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Silva MP, Oliveira C, Prieto R, Silva MA, New L, Pérez‐Jorge S. Bioenergetic modelling of a marine top predator's responses to changes in prey structure. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11135. [PMID: 38529024 PMCID: PMC10961477 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 03/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Determining how animals allocate energy, and how external factors influence this allocation, is crucial to understand species' life history requirements and response to disturbance. This response is driven in part by individuals' energy balance, prey characteristics, foraging behaviour and energy required for essential functions. We developed a bioenergetic model to estimate minimum foraging success rate (FSR), that is, the lowest possible prey capture rate for individuals to obtain the minimum energy intake needed to meet daily metabolic requirements, for female sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus). The model was based on whales' theoretical energetic requirements using foraging and prey characteristics from animal-borne tags and stomach contents, respectively. We used this model to simulate two prey structure change scenarios: (1) decrease in mean prey size, thus lower prey energy content and (2) decrease in prey size variability, reducing the variability in prey energy content. We estimate the whales need minimum of ~14% FSR to meet their energetic requirements, and energy intake is more sensitive to energy content changes than a decrease in energy variability. To estimate vulnerability to prey structure changes, we evaluated the compensation level required to meet bioenergetic demands. Considering a minimum 14% FSR, whales would need to increase energy intake by 21% (5-35%) and 49% (27-67%) to compensate for a 15% and 30% decrease in energy content, respectively. For a 30% and 50% decrease in energy variability, whales would need to increase energy intake by 13% (0-23%) and 24% (10-35%) to meet energetic demands, respectively. Our model demonstrates how foraging and prey characteristics can be used to estimate impact of changing prey structure in top predator energetics, which can help inform bottom-up effects on marine ecosystems. We showed the importance of considering different FSR in bioenergetics models, as it can have decisive implications on estimates of energy acquired and affect the conclusions about top predator's vulnerability to possible environmental fluctuations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariana P. Silva
- Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOSUniversity of the AzoresHortaPortugal
- Institute of Marine Research – IMARHortaPortugal
| | - Cláudia Oliveira
- Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOSUniversity of the AzoresHortaPortugal
- Institute of Marine Research – IMARHortaPortugal
| | - Rui Prieto
- Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOSUniversity of the AzoresHortaPortugal
- Institute of Marine Research – IMARHortaPortugal
| | - Mónica A. Silva
- Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOSUniversity of the AzoresHortaPortugal
- Institute of Marine Research – IMARHortaPortugal
| | - Leslie New
- Department of Mathematics and Computer ScienceUrsinus CollegeCollegevillePennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Sergi Pérez‐Jorge
- Institute of Marine Sciences – OKEANOSUniversity of the AzoresHortaPortugal
- Institute of Marine Research – IMARHortaPortugal
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2
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Motani R, Pyenson ND. Downsizing a heavyweight: factors and methods that revise weight estimates of the giant fossil whale Perucetus colossus. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16978. [PMID: 38436015 PMCID: PMC10909350 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Extremes in organismal size have broad interest in ecology and evolution because organismal size dictates many traits of an organism's biology. There is particular fascination with identifying upper size extremes in the largest vertebrates, given the challenges and difficulties of measuring extant and extinct candidates for the largest animal of all time, such as whales, terrestrial non-avian dinosaurs, and extinct marine reptiles. The discovery of Perucetus colossus, a giant basilosaurid whale from the Eocene of Peru, challenged many assumptions about organismal extremes based on reconstructions of its body weight that exceeded reported values for blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus). Here we present an examination of a series of factors and methodological approaches to assess reconstructing body weight in Perucetus, including: data sources from large extant cetaceans; fitting published body mass estimates to body outlines; testing the assumption of isometry between skeletal and body masses, even with extrapolation; examining the role of pachyostosis in body mass reconstructions; addressing method-dependent error rates; and comparing Perucetus with known physiological and ecological limits for living whales, and Eocene oceanic productivity. We conclude that Perucetus did not exceed the body mass of today's blue whales. Depending on assumptions and methods, we estimate that Perucetus weighed 60-70 tons assuming a length 17 m. We calculated larger estimates potentially as much as 98-114 tons at 20 m in length, which is far less than the direct records of blue whale weights, or the 270 ton estimates that we calculated for body weights of the largest blue whales measured by length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Motani
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States
| | - Nicholas D. Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, District of Columbia, United States
