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\begin{document}

\title{Sex-specific diet differences in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) via
spatial assortment}



\author[1]{Holland Conwell}%
\author[1]{Zoë Lewis}%
\author[2]{Austen C. Thomas}%
\author[1]{Alejandro Acevedo-Gutierrez}%
\author[1]{Dietmar Schwarz}%
\affil[1]{Western Washington University}%
\affil[2]{Smith Root Inc}%


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  \date{May 17, 2024}


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\begin{abstract}
The lack of recovery of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) in the
Pacific Northwest has been blamed in part on predation by pinnipeds,
particularly the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). Previous work at a
limited number of locations has shown that male seal diet contains more
salmon than that of female seals and that sex ratios at haul-out sites
differ spatiotemporally. This intrapopulation variation in predation may
result in greater effects on salmon than suggested by models assuming
equal spatial distribution and diet proportion. To address the
generality of these patterns, we examined the sex ratios and diet of
male and female harbor seals from 13 haul-out sites in the inland waters
of Washington State and the province of British Columbia during
2012-2018. DNA metabarcoding was conducted to determine prey species
proportions of individual scat samples. The sex of harbor seals was then
determined from each scat matrix sample with the use of quantitative
polymerase chain reaction. We analyzed 2,045 harbor seal scat samples
using Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) to examine the factors
influencing harbor seal sex ratio at haul-out sites and permutational
multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) to examine the influence
of sex and haul-out site on harbor seal diet composition. We found that
the overall sex ratio was 1:1.02 (female:male) with notable
spatiotemporal variation. Salmoniformes were about 2.6 times more
abundant in the diet of males than females, and Chinook salmon comprised
ca. three times more of the average male harbor seal's diet than the
average female's diet. Based on site-specific sex ratios and diet data,
we identified three haul-out sites where Chinook salmon appear to be
under high predation pressure by male harbor seals. Our study indicates
that combining sex-specific pinniped diet data with the sex ratio of
haul-out sites can help identify priority sites of conservation concern.%
\end{abstract}%



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\textbf{Hosted file}

\verb`Sex-specific diet differences in harbor seals via spatial assortment_rev1.docx`  available at \url{https://authorea.com/users/753608/articles/723795-sex-specific-diet-differences-in-harbor-seals-phoca-vitulina-via-spatial-assortment}

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