Unexpected decadal density-dependent shifts in California sea lion size, morphology, and foraging niche.

ABSTRACT

Many marine mammal populations are recovering after long eras of exploitation.1,2 To what degree density-dependent body size declines in recovering species reflect a general response to increased resource competition is unknown. We examined skull size (as a proxy for body size), skull morphology, and foraging dynamics of the top marine predator, the California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), which have been steadily increasing over the last few decades and have approached or reached their carrying capacity in southern California.3 We show that, contrary to predictions, male California sea lions increased rather than decreased their average body size over a 46-year (1962-2008) recovery period. Larger males had proportionally longer oral cavities and more powerful bite strength, and their foraging niche expanded. Females between 1983 and 2007 maintained stable skull dimensions, but their isotopic niche was broader than contemporary males. Increased male body size is compatible with an intensification of density-dependent sexual selection for larger and more competitive individuals concurrent with an expanding foraging niche. High foraging variability among females would explain their body size stability during decades of population recovery. We demonstrate that body size reduction is not the universal response to population recovery in marine mammals and show that selective ecological dynamics could contribute to protecting populations against the increased density-dependent intraspecific competition. However, prey shifts associated with climate change will likely prevent California sea lions (and other marine mammals) from attaining these ecological dynamics, augmenting their vulnerability to resource competition and diminishing their capacity to overcome it.