Quantifying How Bioenergetics and Foraging Determine Population Dynamics in Threatened Antarctic Albatrosses

信天翁（信天翁科）是最受威胁的鸟类之一。在目前被确认的22种物种中，所有物种都被认为至少受到威胁或近危，9种被列为濒危或极度濒危物种。由于信天翁种群数量的下降以及信天翁在远洋生态系统中作为顶级捕食者的角色，了解影响信天翁种群动态的因素对于更好地为保护和减缓环境变化提供策略至关重要。这个项目的目标是回答这个问题：信天翁的生物能量学和觅食策略对种群的影响是什么？研究人员将采取两种方法：1)构建、参数化和验证基于动态能量预算理论和状态依赖觅食理论的基于个体的模型（IBM）；2)对多个信天翁物种在连续生命阶段的现有个体追踪和生活史数据进行深入的元分析。这项理论工作将以合作者英国南极调查局的理查德·菲利普斯提供的信天翁独特而广泛的数据集为基础。IBM的方法将在一个单一的框架内结合诸如成虫的能量状态、雏鸟的需求和能量、繁殖阶段以及猎物可用性的时空变化等细节。这有助于探索涌现模式，允许研究者明确地将行为、能量和种群动态联系起来。生物能量学限制了各种各样的行为。更全面地了解个体如何使用能量，可以洞察从觅食到繁殖和生存的行为，以及由此产生的种群属性，如何随着环境因素（由于人为和其他驱动因素）而变化。这项工作将进一步了解生物能量学如何塑造行为和驱动种群水平过程，同时提供一种可用于指导濒危种群保护策略的方法。研究结果和活动将通过网站和博士后研究员为该项目维护的博客向公众公布。该项目将包括本科生和高中的研究人员，在正式的实验室小组中，也通过课堂上的演讲和活动。该项目还涉及到当地小学的推广，因为信天翁-南极生物能量学系统为探索复杂的保护问题提供了一个有魅力和有形的教学工具，并展示了定量生物学研究方法的实用性。所有项目出版物都将开放获取，由此产生的开源软件将向公众发布，元数据和分析将被完整记录并通过生物多样性知识网络提供，以促进该系统的进一步合作探索。

Albatrosses (family Diomedeidae) are among the most threatened of bird species. Of the 22 species that are currently recognized, all are considered at least Threatened or Near-Threatened, and 9 are listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered. Because of the decline in albatross populations and the birds' role as a top predator in the pelagic ecosystem, it is vitally important to understand the factors affecting the population dynamics of these birds to better inform strategies for conservation and mitigating environmental change. The goal of this project is to answer the question: What are the population consequences of albatross bioenergetics and foraging strategies? The investigators will take a two pronged approach: 1) constructing, parameterizing, and validating an Individual Based Model (IBM) that rests on Dynamic Energy Budget theory and state dependent foraging theory; and 2) undertaking an in-depth meta-analysis of existing individual tracking and life history data from multiple albatross species across successive life stages. This theoretical work will be grounded with a unique and extensive data set on albatrosses provided by collaborator Richard Phillips from the British Antarctic Survey. The IBM approach will incorporate details such as adult energetic state, chick needs and energetics, reproductive stage, and spatial and temporal variation in prey availability within a single framework. This facilitates exploration of emergent patterns, allowing the investigators to explicitly link behavior, energetic, and population dynamics.Bioenergetics constrain a variety of behaviors. A more complete understanding of how individuals use energy can give insight into how behaviors from foraging to breeding and survival, and resulting population attributes, might change with environmental factors, due to anthropogenic and other drivers. This work will further a general understanding of how bioenergetics shapes behavior and drives population level processes, while providing an approach that can be used to guide conservation strategies for endangered populations. The research findings and activities will be made accessible to public audiences through websites and on a blog maintained for the project by a postdoctoral researcher. The project will involve undergraduate and high school researchers in the project, within formal laboratory groups and also through in-classroom presentations and activities. This project also involves outreach to local elementary schools, as the albatross-Antarctic bioenergetics system provides a charismatic and tangible teaching tool, for exploring a complex conservation issue, and demonstrating the utility of quantitative biological research approaches. All project publications will be open access, the resulting open source software will be released to the public, and metadata and analyses will be fully documented and made available through the Knowledge Network for Biodiversity, to promote further collaborative exploration of this system.