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3
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Silva FA, Picorelli ACR, Veiga GS, Nery MF. Patterns of enrichment and acceleration in evolutionary rates of promoters suggest a role of regulatory regions in cetacean gigantism. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:62. [PMID: 37872505 PMCID: PMC10594719 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02171-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cetaceans (whales, porpoises, and dolphins) are a lineage of aquatic mammals from which some species became giants. Only recently, gigantism has been investigated from the molecular point of view. Studies focused mainly on coding regions, and no data on the influence of regulatory regions on gigantism in this group was available. Accordingly, we investigated the molecular evolution of non-coding regulatory regions of genes already described in the literature for association with size in mammals, focusing mainly on the promoter regions. For this, we used Ciiider and phyloP tools. Ciiider identifies significantly enriched transcription factor binding sites, and phyloP estimates the molecular evolution rate of the promoter. RESULTS We found evidence of enrichment of transcription binding factors related to large body size, with distinct patterns between giant and non-giant cetaceans in the IGFBP7 and NCAPG promoters, in which repressive agents are present in small cetaceans and those that stimulate transcription, in giant cetaceans. In addition, we found evidence of acceleration in the IGF2, IGFBP2, IGFBP7, and ZFAT promoters. CONCLUSION Our results indicate that regulatory regions may also influence cetaceans' body size, providing candidate genes for future research to understand the molecular basis of the largest living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe A Silva
- Dept of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, 13083-862, SP, Brazil
| | - Agnello C R Picorelli
- Dept of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, 13083-862, SP, Brazil
| | - Giovanna S Veiga
- Dept of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, 13083-862, SP, Brazil
| | - Mariana F Nery
- Dept of Genetics, Evolution, Microbiology & Immunology, Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Rua Monteiro Lobato, 255, Campinas, 13083-862, SP, Brazil.
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4
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Costa DP, Favilla AB. Field physiology in the aquatic realm: ecological energetics and diving behavior provide context for elucidating patterns and deviations. J Exp Biol 2023; 226:jeb245832. [PMID: 37843467 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.245832] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
Comparative physiology has developed a rich understanding of the physiological adaptations of organisms, from microbes to megafauna. Despite extreme differences in size and a diversity of habitats, general patterns are observed in their physiological adaptations. Yet, many organisms deviate from the general patterns, providing an opportunity to understand the importance of ecology in determining the evolution of unusual adaptations. Aquatic air-breathing vertebrates provide unique study systems in which the interplay between ecology, physiology and behavior is most evident. They must perform breath-hold dives to obtain food underwater, which imposes a physiological constraint on their foraging time as they must resurface to breathe. This separation of two critical resources has led researchers to investigate these organisms' physiological adaptations and trade-offs. Addressing such questions on large marine animals is best done in the field, given the difficulty of replicating the environment of these animals in the lab. This Review examines the long history of research on diving physiology and behavior. We show how innovative technology and the careful selection of research animals have provided a holistic understanding of diving mammals' physiology, behavior and ecology. We explore the role of the aerobic diving limit, body size, oxygen stores, prey distribution and metabolism. We then identify gaps in our knowledge and suggest areas for future research, pointing out how this research will help conserve these unique animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel P Costa
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - Arina B Favilla
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
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5
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Hansen MJ, Domenici P, Bartashevich P, Burns A, Krause J. Mechanisms of group-hunting in vertebrates. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1687-1711. [PMID: 37199232 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Group-hunting is ubiquitous across animal taxa and has received considerable attention in the context of its functions. By contrast much less is known about the mechanisms by which grouping predators hunt their prey. This is primarily due to a lack of experimental manipulation alongside logistical difficulties quantifying the behaviour of multiple predators at high spatiotemporal resolution as they search, select, and capture wild prey. However, the use of new remote-sensing technologies and a broadening of the focal taxa beyond apex predators provides researchers with a great opportunity to discern accurately how multiple predators hunt together and not just whether doing so provides hunters with a per capita benefit. We incorporate many ideas from collective behaviour and locomotion throughout this review to make testable predictions for future researchers and pay particular attention to the role that computer simulation can play in a feedback loop with empirical data collection. Our