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Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries

Segregation of adult males from adult females and immature animals is known to occur in some beluga whale populations, but it is unclear if such segregation occurs in Hudson Bay, where the largest summering population in the world is found. Using imagery from a photographic aerial survey conducted i...

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Autores principales: Westdal, Kristin H., Davies, Jeremy, Ferguson, Steven H.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Public Library of Science 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9645605/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36350804
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255756
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author Westdal, Kristin H.
Davies, Jeremy
Ferguson, Steven H.
author_facet Westdal, Kristin H.
Davies, Jeremy
Ferguson, Steven H.
author_sort Westdal, Kristin H.
collection PubMed
description Segregation of adult males from adult females and immature animals is known to occur in some beluga whale populations, but it is unclear if such segregation occurs in Hudson Bay, where the largest summering population in the world is found. Using imagery from a photographic aerial survey conducted in August 2015, we examined spatial distribution by age class with respect to several environmental variables near two of three main estuaries, Churchill and Seal River, used by Western Hudson Bay belugas in the summer season. Belugas photographed during aerial surveys were classified by age manually using an identification decision tree, and GPS coordinates of their locations were plotted in ArcGIS. Distribution by age class was examined in relation to five habitat characteristics: distance to coastal habitat, bathymetry, sea surface temperature, and extent of river plume. Habitat characteristics and the proportion of animals by age classes were similar in both estuaries, indicating no segregation, and suggesting the environmental data assessed were not associated with patterns of distribution and density of age classes at the spatial and temporal scale being investigated. Overall density of calves was almost three times higher at the Seal River; however, suggesting this location may be preferred for calf rearing in the summer season. Results provide a greater understanding of spatial patterns of beluga whale habitat use in western Hudson Bay, and information useful in conservation and management advice.
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spelling pubmed-96456052022-11-15 Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries Westdal, Kristin H. Davies, Jeremy Ferguson, Steven H. PLoS One Research Article Segregation of adult males from adult females and immature animals is known to occur in some beluga whale populations, but it is unclear if such segregation occurs in Hudson Bay, where the largest summering population in the world is found. Using imagery from a photographic aerial survey conducted in August 2015, we examined spatial distribution by age class with respect to several environmental variables near two of three main estuaries, Churchill and Seal River, used by Western Hudson Bay belugas in the summer season. Belugas photographed during aerial surveys were classified by age manually using an identification decision tree, and GPS coordinates of their locations were plotted in ArcGIS. Distribution by age class was examined in relation to five habitat characteristics: distance to coastal habitat, bathymetry, sea surface temperature, and extent of river plume. Habitat characteristics and the proportion of animals by age classes were similar in both estuaries, indicating no segregation, and suggesting the environmental data assessed were not associated with patterns of distribution and density of age classes at the spatial and temporal scale being investigated. Overall density of calves was almost three times higher at the Seal River; however, suggesting this location may be preferred for calf rearing in the summer season. Results provide a greater understanding of spatial patterns of beluga whale habitat use in western Hudson Bay, and information useful in conservation and management advice. Public Library of Science 2022-11-09 /pmc/articles/PMC9645605/ /pubmed/36350804 http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255756 Text en © 2022 Westdal et al https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Research Article
Westdal, Kristin H.
Davies, Jeremy
Ferguson, Steven H.
Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title_full Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title_fullStr Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title_full_unstemmed Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title_short Assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in Western Hudson Bay estuaries
title_sort assessing seasonal spatial segregation by age class of beluga whales (delphinapterus leucas) in western hudson bay estuaries
topic Research Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9645605/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36350804
http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255756
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