mother and pupA breeding population of Weddell seals, a prominent Antarctic apex predator associated with fast ice, has been intensively studied in Erebus Bay at the southern extent of the Ross Sea since 1968. Seals have been individually tagged in the population for 4 decades.  Tagging continues to be done each year.  Jay Rotella, Bob Garrott, and Don Siniff are co-PI's on the study, which is funded by the  National Science Foundation through the U.S. Antarctic Program. The current project uses synthesis and modeling of long-term mark-recapture data for Weddell seals to evaluate a  variety of hypotheses regarding population dynamics and life-history evolution. The study’s broad objective is to evaluate how temporal variation in the marine environment affects a long-lived mammal’s population dynamics.

Projects underway include:

  • mark-recapture analysis of vital rates
    • hierarchical modeling of individual variation
    • covariation among vital rates
    • relationships between environmental variation and vital rates
  • evaluation of population status and intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of population status
  • body mass dynamics of mothers & offspring with linkages to population dynamics and to the marine ecosystem
  • spatial and temporal characteristics and drivers of population structure
  • matrix population modeling to evaluate how status & effects of environmental variation
  • broader collaborations
    • White Island colony population dynamics and genetics. Collaborators: Tom Gelatt, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Seattle, WA, Cory Davis, Dept. Biological Sciences, University of Alberta
    • Other annually varying collaborations with physiologists & spatial ecologists studying Weddell seals in the region
    • Other collaborations with scientists studying other species and aspects of the Ross Sea ecosystem

More information about the details of our work are available at the project's website and by contacting Jay Rotella.

Field camp for seal studies 

Updated: 02/24/2022