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

尽管是极地地区恒温生命的重要生理成分，但人们对高纬度海豹在空气或水中调节体温的能量需求知之甚少。在一项联合现场和模型研究中，主要研究人员将量化在环境空气和水条件下韦德尔海豹的这些成本。实地研究将包括40只自由放养海豹的创新热流、消化和运动成本遥测，以及动物健康评估(形态计量学、血液学和临床化学面板)、鲸脂绝缘的数量(超声波)和质量(组织活检)，以及表面皮肤温度模式的确定(红外热像仪)。现场收集的数据将与已建立的基于个体的计算能量学模型相结合，以确定不同身体质量在身体条件下的成本增加阈值。这项研究将填补一个主要的知识空白，通过提供必要的数据来模拟羽足动物生活史的各个方面，特别是冰海豹的生活史。对能源成本部分的这种参数化对于准确模拟鳍脚类对环境变化的反应，包括气候变化所造成的直接和间接影响，是至关重要的。这项研究还将为多达三名本科生和一名博士后研究员提供在极地野外工作、动物遥测、生化分析和计算建模方面的广泛机会。综合教育和推广工作将教育公众(从12岁到成人)，使他们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。这一努力将包括一个定制的、互动的动手移动展览，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.