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dc.contributor.authorStewart, J.E.
dc.contributor.authorPomeroy, P.P.
dc.contributor.authorDuck, C.D.
dc.contributor.authorTwiss, S.D.
dc.date.accessioned2015-11-04T14:40:02Z
dc.date.available2015-11-04T14:40:02Z
dc.date.issued2014-10-01
dc.identifier157757646
dc.identifier64692854-08df-4d84-85f1-5d18159bd575
dc.identifier84908354162
dc.identifier000342835800010
dc.identifier.citationStewart , J E , Pomeroy , P P , Duck , C D & Twiss , S D 2014 , ' Finescale ecological niche modeling provides evidence that lactating gray seals ( Halichoerus grypus ) prefer access to fresh water in order to drink ' , Marine Mammal Science , vol. 30 , no. 4 , pp. 1456-1472 . https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12126en
dc.identifier.issn0824-0469
dc.identifier.otherORCID: /0000-0003-1603-5630/work/46569082
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10023/7740
dc.description.abstractMany phocids are capital breeders, relying on stored reserves to sustain energetic requirements while on land. Their large body size, high energy expenditure during lactation, and the insulative effects of the blubber layer can lead to thermal stress from overheating, especially in warm and temperate climates. Thermal stress can influence fine-scale site choice on breeding colonies, and behavioral thermoregulation has been proposed as an explanation for the clear preferences shown by breeding female gray seals for proximity to pools of water. However, anecdotal observations suggest that pools of water may also be preferred for drinking, though water intake is difficult to verify without real-time physiological monitoring. Here, an alternative approach demonstrates that gray seals also require access to water for drinking. Using Ecological Niche Factor Analysis to examine fine-scale physical determinants of pupping site choice at North Rona, Scotland, we found that lactating mothers showed preference for lower salinity pools. This is most pronounced early in the season, when ambient temperatures and presumably thermal stress are greatest. Given that the cooling effect of fresh and salt water should be equivalent, the most parsimonious explanation for this preference for fresh water pools is that lactating females use these pools for drinking.
dc.format.extent17
dc.format.extent471224
dc.language.isoeng
dc.relation.ispartofMarine Mammal Scienceen
dc.subjectPinnipeden
dc.subjectPhociden
dc.subjectHabitat preferenceen
dc.subjectEcological Niche Factor Analysisen
dc.subjectENFAen
dc.subjectThermoregulationen
dc.subjectWater balanceen
dc.subjectWater drinkingen
dc.subjectSalinityen
dc.subjectQH301 Biologyen
dc.subjectNERCen
dc.subject.lccQH301en
dc.titleFinescale ecological niche modeling provides evidence that lactating gray seals (Halichoerus grypus) prefer access to fresh water in order to drinken
dc.typeJournal articleen
dc.contributor.sponsorNERCen
dc.contributor.sponsorNERCen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. School of Biologyen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Sea Mammal Research Uniten
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Marine Alliance for Science & Technology Scotlanden
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Scottish Oceans Instituteen
dc.contributor.institutionUniversity of St Andrews. Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modellingen
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/mms.12126
dc.description.statusPeer revieweden
dc.identifier.grantnumberNE/G008930/1en
dc.identifier.grantnumberAgreement R8-H12-86en


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