Growth in marine mammals: a review of growth patterns, composition and energy investment.

ABSTRACT: Growth of structural mass and energy reserves influences individual survival, reproductive success, population and species life history. Metrics of structural growth and energy storage of individuals are often used to assess population health and reproductive potential, which can inform conservation. However, the energetic costs of tissue deposition for structural growth and energy stores and their prioritization within bioenergetic budgets are poorly documented. This is particularly true across marine mammal species as resources are accumulated at sea, limiting the ability to measure energy allocation and prioritization. We reviewed the literature on marine mammal growth to summarize growth patterns, explore their tissue compositions, assess the energetic costs of depositing these tissues

SUBMITTER: Adamczak SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10364341 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature