title: Variability in sea ice cover and climate elicit sex specific responses in an Antarctic predator.
abstract: Contrasting regional changes in Southern Ocean sea ice have occurred over the last 30 years with distinct regional effects on ecosystem structure and function. Quantifying how Antarctic predators respond to such changes provides the context for predicting how climate variability/change will affect these assemblages into the future. Over an 11-year time-series, we examine how inter-annual variability in sea ice concentration and advance affect the foraging behaviour of a top Antarctic predator, the southern elephant seal. Females foraged longer in pack ice in years with greatest sea ice concentration and earliest sea ice advance, while males foraged longer in polynyas in years of lowest sea ice concentration. There was a positive relationship between near-surface meridional wind anomalies and female foraging effort, but not for males. This study reveals the complexities of foraging responses to climate forcing by a poleward migratory predator through varying sea ice property and dynamic anomalies.
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., Paris 06, UMR 7159 CNRS-IRD-MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, 75005 Paris, France.|Marine Predator Unit, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Labrousse
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., Paris 06, UMR 7159 CNRS-IRD-MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, 75005 Paris, France.|British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridge, CB3 0ET, UK.
authors.forename: Jean-Baptiste
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Sallée
authors.affiliation: Institute of Low Temperature Science, Hokkaido University, N19 W8, Kita-ku, Sapporo 060-0819, Japan.|Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexander D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fraser
authors.affiliation: Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Australian Antarctic Division, Channel Highway, Kingston, Tasmania 7050, Australia.
authors.forename: Rob A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Massom
authors.affiliation: Australian Bureau of Meteorology, Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Phillip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.affiliation: Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, Australian Research Council, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Hobbs
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 Université de la Rochelle-CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France.
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guinet
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harcourt
authors.affiliation: Marine Predator Unit, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales 2109, Australia.|Sydney Institute of Marine Science, 19 Chowder Bay Road, Mosman, New South Wales 2088, Australia.
authors.forename: Clive
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McMahon
authors.affiliation: Observatoire PELAGIS, UMS 3462 CNRS-ULR, 17000 La Rochelle, France.
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Authier
authors.affiliation: South Australian Research &Development Institute (SARDI), 2 Hamra Avenue, West Beach, South Australia 5024, Australia.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bailleul
authors.affiliation: Marine Predator Unit, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 129, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.|Antarctic Climate &Ecosystems Cooperative Research Centre, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 80, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hindell
authors.affiliation: Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ., Paris 06, UMR 7159 CNRS-IRD-MNHN, LOCEAN-IPSL, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Jean-Benoit
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Charrassin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D057231:Climate Change; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D046448:Ice Cover; D008297:Male; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D014919:Wind