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A comparative analysis of life-history features and adaptive strategies of Arctic and subarctic seal species - who will win the climate change challenge?

PURPOSE:

Understanding and predicting species range shifts is crucial for conservation amid global warming. This study analyzes life-history traits of four seal species (ringed (Pusa hispida Schreber, 1775), bearded (Erignathus barbatus Pallas, 1811), harp (Pagophilus groenlandicus Erxleben, 1777), and harbour (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) seals) in the Canadian Arctic using data from Inuit subsistence harvests. Bearded seals are largest, followed by harp seals, harbour seals, and ringed seals. Seasonal blubber depth patterns show minimal variation in bearded seals, whereas harbour and ringed seals accumulate fat in open-water seasons and use it during ice-covered seasons. Endemic Arctic seals (ringed and bearded) exhibit greater longevity and determinate body growth, reaching maximum size by 5 years, while harbour and harp seals grow indeterminately, physically maturing around 10-15 years. Age of maturation varies, with ringed and harbour seals being more sensitive to environmental fluctuations. Most bearded seals reproduce successfully each year, while ringed seals exhibit more variability in their annual reproductive success. Analysis of isoprenoid lipids in liver tissue indicates that ringed and bearded seals rely on ice-algal production, whereas harp and harbour seals depend on open-water phytoplankton production. Bearded seals appear more specialized and potentially face less competition, while harp seals may adapt better to changing habitats. Despite expected range shifts to higher latitudes, all species exhibit tradeoffs, complicating predictions for the evolving Arctic environment.

DESCRIPTION:

This dataset contains the data reported in Steven H. Ferguson, Jeff W. Higdon, Brent G. Young, Stephen D. Petersen, Cody G. Carlyle, Ellen V. Lea, Caroline C. Sauvé, Doreen Kohlbach, Aaron T. Fisk, Gregory W. Thiemann, Katie R. N. Florko, Derek C. G. Muir, Charmain D. Hamilton, Magali Houde, Enooyaq Sudlovenick, and David J. Yurkowski. 2024. A comparative analysis of life-history features and adaptive strategies of Arctic and subarctic seal species - who will win the climate change challenge? Canadian Journal of Zoology 2024-0093.R1

The data set includes species, location, harvest date, sex, age, standard length, girth, fat depth, teste size, parity status, pregnancy status, corpora lutea (n), corpus albicans (n), follicles (n). This dataset includes raw, unfiltered, and unprocessed historical data provided by harvesters that have not been screened for outliers. Individual users should screen the data for their specific use.

Cite these data as:

Steven H. Ferguson, Jeff W. Higdon, Brent G. Young, Stephen D. Petersen, Cody G. Carlyle, Ellen V. Lea, Caroline C. Sauvé, Doreen Kohlbach, Aaron T. Fisk, Gregory W. Thiemann, Katie R. N. Florko, Derek C. G. Muir, Charmain D. Hamilton, Magali Houde, Enooyaq Sudlovenick, and David J. Yurkowski. 2024. Arctic and Aquatic Research Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, MB. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/ea9ff038-8b16-11ef-8cce-55cc7f028297

Simple

Date ( RI_366 )
1973
Date ( RI_367 )
2025-02-19
RI_409
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Steve Ferguson ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
204-229-3109
RI_415
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Steve Ferguson ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
204-229-3109
RI_412
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - AARD Data Request DRAA Demande de donnés (DFO/MPO)
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Brent Young ( Aquatic Science Biologist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
431-323-0364
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - David Yurkowski ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
204-983-5285
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Cortney Watt ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
431-277-3617
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Caroline Sauvé
Canada
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Ellen Lea ( Senior Biologist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
867-678-0656
RI_419
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Charmain Hamilton ( Research Scientist Chercheure scientifique )
80 East White Hills Rd , St. John's , Newfoundland and Labrador , A1C 5X1 , Canada
709-697-9053
Purpose
Understanding and predicting species range shifts is crucial for conservation amid global warming. This study analyzes life-history traits of four seal species (ringed (Pusa hispida Schreber, 1775), bearded (Erignathus barbatus Pallas, 1811), harp (Pagophilus groenlandicus Erxleben, 1777), and harbour (Phoca vitulina Linnaeus, 1758) seals) in the Canadian Arctic using data from Inuit subsistence harvests. Bearded seals are largest, followed by harp seals, harbour seals, and ringed seals. Seasonal blubber depth patterns show minimal variation in bearded seals, whereas harbour and ringed seals accumulate fat in open-water seasons and use it during ice-covered seasons. Endemic Arctic seals (ringed and bearded) exhibit greater longevity and determinate body growth, reaching maximum size by 5 years, while harbour and harp seals grow indeterminately, physically maturing around 10-15 years. Age of maturation varies, with ringed and harbour seals being more sensitive to environmental fluctuations. Most bearded seals reproduce successfully each year, while ringed seals exhibit more variability in their annual reproductive success. Analysis of isoprenoid lipids in liver tissue indicates that ringed and bearded seals rely on ice-algal production, whereas harp and harbour seals depend on open-water phytoplankton production. Bearded seals appear more specialized and potentially face less competition, while harp seals may adapt better to changing habitats. Despite expected range shifts to higher latitudes, all species exhibit tradeoffs, complicating predictions for the evolving Arctic environment.
Status
completed; complété RI_593
Maintenance and update frequency
notPlanned; nonPlanifié RI_542
NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Version 6.0.0.0.0 NASA/Global Change Master Directory (GCMD) Science Keywords Version 6.0.0.0.0 ( RI_528 )
  • Seals/Sea Lions/Walruses
  • Evolutionary Adaptation
  • Species Competition
  • Species Life History
Government of Canada Core Subject Thesaurus Thésaurus des sujets de base du gouvernement du Canada ( RI_528 )
  • Aquatic wildlife
DFO Areas Zones du MPO ( RI_525 )
  • Arctic Ocean
Use limitation
Open Government Licence - Canada (http://open.canada.ca/en/open-government-licence-canada)
Access constraints
license; licence RI_606
Use constraints
license; licence RI_606
Classification
unclassified; nonClassifié RI_484
Spatial representation type
textTable; texteTable RI_637
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Topic category
  • Biota
Begin date
1973
End date
2022
Description
Arctic
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Reference system identifier
http://www.epsg-registry.org / EPSG:4326
Distribution format
  • CSV ( n/a )

RI_414
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Steve Ferguson ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
204-229-3109
OnLine resource
DataDictionary_DictionnaireDonnees.pdf ( HTTPS )

Supporting Document;PDF;eng,fra

OnLine resource
Data_Donnees.csv ( HTTPS )

Dataset;CSV;eng,fra

OnLine resource
Seal locations ( ESRI REST: Map Server )

Web Service;ESRI REST;eng

OnLine resource
Seal locations ( ESRI REST: Map Server )

Web Service;ESRI REST;fra

File identifier
ea9ff038-8b16-11ef-8cce-55cc7f028297 XML
Metadata language
eng; CAN
Character set
utf8; utf8 RI_458
Hierarchy level
dataset; jeuDonnées RI_622
Date stamp
2025-03-19T19:18:57.604Z
Metadata standard name
North American Profile of ISO 19115:2003 - Geographic information - Metadata
Metadata standard version
CAN/CGSB-171.100-2009
RI_414
  Government of Canada; Fisheries and Oceans Canada - Steve Ferguson ( Research Scientist )
501 University Cres , Winnipeg , Manitoba , R3T 2N6 , Canada
204-229-3109
 
 

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