review of the literature showed that the breadth of predator:prey size ratios among the taxa that can be considered to hunt as a group is very large (<100 to >102 ). We therefore synthesised the literature with respect to these predator:prey ratios and found that they promoted different hunting mechanisms. Additionally, these different hunting mechanisms are also related to particular stages of the hunt (search, selection, capture) and thus we structure our review in accordance with these two factors (stage of the hunt and predator:prey size ratio). We identify several novel group-hunting mechanisms which are largely untested, particularly under field conditions, and we also highlight a range of potential study organisms that are amenable to experimental testing of these mechanisms in connection with tracking technology. We believe that a combination of new hypotheses, study systems and methodological approaches should help push the field of group-hunting in new directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hansen
- Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
| | - Paolo Domenici
- IBF-CNR, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Area di Ricerca San Cataldo, Via G. Moruzzi No. 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy
- IAS-CNR, Località Sa Mardini, Torregrande, Oristano, 09170, Italy
| | - Palina Bartashevich
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Alicia Burns
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
| | - Jens Krause
- Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, Berlin, 12587, Germany
- Faculty of Life Science, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, Berlin, 10115, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence "Science of Intelligence," Technical University of Berlin, Marchstr. 23, Berlin, 10587, Germany
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6
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Videsen SKA, Simon M, Christiansen F, Friedlaender A, Goldbogen J, Malte H, Segre P, Wang T, Johnson M, Madsen PT. Cheap gulp foraging of a giga-predator enables efficient exploitation of sparse prey. Sci Adv 2023; 9:eade3889. [PMID: 37352356 PMCID: PMC10289661 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade3889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
The giant rorqual whales are believed to have a massive food turnover driven by a high-intake lunge feeding style aptly described as the world's largest biomechanical action. This high-drag feeding behavior is thought to limit dive times and constrain rorquals to target only the densest prey patches, making them vulnerable to disturbance and habitat change. Using biologging tags to estimate energy expenditure as a function of feeding rates on 23 humpback whales, we show that lunge feeding is energetically cheap. Such inexpensive foraging means that rorquals are flexible in the quality of prey patches they exploit and therefore more resilient to environmental fluctuations and disturbance. As a consequence, the food turnover and hence the ecological role of these marine giants have likely been overestimated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone K. A. Videsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Fredrik Christiansen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Ari Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Hans Malte
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Paolo Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Tobias Wang
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
| | - Mark Johnson
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Peter T. Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Denmark
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7
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Kok ACM, Hildebrand MJ, MacArdle M, Martinez A, Garrison LP, Soldevilla MS, Hildebrand JA. Kinematics and energetics of foraging behavior in Rice's whales of the Gulf of Mexico. Sci Rep 2023; 13:8996. [PMID: 37268677 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-35049-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Rorqual foraging behavior varies with species, prey type and foraging conditions, and can be a determining factor for their fitness. Little is known about the foraging ecology of Rice's whales (Balaenoptera ricei), an endangered species with a population of fewer than 100 individuals. Suction cup tags were attached to two Rice's whales to collect information on their diving kinematics and foraging behavior. The tagged whales primarily exhibited lunge-feeding near the sea bottom and to a lesser extent in the water-column and at the sea surface. During 6-10 min foraging dives, the whales typically circled their prey before executing one or two feeding lunges. Longer duration dives and dives with more feeding-lunges were followed by an increase in their breathing rate. The median lunge rate of one lunge per dive of both animals was much lower than expected based on comparative research on other lunge-feeding baleen whales, and may be associated with foraging on fish instead of krill or may be an indication of different foraging conditions. Both animals spent extended periods of the night near the sea surface, increasing the risk for ship strike. Furthermore, their circling before lunging may increase the risk for entanglement in bottom-longline fishing gear. Overall, these data show that Rice's whale foraging behavior differs from other lunge feeding rorqual species and may be a significant factor in shaping our understanding of their foraging ecology. Efforts to mitigate threats to Rice's whales will benefit from improved understanding of patterns in their habitat use and fine-scale ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annebelle C M Kok
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA.
