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

虽然动物追踪技术的最新进展揭示了海洋动物的大规模运动，但对其行为和生态的精细方面知之甚少。加速度计代表了一个最近的和可能的变革性工具，通过记录游泳运动的频率和力量，以及动物的行为研究？的身体取向。这些数据可用于量化特定行为（例如休息，游泳，进食，交配，逃避反应等）。使用波形分析技术，从而编辑一个动物的活动连续几天的时间图片。此外，整体动态身体加速度（ODBA）已被证明与多种脊椎动物的耗氧量密切相关，这意味着加速度可以作为能量消耗的代理。尽管加速度计有着特殊的前景，但在充分发挥其潜力之前，还需要进行对照研究。该项目将开发和完善对一种大型海洋物种的加速度测量法的使用，这种物种可以进行圈养实验，并且可以在野外观察到其自然行为：护士鲨，Ginglymostoma cirratum。圈养实验将用于评估不同的连接方法和分析量化行为，尾拍运动学和能量消耗。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。这项研究将为使用加速度计量化大型海洋动物的行为和能量消耗提供方法和分析指南。它还将支持博士后学者，并为Mote海洋实验室（MML）和斯旺西大学的研究生和两名本科生实习生提供研究机会。与Untamed Science的独特合作将使该项目得以拍摄，并用于说明与科学教科书一起分发给全国数百万K-12学生的特定章节视频的概念。

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.