EAger: Accelerometry as a tool for quantifying cryptic behavior and activity-specific energy expenditure in large marine animals

尽管最近动物追踪技术的进步揭示了海洋动物的大规模运动，但对它们的行为和生态的精细方面知之甚少。加速度计是一种最新的、可能具有变革性的工具，它通过记录游泳运动的频率和力量以及动物的运动来研究动物的行为。S的身体方向。这些数据可以用来量化特定的行为（例如，休息，游泳，进食，交配，逃跑反应等），使用波浪分析技术，从而编制一个连续几天的动物活动图片。此外，总体动态身体加速度（ODBA）已被证明与大量脊椎动物的氧气消耗密切相关，这意味着加速度可以作为能量消耗的代表。尽管加速度计具有非凡的前景，但在充分利用其潜力之前，还需要进行对照研究。这个项目将发展和完善加速度计在一种大型海洋物种上的应用，这种物种适合圈养实验，并且可以在野外观察到它们的自然行为：护士鲨，Ginglymostoma cirratum。圈养实验将用于评估不同的附着方法和量化行为、尾部运动学和能量消耗的分析。将进行实地实验，以验证圈养试验的结果，并确定野生动物的行为模式和相对能量消耗。本研究将为使用加速度计来量化大型海洋动物的行为和能量消耗提供方法和分析指导。它还将支持一名博士后学者，并为莫特海洋实验室（MML）和斯旺西大学的一名研究生和两名本科生实习生提供研究机会。与un驯服科学的独特合作将使该项目得以拍摄，并用于说明特定章节的视频概念，这些视频与科学教科书一起分发给全国数百万K-12学生。

Although recent advances in animal tracking technology have revealed large-scale movements of marine animals, little is known about fine-scale aspects of their behavior and ecology. Accelerometers represent a recent and likely transformative tool to study animal behavior by recording the frequency and force of swimming movements as well as the animal?s body orientation. These data can be used to quantify specific behaviors (e.g. resting, swimming, feeding, mating, escape responses, etc.) using wave-analysis techniques, and thus compile a continuous picture of an animal's activities for days at a time. Additionally, overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) has been shown to correlate strongly with oxygen consumption in a broad range of vertebrates, meaning acceleration may serve as a proxy for energy expenditure.Despite the exceptional promise of accelerometers, controlled studies are required before they can be utilized to their full potential. This project will develop and refine the use of accelerometry on a large marine species that is amenable to captive experiments and that can be observed behaving naturally in the wild: the nurse shark, Ginglymostoma cirratum. Captive experiments will be used to evaluate different attachment methods and analyses for quantifying behaviors, tailbeat kinematics, and energy expenditure. Field experiments will be conducted to validate the results of captive trials and identify patterns of behavior and relative energy expenditure of wild animals. This study will provide a methodological and analytical guide for the use of accelerometry to quantify behaviors and energy expenditure in large marine animals. It will also support a postdoctoral scholar and provide research opportunities for a graduate student and two undergraduate interns at Mote Marine Laboratory (MML) and Swansea University. A unique collaboration with Untamed Science will allow the project to be filmed and used to illustrate concepts for chapter-specific videos distributed with science textbooks to millions of K-12 students nationwide.