CAREER: Dynamics of Predator-Prey Behavior in the Antarctic Ocean

这项提案的目标是将两组本科生带到南极，在那里他们将参与收集海鸟数量和行为的数据。本方案结合以南极磷虾为食的海鸟的动力学研究，以及觅食行为的数学建模和空间统计学的教学。学生将通过收集物理和生物海洋学数据来学习广泛的技能，这是研究项目的一部分，重点是海鸟。这项提案的研究目标是了解南极觅食的海鸟如何应对其猎物（主要是南极磷虾）的丰度和分布的变化。该方法将研究磷虾群附近的鸟类行为，并将其行为与缺乏磷虾的地区进行对比。通过这些比较，将建立觅食模型，预测在不同磷虾丰度水平下鸟类的分散情况。长期目标是能够预测磷虾种群未来变化对海鸟的影响。野外工作将于两个野外季节在象岛附近进行。在每个季节，将对象岛以北的岛架进行调查，记录海鸟的数量、分布和行为。主要目标将是量化猎物丰度和鸟类行为之间的联系，长期目标是利用鸟类行为信息来索引猎物基础的长期变化。这个建议的教学目标是双重的。首先，该项目将向市中心的大学生展示一个壮观的、经济上重要的生态系统。通过他们在海洋研究船上的工作，学生将接触到广泛的研究主题和方法，从行为生态学到物理海洋学。第二，回到斯塔顿岛后，学生们将参与在斯塔顿岛学院开展的一项数学生物学活动。在这里，学生们将被鼓励运用基本的数学推理和计算机建模来解决一个实际问题——确定海鸟的觅食选择如何最终影响它们的繁殖成功。

The goal of this proposal to bring two groups of undergraduate students to the Antarctic, where they will participate in the collection of data on seabird abundance and behavior. This proposal combines research on the dynamics of seabirds that feed on Antarctic krill, with the teaching of mathematical modeling of foraging behavior and spatial statistics. Students will learn a broad collection of skills through collection of data on physical and biological oceanography as part of the research project that focuses on seabirds. The research goal of this proposal is to learn how foraging seabirds in the Antarctic respond to changes in the abundance and distribution of their prey, primarily Antarctic krill. The approach will be to study bird behavior in the vicinity of krill swarms, and to contrast this behavior to that in areas lacking krill. From these comparisons, foraging models that will make predictions about the dispersion of birds under differing levels of krill abundance will be built. The long-term goal is to be able to make predictions about the impact upon seabirds of future changes in krill stocks. Field work will be conducted in the vicinity of Elephant Island in two field seasons. In each season, the insular shelf north of Elephant Island will be surveyed and the abundance, distribution and behavior of seabirds will be recorded. The primary objective will be to quantify the linkage between prey abundance and bird behavior, with the long-term goal of using information on bird behavior to index long-term changes in the prey base. The teaching goal of this proposal is twofold. First, the project will expose inner city college students to a spectacular and economically important ecosystem. Through their work on an oceanographic research vessel, students will be exposed to a broad diversity of research topics and methods, ranging from behavioral ecology to physical oceanography. Second, back at Staten Island, students will participate in the development of a mathematical biology initiative at the College of Staten Island. Here students will be encouraged to apply basic mathematical reasoning and computer modeling to a real problem - that of determining how foraging choices made by seabirds can ultimately impact their reproductive success.