IRFP: Field Energetics and Diving Physiology of a Small Cetacean, the Harbor Porpoise

国际研究奖学金计划使美国科学家和工程师能够在国外进行9至24个月的研究。该计划的奖项提供了联合研究的机会，以及使用国外独特或互补的设施，专业知识和实验条件。这个奖项将支持一个二十四个月的研究奖学金博士。麦克唐纳与丹麦奥胡斯大学的彼得·马德森博士和托比亚斯·王博士一起工作。 鲸目动物（鲸鱼、海豚和鼠海豚）是有史以来进化的最大动物之一，作为海洋生态系统中的顶级捕食者，它们对长时间深呼吸潜水中的目标猎物有着显著的自上而下的影响。 因此，如果我们要解释和理解鲸目动物在营养能量级联中的作用，它们的觅食生态学，潜水性能的限制和适应环境变化和干扰的能力，就必须了解鲸目动物的能量需求和氧气管理。 然而，由于鲸类的体型和恶劣的栖息地，人们对鲸类的野外生理学知之甚少。港湾鼠海豚是一个独特的模式物种，以研究代谢率和潜水生理学在野生鲸类，因为他们的体积小，并能够在圈养研究，以及在野外。这项研究解决了上述知识的差距，通过确定的能量需求和氧气管理策略，在最小的鲸类之一，港口鼠海豚潜水。三个主要目标是：1）使用现场和实验室研究相结合的方法确定港口鼠海豚的现场代谢率，2）测量自由潜水港口鼠海豚的心率，这是第一次记录自然潜水鲸目动物的心动过缓水平。此外，加速度计将用于确定潜水期间的工作量/活动。心率和活动之间的关系将用于评估在不同活动水平的潜水期间肌肉灌注的潜在水平，以及3）开发一个独立的生物记录仪来测量血流量和心率，该生物记录仪可用于测量自由潜水海洋哺乳动物的心输出量。该项目提供了关于一个正在减少的物种的代谢需求的重要信息，这将有助于管理，并提供了对鲸目动物潜水生理学的深入了解。此外，它提供高水平的科学培训，促进新的国内和国际科学合作，并提供广泛的推广活动，包括：1）在新的研究技术的主要研究人员的培训，并为她提供机会，教和指导研究生和本科生。2)发展和促进国际和跨学科合作。3)主要研究者与东道机构之间的知识交流。4)开发可用于各种潜水动物的血流数据记录仪，以提高我们对潜水期间氧气管理的理解。5）通过峡湾和贝尔特中心（http：//www.example.com）进行教育宣传，宣传生理学研究在理解生物体的生态学和生物学及其在生态系统中的作用方面的重要性。www.fjord-baelt.dk

The International Research Fellowship Program enables U.S. scientists and engineers to conduct nine to twenty-four months of research abroad. The program's awards provide opportunities for joint research, and the use of unique or complementary facilities, expertise and experimental conditions abroad. This award will support a twenty-four-month research fellowship to Dr. Birgitte I. McDonald to work with Drs. Peter Madsen and Tobias Wang at Aarhus University in Aarhus, Denmark. Cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are among the largest animals ever to evolve, and as apex predators in marine ecosystems, they have a significant top-down effect on prey targeted during long, deep breath-hold dives. It is therefore essential to understand the energetic requirements and oxygen management of cetaceans if we are to interpret and understand their role in the trophic energy cascades, their foraging ecology, limits of dive performance and ability to adapt to environmental change and disturbance. However, very little is known about the field physiology of cetaceans due their size and hostile habitats. Harbor porpoises are a unique model species to study the metabolic rates and diving physiology in a wild cetacean because of their small size and ability to be studied in captivity as well as in the wildThis research addresses the above knowledge gaps by determining the energetic requirements and oxygen management strategy during diving in one of the smallest cetaceans, the harbor porpoise. The three main objectives are 1) Determining the field metabolic rate of harbor porpoises using a combination of field and laboratory studies, 2) Measuring heart rate in freely diving harbor porpoises, which for the first time document the level of bradycardia in a naturally diving cetacean. In addition, accelerometers will be used to determine workload/activity during dives. The relationship between heart rate and activity will be used to assess the potential level of muscle perfusion during dives with different activity levels, and 3) develop a self-contained biologger to measure blood flow and heart rate that can be used to measure cardiac output in freely diving marine mammals. The project provides important information on the metabolic requirements of a declining species that will aid in management and provides insight into the diving physiology of cetaceans. Further, it provides high level scientific training, fosters new domestic and international scientific collaborations, and offers expansive outreach activities including: 1) The training of the principle investigator in new research techniques and provides her with opportunities to teach and mentor graduate and undergraduate students. 2) The development and fostering of international and interdisciplinary collaborations. 3) Knowledge exchange between the principle investigator and the host institution. 4) The development of a blood flow data logger that can be used in a variety of diving animals to improve our understanding of oxygen management during diving. And 5) education outreach through the Fjord and Bælt Center (http://www.fjord-baelt.dk) about the importance of physiological research in understanding the ecology and biology of an organism and its role in the ecosystem.