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

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器(TDR)将直接观察到的须海豹的水下行为与剖面相关联。重点将放在它们的觅食生态以及觅食通过生物扰动对底栖生物群落的影响上。TDR获得的潜水剖面将与行为和指定的生态角色相关联，如觅食、旅行和休息。除海象外，须海豹是唯一一种主要以底栖猎物为食的北方鳍足动物。尽管它们的种群数量庞大，但它们的觅食生态在很大程度上被忽视了。本研究的目的是：1)研究捕猎须海豹的觅食策略，以及猎物类型对捕食策略和沉积物生物扰动的影响；2)描述自由放养的须海豹的潜水行为，并赋予潜水剖面生态作用。动物携带的集成数码相机和TDR将记录觅食位置、栖息地、搜索模式、追捕行为、猎物捕获策略和猎物处理时间。部署的摄像头还将记录每种猎物类型、这些觅食行为的频率和持续时间，以及对海底的生物扰动程度。个体海豹将被用来记录其他海豹的行为，除了它们自己的行为之外，通过同时标记哺乳期的雌性海豹和它们的幼崽。智力优势：这项研究将促进我们对海洋食肉动物细微尺度觅食生态学的了解，以及海洋脊椎动物潜水行为的生态作用。尽管须海豹是一种重要的海底觅食动物，而且它们的数量超过了海象，但关于须海豹的觅食数据很少。它们的觅食对底栖生物群落的影响尚不清楚。须海豹的海底觅食可能会导致大量的生物扰动，这可能是回收沉积物中的碳、氮和其他营养物质的重要过程。由于北极熊强烈捕食北极熊，须海豹是连接海洋和陆地北极生态系统特有的短食物网的重要营养纽带。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。这项研究将影响各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、本科生和高中水平的研究和教育，并鼓励代表不足的少数群体进入科学领域。首席调查员将与当地科学教师合作，利用收集的数据加强当地一所以少数民族学生为主的高中的海洋科学课程。得克萨斯和挪威研究人员之间的国际合作将加强研究基础设施。首席调查员和挪威合作者在大众文献、媒体、科学会议和科学期刊上发表的演讲将向科学界传播数据。此外，挪威特罗姆斯的Polaria是一个向公众展示极地研究成果的国际教育中心，将展示研究数据。Polaria每年有大约125,000人访问，具有很强的教育影响。这些数据还将传播给亚肯色州巴罗的北极土著人民，以及其他依赖胡海豹和其他冰海豹维持生存的人。

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.