species. In this study, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes as ecological tracers to investigate isotopic niche overlap between 21 odontocete (toothed whale) species inhabiting neritic, mesopelagic, and bathypelagic waters. Results showed a clear niche separation for the bathypelagic Gray’s beaked whales (<i>Mesoplodon grayi</i>) and sperm whales (<i>Physeter macrocephalus</i>), but high isotopic niche overlap and potential interspecific competition for neritic and mesopelagic species. For these species, competition could be reduced via temporal or finer-scale spatial segregation or differences in foraging behaviour. This study represents the first insights into the coexistence of odontocetes in a biodiverse hotspot. The data presented here provide a critical baseline to a system already ongoing ecosystem change via ocean warming and subsequent effects on prey abundance and distributions.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1179dietdolphinsstable isotopesnitrogencarbonfeeding ecology |
| spellingShingle | Katharina J. Peters Sarah J. Bury Bethany Hinton Emma L. Betty Déborah Casano-Bally Guido J. Parra Karen A. Stockin Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes Biology diet dolphins stable isotopes nitrogen carbon feeding ecology |
| title | Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes |
| title_full | Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes |
| title_fullStr | Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes |
| title_short | Too Close for Comfort? Isotopic Niche Segregation in New Zealand’s Odontocetes |
| title_sort | too close for comfort isotopic niche segregation in new zealand s odontocetes |
| topic | diet dolphins stable isotopes nitrogen carbon feeding ecology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/11/8/1179 |
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