| | - Maya J Hildebrand
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Maria MacArdle
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Anthony Martinez
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Lance P Garrison
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Melissa S Soldevilla
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Miami, FL, USA
| | - John A Hildebrand
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093, USA
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8
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Cade DE, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT, Bierlich KC, Linsky JMJ, Calambokidis J, Johnston DW, Goldbogen JA, Friedlaender AS. Minke whale feeding rate limitations suggest constraints on the minimum body size for engulfment filtration feeding. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:535-546. [PMID: 36914772 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01993-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Bulk filter feeding has enabled gigantism throughout evolutionary history. The largest animals, extant rorqual whales, utilize intermittent engulfment filtration feeding (lunge feeding), which increases in efficiency with body size, enabling their gigantism. The smallest extant rorquals (7-10 m minke whales), however, still exhibit short-term foraging efficiencies several times greater than smaller non-filter-feeding cetaceans, raising the question of why smaller animals do not utilize this foraging modality. We collected 437 h of bio-logging data from 23 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) to test the relationship of feeding rates (λf) to body size. Here, we show that while ultra-high nighttime λf (mean ± s.d.: 165 ± 40 lunges h-1; max: 236 lunges h-1; mean depth: 28 ± 46 m) were indistinguishable from predictions from observations of larger species, daytime λf (mean depth: 72 ± 72 m) were only 25-40% of predicted rates. Both λf were near the maxima allowed by calculated biomechanical, physiological and environmental constraints, but these temporal constraints meant that maximum λf was below the expected λf for animals smaller than ~5 m-the length of weaned minke whales. Our findings suggest that minimum size for specific filter-feeding body plans may relate broadly to temporal restrictions on filtration rate and have implications for the evolution of filter feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Cade
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | | | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Jacob M J Linsky
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - David W Johnston
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | | | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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9
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Beltran RS, Hernandez KM, Condit R, Robinson PW, Crocker DE, Goetsch C, Kilpatrick AM, Costa DP. Physiological tipping points in the relationship between foraging success and lifetime fitness of a long-lived mammal. Ecol Lett 2023; 26:706-716. [PMID: 36888564 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 03/09/2023]
Abstract
Although anthropogenic change is often gradual, the impacts on animal populations may be precipitous if physiological processes create tipping points between energy gain, reproduction or survival. We use 25 years of behavioural, diet and demographic data from elephant seals to characterise their relationships with lifetime fitness. Survival and reproduction increased with mass gain during long foraging trips preceding the pupping seasons, and there was a threshold where individuals that gained an additional 4.8% of their body mass (26 kg, from 206 to 232 kg) increased lifetime reproductive success three-fold (from 1.8 to 4.9 pups). This was due to a two-fold increase in pupping probability (30% to 76%) and a 7% increase in reproductive lifespan (6.0 to 6.4 years). The sharp threshold between mass gain and reproduction may explain reproductive failure observed in many species and demonstrates how small, gradual reductions in prey from anthropogenic disturbance could have profound implications for animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roxanne S Beltran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Keith M Hernandez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Richard Condit
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Patrick W Robinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Daniel E Crocker
- Department of Biology, Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park, California, USA
| | - Chandra Goetsch
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - A Marm Kilpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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10
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Abstract
Echolocating toothed whales (odontocetes) capture fast-moving prey in dark marine environments, which critically depends on their ability to generate powerful, ultrasonic clicks. How their supposedly air-driven sound source can produce biosonar clicks at depths of >1000 meters, while also producing rich vocal repertoires to mediate complex social communication, remains unknown. We show that odontocetes possess a sound production system based on air driven through nasal passages that is functionally analogous to laryngeal and syringeal sound production. Tissue vibration in different registers produces distinct echolocation and communication signals across all major odontocete clades, and thus provides a physiological basis for classifying their vocal repertoires. The vocal fry register is used by species from porpoises to sperm whales for generating powerful, highly air-efficient echolocation clicks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Coen P H Elemans
- Sound Communication and Behavior Group, Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
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11
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Burin G, Park T, James TD, Slater GJ, Cooper N. The dynamic adaptive landscape of cetacean body size. Curr Biol 2023; 33:1787-1794.e3. [PMID: 36990088 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Adaptive landscapes are central to evolutionary theory, forming a conceptual bridge between micro- and macroevolution.1,2,3,4 Evolution by natural selection across an adaptive landscape should drive lineages toward fitness peaks, shaping the distribution of phenotypic variation within and among clades over evolutionary timescales.5 The location and breadth of these peaks in phenotypic space can also evolve,4 but whether phylogenetic comparative methods can detect such patterns has largely remained unexplored.6 Here, we characterize the global and local adaptive landscape for total body length in cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and relatives), a trait that spans 5 orders of magnitude, across their ∼53 million year evolutionary history. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we analyze shifts in long-term mean body length7 and directional changes in average trait values8 for 345 living and fossil cetacean taxa. Remarkably, we find that the global macroevolutionary adaptive landscape of cetacean body length is relatively flat, with very few peak shifts occurring after cetaceans entered the oceans. Local peaks are more numerous and manifest as trends along branches linked to specific adaptations. These results contrast with previous studies using only extant taxa,9 highlighting the vital role of fossil data for understanding macroevolution.10,11,12 Our results indicate that adaptive peaks are dynamic and are associated with subzones of local adaptations, creating moving targets for species adaptation. In addition, we identify limits in our ability to detect some evolutionary patterns and processes and suggest that multiple approaches are required to characterize complex hierarchical patterns of adaptation in deep time.
