Feeding of bearded seal Erignathus barbatus under conditions of significant desalination in the habitat
https://doi.org/10.26428/1606-9919-2025-205-62-72
EDN: YHFUER
Abstract
Feeding of bearded seal is investigated in the Ulban Bay (Okhotsk Sea), strongly desalinated by terrestrial freshwater discharge. The river runoff and high daily tides create a unique ecosystem there. Such oceanographic conditions cause poor species diversity of benthic community in the bay, that is formed mainly by some eurytopic and eurytherm representatives of infauna and epifauna tolerant to contrast changes in environments. However, massive aggregations of bearded seals in the top of Ulban Bay in the feeding season indicate food supply favorable for the mammals. The seals feed there on several species of crustaceans, bivalves and gastropods, typical for shallow brackish waters, where these species form dense clusters with high biomass.
Keywords
bearded seal,
Erignathus barbatus,
chemical environmental parameter,
nutrition,
trophic relationships,
Academy Bay,
Okhotsk Sea
Supporting agencies: The study was conducted within the framework of the State Budget Theme for Pacific Oceanological Institute (POI FEB RAS) No. 124022100077-0, in accordance with the cooperation agreement between POI FEB RAS and Omega DV LLC
About the Author
A. M. Trukhin
V.I. Il’yichev Pacific Oceanological Institute, Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Alexey M. Trukhin, Ph.D., leading researcher
43, Baltiyskaya Str., Vladivostok, 690041
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For citations:
Trukhin A.M. Feeding of bearded seal Erignathus barbatus under conditions of significant desalination in the habitat. Izvestiya TINRO. 2025;205(1):62-72. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.26428/1606-9919-2025-205-62-72. EDN: YHFUER
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