Collaborative Research: Hunting in Darkness: Behavioral and Energetic Strategies of Weddell Seals in Winter

合作研究：黑暗中狩猎：威德尔海豹冬季的行为和能量策略

• 批准号: 0739163
• 负责人: Terrie Williams
• 金额: $ 31.5万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0739163&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Hunting; Darkness; Behavioral

AbstractIntellectual Merit: Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) locate and capture sparsely distributed and mobile prey under shore-fast ice throughout the year, including the austral winter when ambient light levels are very low and access to breathing holes is highly limited. This is one of the most challenging environments occupied by an aquatic mammalian predator, and it presents unique opportunities to test hypotheses concerning: 1) behavioral strategies and energetic costs for foraging and 2) sensory modalities used for prey capture under sea ice. To accomplish these objectives, we will attach digital video and data recorders to the backs of free-ranging Weddell seals during the autumn, winter and early spring. These instruments simultaneously record video of prey pursuit and capture and three-dimensional movements, swimming performance, ambient light level and other environmental variables. Energetic costs for entire dives and portions of dives will be estimated from stroking effort and our published relationship between swimming performance and energetics for Weddell seals. The energetic cost of different dive types will be evaluated for strategies that maximize foraging efficiency, range (distance traveled), and duration of submergence. The proposed study will provide a more thorough understanding of the role of vision and changing light conditions in foraging behavior, sensory ecology, energetics and habitat use of Weddell seals and the distribution of encountered prey. It also will provide new insights into survival strategies that allow Weddell seals to inhabit the Antarctic coastal marine ecosystem throughout the year. Broader Impacts: The proposed study will train two graduate students and a Post-doctoral Fellow. Outreach activities will include interviews, written material and photographs provided to print and electronic media, project web sites, high school email exchanges from McMurdo Station, hosting visiting artists at our field camp, and public lectures. We will provide a weekly summary of our research findings to teachers and students in elementary school programs through our websites, one of which received an educational award. Our previous projects have attracted an extraordinary amount of press coverage that effectively brings scientific research to the public. This coverage and the video images generated by our work excite the imagination and help instill an interest in science and wildlife conservation in children and adults.

摘要智力优点：威德尔海豹 (Leptonychotes weddellii) 全年都能在岸边冰层下定位和捕获分布稀疏且移动的猎物，包括南方冬季，此时环境光照水平非常低，呼吸孔的进入受到高度限制。这是水生哺乳动物捕食者所占据的最具挑战性的环境之一，它为检验以下假设提供了独特的机会：1）觅食的行为策略和能量成本；2）用于海冰下捕获猎物的感官方式。 为了实现这些目标，我们将在秋季、冬季和早春期间将数字视频和数据记录器安装在自由活动的威德尔海豹的背上。这些仪器同时记录猎物追踪和捕获的视频以及三维运动、游泳表现、环境光水平和其他环境变量。整个潜水和部分潜水的能量成本将根据划水努力以及我们公布的威德尔海豹游泳表现和能量之间的关系来估计。将评估不同潜水类型的能量成本，以制定最大化觅食效率、范围（行进距离）和淹没持续时间的策略。拟议的研究将更全面地了解视觉和变化的光照条件在威德尔海豹的觅食行为、感官生态学、能量学和栖息地利用以及遇到的猎物分布中的作用。它还将为威德尔海豹全年栖息在南极沿海海洋生态系统的生存策略提供新的见解。更广泛的影响：拟议的研究将培训两名研究生和一名博士后研究员。外展活动将包括采访、向印刷和电子媒体提供书面材料和照片、项目网站、麦克默多站的高中电子邮件交换、在我们的野外营地接待来访艺术家以及公开讲座。我们将通过我们的网站向小学项目的教师和学生提供我们研究成果的每周摘要，其中一个网站获得了教育奖。我们之前的项目吸引了大量的媒体报道，有效地将科学研究成果带给公众。我们的报道和工作生成的视频图像激发了想象力，有助于培养儿童和成人对科学和野生动物保护的兴趣。