In this paper the authors expand greatly on previous work by amalgamating …

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Biology Articles » Ecology » Complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of long-term survival trends in southern elephant seals » Conclusion

Conclusion

- Complex interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of long-term survival trends in southern elephant seals

Our study quantified the degree to which the likely drivers of variation in abundance interact in a single population of a wide-ranging oceanic predator. The population and demographic models that were constructed provided a quantitative assessment of the complex interactions of extrinsic and intrinsic factors regulating the population, and the processes described provide a comprehensive overview of large mammal dynamics when they are exposed to highly variable environments. Understanding the complex nexus that emerges between these two major forces is a vital precursor for predictions of the influence of rapid climate change on animal populations worldwide. As such, species amenable to long-term monitoring within highly stochastic environments such as the Southern Ocean can act as climatic 'canaries' that chronicle catastrophic ecosystem degradation resulting from human-mediated climate change.