Direct Observational and Fine-Scale Foraging Ecology by Diving Bearded Seals in Norway: A Feasibility Study

挪威潜水髯海豹的直接观察和精细觅食生态学：可行性研究

• 批准号: 0425778
• 负责人: Christopher Marshall
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-08-15 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0425778&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Direct; Observational; Fine; Scale; Foraging

This project is a one-year feasibility study that will use animal-borne integrated digital cameras and time-depth recorders (TDRs) to correlate direct observations of underwater behavior of bearded seals (Erignathus barbatus) with profiles. The focus will be on their foraging ecology and the affect foraging has on the benthic community through bioturbation. Dive profiles obtained by TDRs will be correlated with behavior and assigned ecological roles, such as foraging, traveling, and resting. Other than walruses, bearded seals are the only other northern pinniped to feed predominantly upon benthic prey. Their foraging ecology has been largely overlooked, despite their large population. The objectives of the research are to: 1) characterize the foraging tactics of hunting bearded seals and the effect that prey type has on prey capture tactics and sediment bioturbation, and 2) characterize the diving behavior of free-ranging bearded seals and assign ecological roles to dive profiles. Animal-borne integrated digital cameras and TDRs will record foraging locations, habitat, search mode, pursuit behavior, prey capture tactics, and prey handling time. Deployed cameras will also record prey type, the frequency, and durations of these foraging behaviors for each prey type consumed, and the degree of bioturbation to the seafloor. Individual seals will be used to record the behavior of other seals, in addition to their own behavior, by simultaneously tagging lactating females and their pups. Intellectual Merits: The research will advance our knowledge of fine-scale foraging ecology in marine carnivores, and the ecological role of diving behavior by marine vertebrates. Although bearded seals are an important benthic forager, and they outnumber walruses, few foraging data for bearded seals are available. The impact their foraging has on the benthic community is unknown. Benthic foraging by bearded seals likely results in substantial bioturbation, and may be an important process for recycling carbon, nitrogen, and other nutrients trapped in the sediment. Because polar bears prey intensely upon Erignathus, bearded seals are an important trophic link between the characteristically short food webs of marine and terrestrial arctic ecosystems. Understanding the biology of ice seals is also important in assessing the impact of global warming on arctic ecosystems. This study will influence agencies & non-government organizations as to how to best protect Arctic marine ecosystems. Broader Impacts: This research will integrate research and education at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school levels and encourage underrepresented minorities to enter science. The Principal Investigator will work with local science teachers to use the data collected to enhance the marine science curriculum at a local high school with a predominantly minority student population. Research infrastructure will be enhanced by international collaborations between Texan and Norwegian researchers. Presentations in the popular literature, media, scientific meetings, and publications in scientific journals, by both the Principal Investigator and Norwegian collaborators, will disseminate data to the scientific community. In addition, Polaria,Troms, Norway, an international educational center that presents the findings of polar research to the public, will display data from the research. Polaria is visited by ~125,000 people/year and has a strong educational impact. The data will also be disseminated to indigenous peoples of the Arctic in Barrow, AK, and others who rely upon bearded seals, and other ice seals, for subsistance.

该项目是一项为期一年的可行性研究，将使用动物携带的集成数码相机和时间深度记录仪（TDR），将胡子海豹（Erignathus rectuatus）的水下行为的直接观察与剖面相关联。 重点将放在它们的觅食生态和觅食通过生物扰动对底栖生物群落的影响。 潜水配置文件所获得的TDR将与行为和分配的生态角色，如觅食，旅行，休息。 除了海象，须海豹是唯一的其他北方鳍足动物，主要以海底猎物为食。它们的觅食生态在很大程度上被忽视了，尽管它们的人口众多。 研究的目的是：1）狩猎髯海豹的觅食策略和猎物类型对猎物捕获策略和沉积物生物扰动的影响，2）描述自由放养髯海豹的潜水行为，并分配潜水剖面的生态角色。 动物携带的集成数码相机和TDR将记录觅食的位置，栖息地，搜索模式，追求行为，猎物捕获策略，和猎物处理时间。 部署的相机还将记录猎物类型，频率，这些觅食行为的持续时间为每种猎物类型消耗，以及生物扰动的程度到海底。 个体海豹将被用来记录其他海豹的行为，除了他们自己的行为，同时标记哺乳期的女性和他们的幼崽。智力优势：这项研究将促进我们对海洋食肉动物精细觅食生态学的认识，以及海洋脊椎动物潜水行为的生态作用。 虽然须海豹是一种重要的底栖觅食动物，而且它们的数量超过海象，但须海豹的觅食数据却很少。 它们觅食对底栖生物群落的影响尚不清楚。 须海豹的底栖觅食可能会导致大量的生物扰动，并可能是一个重要的过程，回收碳，氮和沉积物中捕获的其他营养物质。 由于北极熊强烈捕食Erignathus，胡子海豹是海洋和陆地北极生态系统的特征性短食物网之间的重要营养环节。 了解冰海豹的生物学对于评估全球变暖对北极生态系统的影响也很重要。 这项研究将影响机构和非政府组织如何最好地保护北极海洋生态系统。更广泛的影响：这项研究将整合研究生，本科和高中水平的研究和教育，并鼓励代表性不足的少数民族进入科学。 首席研究员将与当地科学教师合作，利用收集的数据来增强当地一所少数族裔学生为主的高中的海洋科学课程。 研究基础设施将通过得克萨斯州和挪威研究人员之间的国际合作得到加强。 主要研究者和挪威合作者在大众文献、媒体、科学会议上的介绍以及在科学期刊上的出版物将向科学界传播数据。 此外，挪威特罗姆的Polaria，一个向公众展示极地研究成果的国际教育中心，将展示研究的数据。 Polaria每年约有125，000人访问，具有很强的教育影响。 这些数据还将分发给阿拉斯加州巴罗的北极土著人民以及其他依靠须海豹和其他冰海豹为生的人。