St Andrews Research Repository

St Andrews University Home
View Item 
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  •   St Andrews Research Repository
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • University of St Andrews Research
  • View Item
  • Login
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems

Thumbnail
View/Open
Quaggiotto_2018_AO_SealCarrion_AAM.pdf (1.492Mb)
Date
04/2018
Author
Quaggiotto, Maria-Martina
Barton, Philip S.
Morris, Christopher D.
Moss, Simon E. W.
Pomeroy, Patrick P.
McCafferty, Dominic J.
Bailey, David M.
Keywords
Predictability
Resource subsidy
Coastal
Carcass
Pinniped
Relative standard error
Scavenger
QH301 Biology
NDAS
NERC
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
The timing, magnitude, and spatial distribution of resource inputs can have large effects on dependent organisms. Few studies have examined the predictability of such resources and no standard ecological measure of predictability exists. We examined the potential predictability of carrion resources provided by one of the UK's largest grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) colonies, on the Isle of May, Scotland. We used aerial (11 years) and ground surveys (3 years) to quantify the variability in time, space, quantity (kg), and quality (MJ) of seal carrion during the seal pupping season. We then compared the potential predictability of seal carrion to other periodic changes in food availability in nature. An average of 6893 kg of carrion ∙yr−1 corresponding to 110.5 × 103 MJ yr−1 was released for potential scavengers as placentae and dead animals. A fifth of the total biomass from dead seals was consumed by the end of the pupping season, mostly by avian scavengers. The spatial distribution of carcasses was similar across years, and 28% of the area containing >10 carcasses ha−1 was shared among all years. Relative standard errors (RSE) in space, time, quantity, and quality of carrion were all below 34%. This is similar to other allochthonous-dependent ecosystems, such as those affected by migratory salmon, and indicates high predictability of seal carrion as a resource. Our study illustrates how to quantify predictability in carrion, which is of general relevance to ecosystems that are dependent on this resource. We also highlight the importance of carrion to marine coastal ecosystems, where it sustains avian scavengers thus affecting ecosystem structure and function.
Citation
Quaggiotto , M-M , Barton , P S , Morris , C D , Moss , S E W , Pomeroy , P P , McCafferty , D J & Bailey , D M 2018 , ' Seal carrion is a predictable resource for coastal ecosystems ' , Acta Oecologica , vol. 88 , pp. 41-51 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2018.02.010
Publication
Acta Oecologica
Status
Peer reviewed
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2018.02.010
ISSN
1146-609X
Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2018 Elsevier Masson SAS. This work has been made available online in accordance with the publisher’s policies. This is the author created, accepted version manuscript following peer review and may differ slightly from the final published version. The final published version of this work is available at hhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2018.02.010
Description
This work was supported in part by NERC National Capability funding to the Sea Mammal Research Unit (grant no. SMRU1001). MMQ was funded by a College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences PhD Scholarship (University of Glasgow) to undertake this research.
Collections
  • University of St Andrews Research
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/10023/17309

Items in the St Andrews Research Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.

Advanced Search

Browse

All of RepositoryCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunderThis CollectionBy Issue DateNamesTitlesSubjectsClassificationTypeFunder

My Account

Login

Open Access

To find out how you can benefit from open access to research, see our library web pages and Open Access blog. For open access help contact: openaccess@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Accessibility

Read our Accessibility statement.

How to submit research papers

The full text of research papers can be submitted to the repository via Pure, the University's research information system. For help see our guide: How to deposit in Pure.

Electronic thesis deposit

Help with deposit.

Repository help

For repository help contact: Digital-Repository@st-andrews.ac.uk.

Give Feedback

Cookie policy

This site may use cookies. Please see Terms and Conditions.

Usage statistics

COUNTER-compliant statistics on downloads from the repository are available from the IRUS-UK Service. Contact us for information.

© University of St Andrews Library

University of St Andrews is a charity registered in Scotland, No SC013532.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter