Growth and condition in harp seals: Evidence of density-dependent and density-independent influences

Abstract

Life history theory predicts that resource competition increases as a population increases, leading to changes in life history traits such as growth, survival, and reproduction. The Northwest Atlantic (NWA) harp seal population has increased from a low of 1.1 million animals in 1971 to over 7 million animals in 2014. Given this 7-fold increase in abundance, we hypothesized that density-dependent regulation might be reflected by changes in body growth. Gompertz curves fitted to size at age data for harp seals collected in the Gulf of St Lawrence over a 40 year period show a decline in female asymptotic length and mass. Body mass and condition were negatively related to reproductive rates the previous year, while a quadratic relationship (inverse u') was observed between body measures and the ratio of the March:April first year ice cover, a measure of ice breakup. Condition was also negatively related to January ice cover. At high densities, reproduction is likely to be relatively more expensive for Northwest Atlantic harp seals, underlining the importance of females being able to access high energy food during the winter foraging period to build-up condition prior to pupping. A complex relationship between condition and the timing of ice-breakup likely reflects the influence of the timing of ice retreat on food resources and hence female ability to rebuild energy stores prior to moulting.