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Non-parametric analysis of the spatio-temporal variability in the fatty-acid profiles among Greenland sharks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2016

Holly N. Steeves ,
Bailey Mcmeans ,
Chris Field ,
Connie Stewart ,
Michael T. Arts ,
Aaron T. Fisk ,
Christian Lydersen ,
Kit M. Kovacs  and
M. Aaron Macneil
Holly N. Steeves*
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada
Bailey Mcmeans
Affiliation:
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
Chris Field
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada
Connie Stewart
Affiliation:
Department of Computer Science and Applied Statistics, University of New Brunswick Saint John, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, Canada
Michael T. Arts
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry and Biology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON M5B 2K3, Canada
Aaron T. Fisk
Affiliation:
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON N9B 3P4, Canada
Christian Lydersen
Affiliation:
Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
Kit M. Kovacs
Affiliation:
Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
M. Aaron Macneil
Affiliation:
Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB 3 Townsville MC, Townsville QLD, 4810, Australia
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: H.N. Steeves Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 3J5, Canada email: holly.steeves@dal.ca
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Abstract

Shifting prey distributions due to global warming are expected to generate dramatic ecosystem-wide changes in trophic structure within Arctic marine ecosystems. Yet a relatively poor understanding of contemporary Arctic food webs makes it difficult to predict the consequences of such changes for Arctic predators. Doing so requires quantitative approaches that can track contemporary changes in predator diets through time, using accurate, well-defined methods. Here we use fatty acids (FA) to quantify differences in consumer diet using permutational multivariate analysis of variance tests that characterize spatial and temporal changes in consumer FA signatures. Specifically we explore differences in Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) FA to differentiate their potential trophic role between Svalbard, Norway and Cumberland Sound, Canada. Greenland shark FA signatures revealed significant inter-annual differences, probably driven by varying seal and Greenland halibut responses to environmental conditions such as the NAO, bottom temperature, and annual sea-ice extent. Uncommon FA were also found to play an important role in driving spatial and temporal differences in Greenland shark FA profiles. Our statistical approach should facilitate quantification of changing consumer diets across a range of marine ecosystems.

Keywords

Ecological tracersquantifying changepredator dietspolar ecologyfatty acid signatures
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 98 , Issue 3 , May 2018 , pp. 627 - 633
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2016 

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Supplementary material: File

Steeves supplementary material

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