Remote monitoring of resource allocation to growth vs energy storage in space and time by sexually dimorphic elephant seals foraging at sea

通过在海上觅食的两性异形象海豹，远程监测生长资源分配与时空能量储存

基本信息

批准号：
NE/C00311X/1
负责人：
Michael Fedak
金额：
$ 32.33万
依托单位：
University of St Andrews
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2006
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2006 至无数据
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FC00311X%2F1
关键词：
Remote monitoring resource allocation growth

项目摘要

Despite considerable recent progress in studies of movements and behaviour of large marine vertebrates at sea, continuous measures of foraging activity and associated changes in body condition such as total mass and fat content have remained elusive. Such information is essential for understanding the links between foraging ecology and population regulation of important marine foragers, for identifying areas of special management significance more accurately in space and time, and for identifying food chain effects of global climate change. Newly developed technologies have been used in archival data loggers to make high-resolution measurements of animal swimming behaviour, such as identifying when an animal is gliding. Animal morphology and body condition (density and total mass) determine the drag and buoyancy forces affecting animal movement during a glide. Therefore, by analysing closely how seals slow down during glides, we can estimate both animal density (i.e. body composition) and mass of the seal. We will deploy sensors on 5-6 year old male and female elephant seals to track changes in body composition and mass during the 8-month feeding migration they make in the Southern Ocean. We will carefully measure the mass and density of the seals when the tag is attached prior to the migration, and again when the tags are recovered when the seals return to the breeding grounds. Elephant seals of this age are expected to use different tissue allocation strategies depending on sex, with males benefiting most from lean-tissue growth for increased body size and females benefiting from increased energy stores for transfer to their offspring through lactation. However, during the final few months before, a pregnant female is under strong pressure to provide lean tissue to the rapidly growing foetus. With this new approach, we will be able to identify the timing when, and location in the Southern ocean where, seals make these critical contributions to different tissues within their body. As the health of such top predators depends on the food web, this technique will allow us to use them to study variations in the health of the ecosystem on which they depend. Once developed, the instrumentation and methodologies developed will be applicable to other seal and marine vertebrate species, across the world's oceans. To achieve this goal, we will build on existing technologies and skills of the researchers and collaborators to develop an instrument with dual functions: 1.) measuring and archiving large quantities of data for high-resolution analyses of changes in body composition and behavior throughout long at-sea migrations, and 2.) meaningfully compressing and processing data on-board the tag for relay via the ARGOS satellite system in near real-time. Apart from the specific scientific objectives of this proposal, the development of these instruments and analysis techniques has the potential to significantly add to our understanding of the foraging ecology and free-ranging energetics of many marine vertebrates, such as pinnipeds, turtles, cetaceans and sharks.

尽管在海上大型海洋脊椎动物的运动和行为方面进行了很大的进展，但觅食活动的连续衡量以及体状况的相关变化（例如总质量和脂肪含量）仍然难以捉摸。这种信息对于理解重要海洋觅食者的生态学和人口调节之间的联系至关重要，对于在时空和时间和确定全球气候变化的食物链效应方面更准确地识别具有特殊管理意义的领域。新开发的技术已用于档案数据记录仪中，以对动物游泳行为进行高分辨率测量，例如识别动物何时滑行。动物形态和身体状况（密度和总质量）决定了在滑行过程中影响动物运动的阻力和浮力。因此，通过密切分析在滑行过程中密封如何减速，我们可以估计动物密度（即身体成分）和密封的质量。我们将在5-6岁的雄性和雌性大象印章上部署传感器，以跟踪他们在南大洋进行的8个月喂养迁移期间的身体成分和质量变化。当标签在迁移之前附着标签时，我们将仔细测量密封的质量和密度，当密封返回到繁殖地面时，标签再次回收时。预计这一年龄的大象印章会根据性别使用不同的组织分配策略，而男性则从瘦肉组织增长中受益最大，从而增加了体型，而女性则受益于增加能量储存的女性，从而通过哺乳将其转移到后代。但是，在前几个月中，一名怀孕的女性承受着向快速生长的胎儿提供瘦肉组织的巨大压力。采用这种新方法，我们将能够确定南大洋的时间和位置的时机，密封件对体内的不同组织做出了关键的贡献。由于这种顶级掠食者的健康取决于食物网，因此该技术将使我们能够使用它们来研究其依赖生态系统健康的变化。一旦开发，开发的仪器和方法将适用于世界海洋各地的其他海豹和海洋脊椎动物物种。为了实现这一目标，我们将基于研究人员和合作者的现有技术和技能，以开发具有双重功能的乐器：1。）测量和归档大量数据，以进行高分辨率的分析，以分析长时间AT-AT-SEA迁移中的身体组成和行为变化，以及2.）有意义地压缩和处理通过Angos in-Board-nabore通过ARGOS SATERESS SARMENTE SARMENTE SARMENTERESSENERE SARMENTERESS的标签。除了该提案的特定科学目标外，这些工具和分析技术的发展还可以显着增加我们对许多海洋脊椎动物的觅食生态学和自由传播能量学的理解，例如pin刺，海龟，核，鲸鱼和鲨鱼。