Changes in California sea lion diet during a period of substantial climate variability

The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) is a productive eastern boundary upwelling system that supports a wide variety of forage stocks. Decadal and interannual variability in the environment influence forage species, which in turn affects predators. The recent diet of California sea lions ( Zalophus...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine biology 2018-10, Vol.165 (10), p.1-12, Article 169
Main Authors: Robinson, Heather, Thayer, Julie, Sydeman, William J., Weise, Michael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Annual variations
Aquatic mammals
Biomedical and Life Sciences
California sea lion
Cephalopod fisheries
Climate
Climate variability
Clupeoid fisheries
Diet
Engraulis mordax
Fisheries
Fisheries surveys
Fishery surveys
Food and nutrition
Forage species
Foraging (Animal feeding behavior)
Freshwater & Marine Ecology
Hake
Life Sciences
Marine & Freshwater Sciences
Marine biology
Marine fishes
Marine mammals
Marine molluscs
Microbiology
Observations
Ocean circulation
Oceanography
Original Paper
Predators
Prey
Sardinops sagax
Sea lions
Stocks
Surveys
Upwelling
Variability
Zalophus californianus
Zoological research
Zoology
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Summary:The California Current Ecosystem (CCE) is a productive eastern boundary upwelling system that supports a wide variety of forage stocks. Decadal and interannual variability in the environment influence forage species, which in turn affects predators. The recent diet of California sea lions ( Zalophus californianus ; CSL) from Central California was determined using identification of hard parts from scat samples ( n  = 785) collected on Año Nuevo Island (37.1083°N 122.3378°W) in 2010 and 2012–2016. Comparisons were made with previously reported data from the late 1990’s and with prey availability as measured by fishery-independent surveys. A significant shift in diet was seen between the two decades where diet from the 1990’s was dominated by Pacific sardine ( Sardinops sagax ) and northern anchovy ( Engraulis mordax ). By 2010, diet was more diverse, characterized by rockfishes, Pacific hake, and market squid. There were also strong interannual differences in diet during the most recent decade, a time of substantial climate variability in the North Pacific Ocean. In general, prey were consumed in relation to what was available in the environment.
ISSN:0025-3162
1432-1793
DOI:10.1007/s00227-018-3424-x