Collaborative Research: THERMOREGULATION IN FREE-LIVING ANTARCTIC SEALS: THE MISSING LINK IN EFFECTIVE ECOLOGICAL MODELING

尽管是极地地区恒温动物生活的一个重要生理组成部分，但人们对高纬度海豹在空气或水中进行温度调节的能量需求知之甚少。在一项联合实地和建模研究中，主要研究人员将量化威德尔海豹在环境空气和水条件下的这些成本。实地研究将包括创新的热通量，消化和运动成本遥测40自由放养海豹结合动物健康评估（形态学，血液学和临床化学面板），数量（超声波）和质量（组织活检）的鲸脂绝缘，并确定表面皮肤温度模式（红外热成像）。现场收集的数据将与已建立的基于个人的计算能量学模型相结合，以确定不同体重的身体状况的成本增加阈值。 这项研究将填补一个主要的知识空白，提供必要的数据建模的各个方面的鳍足类动物的生活史，特别是冰封。能量成本成分的这种参数化对于精确模拟鳍足类对环境变化的反应至关重要，包括气候变化造成的直接和间接影响。该研究还将为最多三名本科生和一名博士后研究人员提供极地野外工作，动物遥测，生化分析和计算建模的广泛机会。综合教育和外联工作将教育公众（从幼儿园到12岁成人）了解量化海洋哺乳动物体温调节的能量成本的重要性，以及了解物种对环境变化的反应的必要性。这项工作将包括一个定制的、互动的、动手操作的移动的展览，以及为《今日海洋》信息亭开发内容。

Despite being an essential physiological component of homeotherm life in polar regions, little is known about the energetic requirements for thermoregulation in either air or water for high- latitude seals. In a joint field and modeling study, the principal investigators will quantify these costs for the Weddell seal under both ambient air and water conditions. The field research will include innovative heat flux, digestive and locomotor cost telemetry on 40 free-ranging seals combined with assessments of animal health (morphometrics, hematology and clinical chemistry panels), quantity (ultrasound) and quality (tissue biopsy) of blubber insulation, and determination of surface skin temperature patterns (infrared thermography). Field-collected data will be combined with an established individual based computational energetics model to define cost-added thresholds in body condition for different body masses. This study will fill a major knowledge gap by providing data essential to modeling all aspects of pinniped life history, in particular for ice seals. Such parameterization of energetic cost components will be essential for the accurate modeling of responses by pinnipeds to environmental variance, including direct and indirect effects driven by climate change. The study also will provide extensive opportunities in polar field work, animal telemetry, biochemical analyses and computational modeling for up to three undergraduate students and one post-doctoral researcher. Integrated education and outreach efforts will educate the public (K-12 through adult) on the importance of quantifying energetic costs of thermoregulation for marine mammals and the need to understand responses of species to environmental variance. This effort will include a custom-built, interactive hands-on mobile exhibit, and development of content for an Ocean Today kiosk.