Extreme polygyny results in intersex differences in age-dependent survival of a highly dimorphic marine mammal.

Developmental differences in vital rates are especially profound in polygamous mating systems. Southern elephant seals () are highly dimorphic and extremely polygynous marine mammals. A demographic model, supported by long-term capture-mark-recapture records, investigated the influence of sex and age on survival in this species.

Modelling southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina using an individual-based model coupled with a dynamic energy budget.

Higher trophic-level species are an integral component of any marine ecosystem. Despite their importance, methods for representing these species in end-to-end ecosystem models often have limited representation of life histories, energetics and behaviour. We built an individual-based model coupled with a dynamic energy budget for female southern elephant seals Mirounga leonina to demonstrate a method for detailed representation of marine mammals.

Climate change and Southern Ocean ecosystems I: how changes in physical habitats directly affect marine biota.

Antarctic and Southern Ocean (ASO) marine ecosystems have been changing for at least the last 30 years, including in response to increasing ocean temperatures and changes in the extent and seasonality of sea ice; the magnitude and direction of these changes differ between regions around Antarctica that could see populations of the same species changing differently in different regions. This article reviews current and expected changes in ASO physical habitats in response to climate change. It then reviews how these changes may impact the autecology of marine biota of this polar region: microbes, zooplankton, salps, Antarctic krill, fish, cephalopods, marine mammals, seabirds, and benthos.