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12
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Magpali L, Bielawski JP. Why are whales big? Genes behind ocean giants. Trends Genet 2023; 39:436-438. [PMID: 36997429 DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2023.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Gigantism is prevalent in animals, but it has never reached more extreme levels than in aquatic mammals such as whales, dolphins, and porpoises. A new study by Silva et al. has uncovered five genes underlying this gigantism, a phenotype with important connections to aging and cancer suppression in long-lived animals.
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13
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Pearson HC, Savoca MS, Costa DP, Lomas MW, Molina R, Pershing AJ, Smith CR, Villaseñor-Derbez JC, Wing SR, Roman J. Whales in the carbon cycle: can recovery remove carbon dioxide? Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:238-249. [PMID: 36528413 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
The great whales (baleen and sperm whales), through their massive size and wide distribution, influence ecosystem and carbon dynamics. Whales directly store carbon in their biomass and contribute to carbon export through sinking carcasses. Whale excreta may stimulate phytoplankton growth and capture atmospheric CO2; such indirect pathways represent the greatest potential for whale-carbon sequestration but are poorly understood. We quantify the carbon values of whales while recognizing the numerous ecosystem, cultural, and moral motivations to protect them. We also propose a framework to quantify the economic value of whale carbon as populations change over time. Finally, we suggest research to address key unknowns (e.g., bioavailability of whale-derived nutrients to phytoplankton, species- and region-specific variability in whale carbon contributions).
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi C Pearson
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, Juneau, AK, USA.
| | - Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Michael W Lomas
- Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, East Boothbay, ME, USA
| | - Renato Molina
- Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science and Miami Herbert Business School, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA
| | | | - Craig R Smith
- Department of Oceanography, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Juan Carlos Villaseñor-Derbez
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA; Bren School of Environmental Science & Management, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Stephen R Wing
- Department of Marine Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Joe Roman
- Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA
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14
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Abstract
Addressing important questions in animal ecology, physiology, and environmental science often requires in situ information from wild animals. This difficulty is being overcome by biologging and biotelemetry, or the use of miniaturized animal-borne sensors. Although early studies recorded only simple parameters of animal movement, advanced devices and analytical methods can now provide rich information on individual and group behavior, internal states, and the surrounding environment of free-ranging animals, especially those in marine systems. We summarize the history of technologies used to track marine animals. We then identify seven major research categories of marine biologging and biotelemetry and explain significant achievements, as well as future opportunities. Big data approaches via international collaborations will be key to tackling global environmental issues (e.g., climate change impacts), and curiosity about the secret lives of marine animals will also remain a major driver of biologging and biotelemetry studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan; .,Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yannis P Papastamatiou
- Institute of Environment, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, North Miami, Florida, USA
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15
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Booth CG, Guilpin M, Darias-O’Hara AK, Ransijn JM, Ryder M, Rosen D, Pirotta E, Smout S, McHuron EA, Nabe-Nielsen J, Costa DP. Estimating energetic intake for marine mammal bioenergetic models. Conserv Physiol 2023; 11:coac083. [PMID: 36756464 PMCID: PMC9900471 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coac083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Bioenergetics is the study of how animals achieve energetic balance. Energetic balance results from the energetic expenditure of an individual and the energy they extract from their environment. Ingested energy depends on several extrinsic (e.g prey species, nutritional value and composition, prey density and availability) and intrinsic factors (e.g. foraging effort, success at catching prey, digestive processes and associated energy losses, and digestive capacity). While the focus in bioenergetic modelling is often on the energetic costs an animal incurs, the robust estimation of an individual's energy intake is equally critical for producing meaningful predictions. Here, we review the components and processes that affect energy intake from ingested gross energy to biologically useful net energy (NE). The current state of knowledge of each parameter is reviewed, shedding light on research gaps to advance this field. The review highlighted that the foraging behaviour of many marine mammals is relatively well studied via biologging tags, with estimates of success rate typically assumed for most species. However, actual prey capture success rates are often only assumed, although we note studies that provide approaches for its estimation using current techniques. A comprehensive collation of the nutritional content of marine mammal prey species revealed a robust foundation from which prey quality (comprising prey species, size and energy density) can be assessed, though data remain unavailable for many prey species. Empirical information on various energy losses following ingestion of prey was unbalanced among marine mammal species, with considerably more literature available for pinnipeds. An increased understanding and accurate estimate of each of the components that comprise a species NE intake are an integral part of bioenergetics. Such models provide a key tool to investigate the effects of disturbance on marine mammals at an individual and population level and to support effective conservation and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cormac G Booth
- Corresponding author: SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK.
