Population dynamics of southern elephant seals : a synthesis of three decades of demographic research at Marion Island

dc.contributor.authorPistorius, Pierre Anton
dc.contributor.authorDe Bruyn, P.J. Nico
dc.contributor.authorBester, Marthan Nieuwoudt
dc.date.accessioned2012-08-21T07:33:03Z
dc.date.available2013-07-31T00:20:04Z
dc.date.issued2011
dc.description.abstractSouthern elephant seal Mirounga leonine numbers declined precipitously throughout most of their circumpolar distribution since the 1950s. A long-term intensive demographic programme was initiated in 1983 on the relatively small population of southern elephant seals at sub-Antarctic Marion Island in an attempt to identify causative mechanisms associated with this decline. Weaned pups have been tagged annually since 1983, and this has produced a large number of individuals of known identity. A regular resighting programme yielded a mark-recapture dataset that has been subjected to numerous survival-based models. This ongoing programme produced a substantial body of scientific literature on population growth patterns, vital rates (survival and fecundity) and population regulation in southern elephant seals, which are reviewed in this synthesis. We briefly describe the analytical framework common to much of the demographic research, highlight important conclusions concerning population regulation of elephant seals at Marion Island, and discuss priorities for future research.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipThe Department of Environmental Affairs provided both financial and logistical support for research at Marion Island in earlier years. More recently the Department of Science and Technology provided the funding, managed by the National Research Foundation.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tams20en_US
dc.identifier.citationPistorius, PA, De Bruyn, PJN & Bester, MN 2011, 'Population dynamics of southern elephant seals : a synthesis of three decades of demographic research at Marion Island', African Journal of Marine Science, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 523-534.en_US
dc.identifier.issn1814–232X (print)
dc.identifier.issn1814–2338 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.2989/1814232X.2011.637357
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/19616
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherTaylor & Francisen_US
dc.rights© NISC (Pty) Ltd and Taylor & Francis. This is an electronic version of an article published in African Journal of Marine Science, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 523-534, 2011. African Journal of Marine Science is available online at: http://tandfonline.com/loi/tams20en_US
dc.subjectEnvironmental changeen_US
dc.subjectFecundityen_US
dc.subjectGrowthen_US
dc.subjectMark-recaptureen_US
dc.subjectMirounga leoninaen_US
dc.subjectPopulation regulationen_US
dc.subjectSurvivalen_US
dc.titlePopulation dynamics of southern elephant seals : a synthesis of three decades of demographic research at Marion Islanden_US
dc.typePostprint Articleen_US

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