Humpback whale song recordings suggest common feeding ground occupation by multiple populations. 2021

Elena Schall, and Karolin Thomisch, and Olaf Boebel, and Gabriele Gerlach, and Sari Mangia Woods, and Irene T Roca, and Ilse Van Opzeeland
Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, Bremerhaven, Germany. elena.schall@awi.de.

Humpback whale males are known to sing on their low-latitude breeding grounds, but it is well established that songs are also commonly produced 'off-season' on the feeding grounds or during migration. This opens exciting opportunities to investigate migratory aggregations, study humpback whale behavioral plasticity and potentially even assign individual singers to specific breeding grounds. In this study, we analyzed passive acoustic data from 13 recording positions and multiple years (2011-2018) within the Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean (ASSO). Humpback whale song was detected at nine recording positions in five years. Most songs were recorded in May, austral fall, coinciding with the rapid increase in sea ice concentration at most recording positions. The spatio-temporal pattern in humpback whale singing activity on Southern Ocean feeding grounds is most likely shaped by local prey availability and humpback whale migratory strategies. Furthermore, the comparative analyses of song structures clearly show a differentiation of two song groups, of which one was solely recorded at the western edge of the ASSO and the other song group was recorded throughout the ASSO. This new finding suggests a common feeding ground occupation by multiple humpback whale populations in the ASSO, allowing for cultural and potentially even genetic exchange among populations.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D005247 Feeding Behavior Behavioral responses or sequences associated with eating including modes of feeding, rhythmic patterns of eating, and time intervals. Dietary Habits,Eating Behavior,Faith-based Dietary Restrictions,Feeding Patterns,Feeding-Related Behavior,Food Habits,Diet Habits,Eating Habits,Behavior, Eating,Behavior, Feeding,Behavior, Feeding-Related,Behaviors, Eating,Behaviors, Feeding,Behaviors, Feeding-Related,Diet Habit,Dietary Habit,Dietary Restriction, Faith-based,Dietary Restrictions, Faith-based,Eating Behaviors,Eating Habit,Faith based Dietary Restrictions,Faith-based Dietary Restriction,Feeding Behaviors,Feeding Pattern,Feeding Related Behavior,Feeding-Related Behaviors,Food Habit,Habit, Diet,Habit, Dietary,Habit, Eating,Habit, Food,Habits, Diet,Pattern, Feeding,Patterns, Feeding,Restrictions, Faith-based Dietary
D005260 Female Females
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012919 Social Behavior Any behavior caused by or affecting another individual or group usually of the same species. Sociality,Behavior, Social,Behaviors, Social,Social Behaviors
D013637 Tape Recording Recording of information on magnetic or punched paper tape. Audiotapes,Tape Recordings,Audiotape,Recording, Tape
D014828 Vocalization, Animal Sounds used in animal communication. Singing, Animal,Sound Communication, Animal,Vocal Communication, Animal,Animal Singing,Animal Singings,Animal Sound Communication,Animal Sound Communications,Animal Vocal Communication,Animal Vocal Communications,Animal Vocalization,Animal Vocalizations,Communication, Animal Sound,Communication, Animal Vocal,Communications, Animal Sound,Communications, Animal Vocal,Singings, Animal,Sound Communications, Animal,Vocal Communications, Animal,Vocalizations, Animal
D050640 Humpback Whale The species Megaptera novaeangliae, in the family Balaenopteridae, characterized by its huge flippers and the arching of their back when diving. They are also known for their breaching and singing. Megaptera novaeangliae,Humpback Whales,Whale, Humpback,Whales, Humpback
D062211 Spatio-Temporal Analysis Techniques which study entities using their topological, geometric, or geographic properties and include the dimension of time in the analysis. Space-Time Geography,Spatial Temporal Analysis,Spatiotemporal Analysis,Analyses, Spatial Temporal,Analyses, Spatio-Temporal,Analyses, Spatiotemporal,Analysis, Spatial Temporal,Analysis, Spatio-Temporal,Analysis, Spatiotemporal,Geographies, Space-Time,Geography, Space-Time,Space Time Geography,Space-Time Geographies,Spatial Temporal Analyses,Spatio Temporal Analysis,Spatio-Temporal Analyses,Spatiotemporal Analyses,Temporal Analyses, Spatial,Temporal Analysis, Spatial

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