Summary: The Impact Of Climate Change On Leopard Seals

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The Impact of Climate Change on Leopard Seals (Hydrurga leptonyx)

Leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are a species of ice-obligate seals that are widely distributed in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic waters (Hückstädt, 2015). The most recent circumpolar estimate of leopard seal abundance suggests more than 35,000 individuals, and there does not appear to be a declining trend on these numbers. The IUCN, for this reason, list the leopard seal as Least Concern (Hückstädt, 2015).
However, climate change is happening. The global average land and sea temperature has increased over the twentieth century, with the North and South Poles being particularly affected (Learmonth, et al., 2006). In turn, this has caused ice cover to decrease and sea levels …show more content…

If a prey species decreases in abundance, this leads to increased intraspecific and interspecific competition, which could have negative impacts on the species. One area of concern is the effects of climate change on the abundance and behaviour of krill, one of the leopard seal’s source of food during the winter (Siniff, et al., 2008).
The reduction if sea-ice coverage is likely to effect krill population (Meade, et al., 2015). The reduction in the duration of sea-ice coverage will allow greater opportunity for humans to exploit the Antarctic ecosystem. Extended periods of ice-free water allow the temporal and spatial expansion of krill fisheries. This leads to increased krill catch, which means a reduction in the number of krill for leopard seals (Meade, et al., …show more content…

Crabeater seals are a smaller species of pack-ice seals that feed primarily on Antarctic krill (Siniff, et al., 2008). This means any environmental changes that will affect the availability of Antarctic krill will probably have an impact on crabeater seals. This (along with changes to ice floes which significantly impact the crabeater seal’s pupping and protection behaviours) mean that it is likely that this species of seal will experiences a decline in abundance as the Antarctic continues to be effected by climate change (Siniff, et al.,

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