Physiological control of diving behaviour in Otariid seals

在海上觅食时，潜水脊椎动物（如海洋哺乳动物）的行为特征是长时间的水下时间与短的表面间隔。从根本上说，海洋哺乳动物潜水生理学的整个研究都集中在什么力量决定了这两个行为事件的时间。我的研究探讨了生理机制和觅食要求如何相互作用，以制定觅食行为的海洋哺乳动物。具体来说，我的研究集中在潜水生理学和能量的“模型”otariid，Steller海狮（Eumetopias jubatus）。我们独特的实验装置使用训练有素的海狮游泳，潜水，并在开阔海域的人工猎物场觅食。除了允许在一系列自然潜水行为期间进行详细的生理测量外，它还允许我们操纵觅食条件，以更准确地了解环境与个体动物之间的相互作用。我们在此提出三个具体的，相互关联的研究课程进行。

When foraging at sea, the behaviour of diving vertebrates such as marine mammals is characterized by long underwater times interspersed with short surface intervals. At its root, the entire study of marine mammal diving physiology has centered on what forces determine the timing of these two behavioural events. My research explores how physiological mechanisms and foraging requirements interact to formulate foraging behaviour in marine mammals. Specifically, my research has focused on the diving physiology and energetics of a 'model' otariid, the Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Our unique experimental setup uses trained sea lions swimming, diving, and foraging on artificial prey fields in the open ocean. In addition to permitting detailed physiological measurements during a range of natural diving behaviours, it also allows us to manipulate foraging conditions to more accurately understand the interaction between the environment and the individual animal. We hereby propose three specific, interconnected courses of research to be undertaken.