Influence of the phytoplankton community structure on the southern elephant seals' foraging activity within the Southern Ocean.

ABSTRACT: The intricate relationship between trophic levels in marine ecosystems remains largely unexplored, particularly in the Southern Ocean. To investigate the complex composition of water constituents, notably the phytoplankton community, we used machine learning techniques to classify six bio-optical classes from a comprehensive ocean-color data time-series. In situ data from the Southern Ocean further characterized these classes by predominant phytoplankton types. Bio-logging data from southern elephant seals revealed that 60% of prey-catch attempts were concentrated within the diatom-dominated class, despite its lower regional frequency. Seals exhibited enhanced foraging activity and prolonged residency periods, up to 42 consecutive days, in diatom-rich waters compared to 5-10 days in other

SUBMITTER: Sari El Dine Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12003893 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature