For those following the Whale Lab at the University of Victoria, and colleagues interested in whale geography, a couple of new publications
First record of the marine mysid Hippacanthomysis platypoda Murano & Chess, 1987 in coastal waters of British Columbia, Canada Rianna E Burnham Kenneth Meland David A Duffus Journal of Crustacean Biology, 37(4): 496498, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcbiol/rux047 Mysids are key components of marine ecosystems, and changes in abundance or range may be indicative of a wider ecological condition. We report for the first time the collection of the mysid Hippacanthomysis platypodaMurano & Chess, 1987, previously known from California, in samples taken at a study site on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. The record may represent a growth in population number, or perhaps a range extension northward. Drivers for this increased recruitment or expansion may include an opening of niche space following reduction of sympatric species by predation and ocean warming from El Niño effect. Whale geography -Acoustics, biogeography and whales Rianna E Burnham Progress in Physical Geography, 41(5): 676-685, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133317734103 Typically, organism-based biogeographic studies consider distribution and abundance over time on various scales. However, to be comprehensive, factors of environment and habitat, energetics, morphology, and population dynamics should also be included. In addition, these studies should consider not only the spatial extent that an individual or species occupies or can roam within, but also the space over which an animal can extract and interpret information, a less well-defined element of niche space which largely shapes its movements or distribution. Understanding the processes that inform patterns of species distribution, both intrinsic and external to the animal, is key to understanding a species ecology. Here, we consider the biogeography of whales, given these ideas, with a particular focus on the acoustical components of their biology and landscape. Cetaceans use of sound to communicate, navigate and forage, and so interpret the soundscape, is a central consideration. It has important implications in a changing ambient environment and will increasingly influence species survival. Rianna _______________________________________________ MARMAM mailing list [email protected] https://lists.uvic.ca/mailman/listinfo/marmam