| | | | - Aimee-Kate Darias-O’Hara
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Janneke M Ransijn
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, East Sands, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Megan Ryder
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, East Sands, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Dave Rosen
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, 2202 Main Mall,
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Enrico Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling,
The Observatory, Buchanan
Gardens, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews,
KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Sophie Smout
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, East Sands, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Elizabeth A McHuron
- Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Ave NE, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA
| | - Jacob Nabe-Nielsen
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, DK-4000
Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Daniel P Costa
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, 130
McAlister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
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16
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Silva FA, Souza ÉMS, Ramos E, Freitas L, Nery MF. The molecular evolution of genes previously associated with large sizes reveals possible pathways to cetacean gigantism. Sci Rep 2023; 13:67. [PMID: 36658131 PMCID: PMC9852289 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-24529-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Cetaceans are a group of aquatic mammals with the largest body sizes among living animals, including giant representatives such as blue and fin whales. To understand the genetic bases of gigantism in cetaceans, we performed molecular evolutionary analyses on five genes (GHSR, IGF2, IGFBP2, IGFBP7, and EGF) from the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor axis, and four genes (ZFAT, EGF, LCORL, and PLAG1) previously described as related to the size of species evolutionarily close to cetaceans, such as pigs, cows, and sheep. Our dataset comprised 19 species of cetaceans, seven of which are classified as giants because they exceed 10 m in length. Our results revealed signs of positive selection in genes from the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor axis and also in those related to body increase in cetacean-related species. In addition, pseudogenization of the EGF gene was detected in the lineage of toothless cetaceans, Mysticeti. Our results suggest the action of positive selection on gigantism in genes that act both in body augmentation and in mitigating its consequences, such as cancer suppression when involved in processes such as division, migration, and cell development control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felipe André Silva
- grid.411087.b0000 0001 0723 2494Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas-UNICAMP, 255, Monteiro Lobato, Cidade Universitária, IB, Bloco H, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil
| | - Érica M. S. Souza
- grid.411087.b0000 0001 0723 2494Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas-UNICAMP, 255, Monteiro Lobato, Cidade Universitária, IB, Bloco H, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil
| | - Elisa Ramos
- grid.411087.b0000 0001 0723 2494Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas-UNICAMP, 255, Monteiro Lobato, Cidade Universitária, IB, Bloco H, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil
| | - Lucas Freitas
- grid.411087.b0000 0001 0723 2494Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas-UNICAMP, 255, Monteiro Lobato, Cidade Universitária, IB, Bloco H, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil
| | - Mariana F. Nery
- grid.411087.b0000 0001 0723 2494Laboratório de Genômica Evolutiva, Departamento de Genética, Evolução, Microbiologia e Imunologia, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Estadual de Campinas-UNICAMP, 255, Monteiro Lobato, Cidade Universitária, IB, Bloco H, Campinas, SP 13083-862 Brazil
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17
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Ryan JP, Benoit‐Bird KJ, Oestreich WK, Leary P, Smith KB, Waluk CM, Cade DE, Fahlbusch JA, Southall BL, Joseph JE, Margolina T, Calambokidis J, DeVogelaere A, Goldbogen JA. Oceanic giants dance to atmospheric rhythms: Ephemeral wind-driven resource tracking by blue whales. Ecol Lett 2022; 25:2435-2447. [PMID: 36197736 PMCID: PMC9827854 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 08/04/2022] [Accepted: 08/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Trophic transfer of energy through marine food webs is strongly influenced by prey aggregation and its exploitation by predators. Rapid aggregation of some marine fish and crustacean forage species during wind-driven coastal upwelling has recently been discovered, motivating the hypothesis that predators of these forage species track the upwelling circulation in which prey aggregation occurs. We examine this hypothesis in the central California Current Ecosystem using integrative observations of upwelling dynamics, forage species' aggregation, and blue whale movement. Directional origins of blue whale calls repeatedly tracked upwelling plume circulation when wind-driven upwelling intensified and aggregation of forage species was heightened. Our findings illustrate a resource tracking strategy by which blue whales may maximize energy gain amid ephemeral foraging opportunities. These findings have implications for the ecology and conservation of diverse predators that are sustained by forage populations whose behaviour is responsive to episodic environmental dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P. Ryan
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - William K. Oestreich
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA,Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - Paul Leary
- Naval Postgraduate SchoolMontereyCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Chad M. Waluk
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research InstituteMoss LandingCaliforniaUSA
