ABSTRACT

Groups of male South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens; SSLs) congregate in harbours on the northern coast of Argentina. These groups are very dynamic, with a high degree of habituation to human activities and the ability to colonise different types of artificial substrates, making them an interesting subject for understanding individual association patterns and spatio-temporal variations in this species. In the present study, we recorded the associations between individual bleach-marked SSLs in the harbours of Mar del Plata (PM) and Puerto Quequén (PQ) on four different substrate types during four non-breeding seasons. We found that the association pattern differed between the harbours, with a well-differentiated social structure being evident in PM but very little social differentiation occurring in PQ. The observed social structure in PM may have resulted from passive habitat preference rather than genuine social behaviour, as the association pattern disappeared when SSLs moved to sandy beaches within the harbour. Given that these colonies are must-see tourist attractions but may have negative interactions with human activities, we recommend considering the association between SSLs and artificial habitats to design effective management strategies and reduce potential conflicts.

摘要

一群雄性南美海狮 ( Otaria flavescens); SSL）聚集在阿根廷北部海岸的港口。这些群体非常活跃，对人类活动具有高度的习惯性，并且能够在不同类型的人造基质上殖民，这使它们成为了解该物种个体关联模式和时空变化的有趣课题。在本研究中，我们记录了马德普拉塔 (PM) 和奎肯港 (PQ) 港口在四个非繁殖季节的四种不同基质类型上的个体漂白标记 SSL 之间的关联。我们发现港口之间的关联模式不同，PM 中明显存在明显分化的社会结构，但 PQ 中的社会分化很少。PM中观察到的社会结构可能是被动栖息地偏好而不是真正的社会行为的结果，因为当SSL迁移到港口内的沙滩时，关联模式消失了。鉴于这些栖息地是必看的旅游景点，但可能与人类活动产生负面相互作用，我们建议考虑 SSL 与人工栖息地之间的关联，以设计有效的管理策略并减少潜在的冲突。