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

帝企鹅（Aptenodytes forsteri）和斑海豹（Hydrurga leptonyx）是南极洲标志性的顶级掠食者。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性至关重要。拟议的研究有多方面的目标。先前的研究结果表明，帝企鹅有灵活的（与静态）有氧潜水极限（ADL），随着潜水类型的不同而变化，心率在利用氧气储存中的作用也随着潜水类型而变化。 一系列的生理测量提出了背包心电图记录仪，这将允许进一步描绘的模式和心率之间的相互关系，潜水行为，和氧气存储。 重要的是，这项研究将在自由潜水的皇帝身上进行，而不是被限制在潜水洞里的个人，从而提供了一个更真实的潜水生理和行为的测量。 一个单独的目标是检查觅食行为的豹海豹，使用背包数码相机和时间深度记录仪。 豹海豹的行为和猎物的摄入量很难量化，但已知是显着的。 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殖民地进行长期的飞越普查。 更广泛的影响包括与国家地理电视台的合作，研究生培训，以及对豹海豹镇静技术的开发。

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.