The Physiological Ecology of Two Antarctic Icons: Emperor Penguins and Leopard Seals

帝企鹅（Aptenodytes forsteri）和豹海豹（Hydrurga leptonyx）是南极洲标志性的顶级捕食者。了解它们的生理生态对于评估它们对气候变化、污染和过度捕捞威胁的适应能力至关重要。拟议的研究具有多管齐下的目标。先前的研究结果表明，帝企鹅的有氧潜水极限（ADL）随潜水类型的不同而变化，心率在氧气储备利用中的作用也随潜水类型的不同而变化。我们建议使用背包式心电图记录仪进行一系列生理测量，这将进一步描述心率、潜水行为和氧气储存之间的模式和相互关系。重要的是，这项研究将在自由潜水的帝企鹅身上进行，而不是在潜水洞里进行的个体，从而提供更真实的潜水生理和行为测量。另一个单独的目标是使用背包数码相机和时间深度记录器来检查豹海豹的觅食行为。豹海豹的行为和猎物的摄取量很少被量化，但已知是重要的。因此，这项研究有些探索性，但将提供重要的基线数据。最后，私家侦探建议继续对罗斯海的帝企鹅聚居地进行长期的空中普查。更广泛的影响包括与国家地理电视台的合作，研究生培训，以及豹海豹镇静技术的发展。

Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) and leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) are iconic, top predators in Antarctica. Understanding their physiological ecology is essential to the assessment of their adaptability to the threats of climate change, pollution, and overfishing. The proposed research has multipronged objectives. Prior results suggest that Emperor penguins have flexible (vs. static) aerobic dive limits (ADL) that vary with the type of dive, and that the role of heart rate in utilization of oxygen stores also varies with dive type. A series of physiological measurements are proposed with backpack electrocardiogram recorders, that will allow further delineation of patterns and interrelationships among heart rate, dive behavior, and oxygen stores. Importantly, the research will be done on free diving emperors, and not individuals confined to a dive hole, thereby providing a more genuine measure of diving physiology and behavior. A separate objective is to examine foraging behavior of leopard seals, using a backpack digital camera and time depth recorder. Leopard seal behavior and prey intake is poorly quantified, but known to be significant. Accordingly the research is somewhat exploratory but will provide important baseline data. Finally, the P.I. proposes to continue long term overflight censuses of Emperor penguin colonies in the Ross Sea. Broader impacts include collaboration with National Geographic television, graduate student training, and development of sedation techniques for leopard seals.