| | - David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA
| | - James A. Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCaliforniaUSA,Cascadia Research CollectiveOlympiaWashingtonUSA
| | - Brandon L. Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc.AptosCaliforniaUSA,University of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
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18
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Kahane-Rapport SR, Czapanskiy MF, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Calambokidis J, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA, Savoca MS. Field measurements reveal exposure risk to microplastic ingestion by filter-feeding megafauna. Nat Commun 2022; 13:6327. [PMID: 36319629 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33334-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Microparticles, such as microplastics and microfibers, are ubiquitous in marine food webs. Filter-feeding megafauna may be at extreme risk of exposure to microplastics, but neither the amount nor pathway of microplastic ingestion are well understood. Here, we combine depth-integrated microplastic data from the California Current Ecosystem with high-resolution foraging measurements from 191 tag deployments on blue, fin, and humpback whales to quantify plastic ingestion rates and routes of exposure. We find that baleen whales predominantly feed at depths of 50-250 m, coinciding with the highest measured microplastic concentrations in the pelagic ecosystem. Nearly all (99%) microplastic ingestion is predicted to occur via trophic transfer. We predict that fish-feeding whales are less exposed to microplastic ingestion than krill-feeding whales. Per day, a krill-obligate blue whale may ingest 10 million pieces of microplastic, while a fish-feeding humpback whale likely ingests 200,000 pieces of microplastic. For species struggling to recover from historical whaling alongside other anthropogenic pressures, our findings suggest that the cumulative impacts of multiple stressors require further attention.
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19
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Gough WT, Cade DE, Czapanskiy MF, Potvin J, Fish FE, Kahane-Rapport SR, Savoca MS, Bierlich KC, Johnston DW, Friedlaender AS, Szabo A, Bejder L, Goldbogen JA. Fast and Furious: Energetic Tradeoffs and Scaling of High-Speed Foraging in Rorqual Whales. Integr Org Biol 2022; 4:obac038. [PMID: 36127894 PMCID: PMC9475666 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although gigantic body size and obligate filter feeding mechanisms have evolved in multiple vertebrate lineages (mammals and fishes), intermittent ram (lunge) filter feeding is unique to a specific family of baleen whales: rorquals. Lunge feeding is a high cost, high benefit feeding mechanism that requires the integration of unsteady locomotion (i.e., accelerations and maneuvers); the impact of scale on the biomechanics and energetics of this foraging mode continues to be the subject of intense study. The goal of our investigation was to use a combination of multi-sensor tags paired with UAS footage to determine the impact of morphometrics such as body size on kinematic lunging parameters such as fluking timing, maximum lunging speed, and deceleration during the engulfment period for a range of species from minke to blue whales. Our results show that, in the case of krill-feeding lunges and regardless of size, animals exhibit a skewed gradient between powered and fully unpowered engulfment, with fluking generally ending at the point of both the maximum lunging speed and mouth opening. In all cases, the small amounts of propulsive thrust generated by the tail were unable to overcome the high drag forces experienced during engulfment. Assuming this thrust to be minimal, we predicted the minimum speed of lunging across scale. To minimize the energetic cost of lunge feeding, hydrodynamic theory predicts slower lunge feeding speeds regardless of body size, with a lower boundary set by the ability of the prey to avoid capture. We used empirical data to test this theory and instead found that maximum foraging speeds remain constant and high (∼4 m s–1) across body size, even as higher speeds result in lower foraging efficiency. Regardless, we found an increasing relationship between body size and this foraging efficiency, estimated as the ratio of energetic gain from prey to energetic cost. This trend held across timescales ranging from a single lunge to a single day and suggests that larger whales are capturing more prey—and more energy—at a lower cost.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University , Pacific Grove, CA 94305, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University , Pacific Grove, CA 94305, USA
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University , Pacific Grove, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jean Potvin
- Saint Louis University , Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Frank E Fish
- West Chester University , West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | | | - Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University , Pacific Grove, CA 94305, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Oregon State University , Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | | | | | - Andy Szabo
- Alaska Whale Foundation , Sitka, AK, 99835, USA
| | - Lars Bejder
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa , Kaheohe, HI 96822, USA
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University , Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University , Pacific Grove, CA 94305, USA
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20
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Yang Z, Yu X, Dedman S, Rosso M, Zhu J, Yang J, Xia Y, Tian Y, Zhang G, Wang J. UAV remote sensing applications in marine monitoring: Knowledge visualization and review. Sci Total Environ 2022; 838:155939. [PMID: 35577092 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/10/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
