Seals and seascapes: covariation in Hawaiian monk seal subpopulations andthe oceanic landscape of the Hawaiian Archipelago

摘要

Aim The possible linkages between the spatial distribution of primary productivity over the north-western Hawaiian islands and trends of subpopulations of Hawaiian monk seals in the period 1956-1995 were assessed. This endangered seal is endemic to the northwestern Hawaiian islands (NWHIs), where about 1300-1400 individuals are distributed among six main breeding subpopulations. A striking property in patterns of abundance among subpopulations is their spatial nature, a feature suggesting that these may be related to variation in the biotic marine environment. In examining linkages between trends in abundance at these subpopulations and the marine habitat of the NWHIs, an understanding of the relative importance of intrinsic or extrinsic regulatory processes to the long-term dynamics of the seal can be gained.