Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods
ABSTRACT Reliable estimates of population abundance and demographics are essential for managing harvested species. Ice‐associated phocids, “ice seals,” are a vital resource for subsistence‐dependent coastal Native communities in western and northern Alaska, USA. In 2012, the Beringia distinct popula...
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| Format: | Article |
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Wiley
2024-11-01
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| Series: | Evolutionary Applications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70035 |
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| author | Brian D. Taras Paul B. Conn Mark V. Bravington Andrzej Kilian Aimée R. Lang Anna Bryan Raphaela Stimmelmayr Lori Quakenbush |
| author_facet | Brian D. Taras Paul B. Conn Mark V. Bravington Andrzej Kilian Aimée R. Lang Anna Bryan Raphaela Stimmelmayr Lori Quakenbush |
| author_sort | Brian D. Taras |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Reliable estimates of population abundance and demographics are essential for managing harvested species. Ice‐associated phocids, “ice seals,” are a vital resource for subsistence‐dependent coastal Native communities in western and northern Alaska, USA. In 2012, the Beringia distinct population segment of the bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus nauticus, was listed as “threatened” under the US Endangered Species Act requiring greater scrutiny for management assessments. We sought to estimate requisite population parameters from harvested seals by using close‐kin mark‐recapture (CKMR) methods, the first such application for marine mammals. Samples from 1758 bearded seals harvested by Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Sea communities during 1998–2020 were genotyped, genetically sexed, and aged by tooth annuli. After rigorous quality control, kin relationships were established for 1484 seals including two parent–offspring pairs (POPs) and 25 potential second‐order kin pairs. Most of the second‐order kin were half‐sibling pairs (HSPs), but four were potential grandparent‐grandchild pairs (GGPs). There were no full sibling pairs, suggesting a lack of mate fidelity. Mitochondrial DNA analysis identified 17 potential HSPs as paternally related, providing substantial evidence of persistent heterogeneity in reproductive success among adult males. The statistical CKMR model incorporates probabilities associated with POPs, HSPs, and GGPs and assumes known ages and a stable population. Our top model accommodates heterogeneity in adult male breeding success and yields an abundance estimate of ~409,000 with a coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.35, which is substantially greater than the “non‐heterogeneity” model estimate of ~232,000 (CV = 0.21), an important difference for managing a harvested species. Using CKMR methods with harvested species provides estimates of abundance with the added opportunity to acquire information about adult survival, fecundity, and breeding success that could be applied to other species of concern, marine and terrestrial. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40a6bdc71fe74d379b8d8b512b02d30f |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1752-4571 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Applications |
| spelling | doaj-art-40a6bdc71fe74d379b8d8b512b02d30f2025-08-20T02:28:27ZengWileyEvolutionary Applications1752-45712024-11-011711n/an/a10.1111/eva.70035Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture MethodsBrian D. Taras0Paul B. Conn1Mark V. Bravington2Andrzej Kilian3Aimée R. Lang4Anna Bryan5Raphaela Stimmelmayr6Lori Quakenbush7Alaska Department of Fish and Game Statewide Marine Mammals Juneau USAMarine Mammal Lab NOAA Alaska Fisheries Science Center Seattle USAEstimark Research Hobart Tasmania AustraliaDiversity Arrays Technology Pty Ltd University of Canberra Bruce Australian Capital Territory AustraliaSouthwest Fisheries Science Center NOAA‐Fisheries La Jolla California USAAlaska Department of Fish and Game Arctic Marine Mammal Program Fairbanks USADepartment of Wildlife Management North Slope Borough Utqiaġvik Alaska USAAlaska Department of Fish and Game Arctic Marine Mammal Program Fairbanks USAABSTRACT Reliable estimates of population abundance and demographics are essential for managing harvested species. Ice‐associated phocids, “ice seals,” are a vital resource for subsistence‐dependent coastal Native communities in western and northern Alaska, USA. In 2012, the Beringia distinct population segment of the bearded seal, Erignathus barbatus nauticus, was listed as “threatened” under the US Endangered Species Act requiring greater scrutiny for management assessments. We sought to estimate requisite population parameters from harvested seals by using close‐kin mark‐recapture (CKMR) methods, the first such application for marine mammals. Samples from 1758 bearded seals harvested by Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Sea communities during 1998–2020 were genotyped, genetically sexed, and aged by tooth annuli. After rigorous quality control, kin relationships were established for 1484 seals including two parent–offspring pairs (POPs) and 25 potential second‐order kin pairs. Most of the second‐order kin were half‐sibling pairs (HSPs), but four were potential grandparent‐grandchild pairs (GGPs). There were no full sibling pairs, suggesting a lack of mate fidelity. Mitochondrial DNA analysis identified 17 potential HSPs as paternally related, providing substantial evidence of persistent heterogeneity in reproductive success among adult males. The statistical CKMR model incorporates probabilities associated with POPs, HSPs, and GGPs and assumes known ages and a stable population. Our top model accommodates heterogeneity in adult male breeding success and yields an abundance estimate of ~409,000 with a coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.35, which is substantially greater than the “non‐heterogeneity” model estimate of ~232,000 (CV = 0.21), an important difference for managing a harvested species. Using CKMR methods with harvested species provides estimates of abundance with the added opportunity to acquire information about adult survival, fecundity, and breeding success that could be applied to other species of concern, marine and terrestrial.https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70035abundance estimationkinshiplife historyphocidsubsistence harvestsurvival |
| spellingShingle | Brian D. Taras Paul B. Conn Mark V. Bravington Andrzej Kilian Aimée R. Lang Anna Bryan Raphaela Stimmelmayr Lori Quakenbush Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods Evolutionary Applications abundance estimation kinship life history phocid subsistence harvest survival |
| title | Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods |
| title_full | Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods |
| title_fullStr | Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods |
| title_full_unstemmed | Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods |
| title_short | Estimating Demographic Parameters for Bearded Seals, Erignathus barbatus, in Alaska Using Close‐Kin Mark‐Recapture Methods |
| title_sort | estimating demographic parameters for bearded seals erignathus barbatus in alaska using close kin mark recapture methods |
| topic | abundance estimation kinship life history phocid subsistence harvest survival |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70035 |
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