With the booming development of information technology and the growing demand for remote sensing data, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) remote sensing technology has emerged. In recent years, UAV remote sensing technology has developed rapidly and has been widely used in the fields of military defense, agricultural monitoring, surveying and mapping management, and disaster and emergency response and management. Currently, increasingly serious marine biological and environmental problems are raising the need for effective and timely monitoring. Compared with traditional marine monitoring technologies, UAV remote sensing is becoming an important means for marine monitoring thanks to its flexibility, efficiency and low cost, while still producing systematic data with high spatial and temporal resolutions. This study visualizes the knowledge domain of the application and research advances of UAV remote sensing in marine monitoring by analyzing 1130 articles (from 1993 to early 2022) using a bibliometric approach and provides a review of the application of UAVs in marine management mapping, marine disaster and environmental monitoring, and marine wildlife monitoring. It aims to promote the extensive application of UAV remote sensing in the field of marine research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zongyao Yang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China; College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Xueying Yu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Simon Dedman
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove Pacific Grove, 93950, California, USA
| | | | - Jingmin Zhu
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Jiaqi Yang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Yuxiang Xia
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Yichao Tian
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Guangping Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China
| | - Jingzhen Wang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Marine Disaster in the Beibu Gulf, Beibu Gulf University, Qinzhou 535011, China; College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China; Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove Pacific Grove, 93950, California, USA; CIMA Research Foundation, Savona 17100, Italy.
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21
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Fahlbusch JA, Czapanskiy MF, Calambokidis J, Cade DE, Abrahms B, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA. Blue whales increase feeding rates at fine-scale ocean features. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221180. [PMID: 35975432 PMCID: PMC9382224 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine predators face the challenge of reliably finding prey that is patchily distributed in space and time. Predators make movement decisions at multiple spatial and temporal scales, yet we have a limited understanding of how habitat selection at multiple scales translates into foraging performance. In the ocean, there is mounting evidence that submesoscale (i.e. less than 100 km) processes drive the formation of dense prey patches that should hypothetically provide feeding hot spots and increase predator foraging success. Here, we integrated environmental remote-sensing with high-resolution animal-borne biologging data to evaluate submesoscale surface current features in relation to the habitat selection and foraging performance of blue whales in the California Current System. Our study revealed a consistent functional relationship in which blue whales disproportionately foraged within dynamic aggregative submesoscale features at both the regional and feeding site scales across seasons, regions and years. Moreover, we found that blue whale feeding rates increased in areas with stronger aggregative features, suggesting that these features indicate areas of higher prey density. The use of fine-scale, dynamic features by foraging blue whales underscores the need to take these features into account when designating critical habitat and may help inform strategies to mitigate the impacts of human activities for the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- James A. Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - Max F. Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | - David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Elliott L. Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
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22
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Cooper JA, Hutchinson JR, Bernvi DC, Cliff G, Wilson RP, Dicken ML, Menzel J, Wroe S, Pirlo J, Pimiento C. The extinct shark Otodus megalodon was a transoceanic superpredator: Inferences from 3D modeling. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabm9424. [PMID: 35977007 PMCID: PMC9385135 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abm9424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Although shark teeth are abundant in the fossil record, their bodies are rarely preserved. Thus, our understanding of the anatomy of the extinct Otodus megalodon remains rudimentary. We used an exceptionally well-preserved fossil to create the first three-dimensional model of the body of this giant shark and used it to infer its movement and feeding ecology. We estimate that an adult O. megalodon could cruise at faster absolute speeds than any shark species today and fully consume prey the size of modern apex predators. A dietary preference for large prey potentially enabled O. megalodon to minimize competition and provided a constant source of energy to fuel prolonged migrations without further feeding. Together, our results suggest that O. megalodon played an important ecological role as a transoceanic superpredator. Hence, its extinction likely had large impacts on global nutrient transfer and trophic food webs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack A. Cooper
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - John R. Hutchinson
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, Hatfield, Hertfordshire AL9 7TA, UK
| | - David C. Bernvi
- KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, Umhlanga Rocks 4320, South Africa
| | - Geremy Cliff
- KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, Umhlanga Rocks 4320, South Africa
- School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, KZN, South Africa
| | - Rory P. Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Matt L. Dicken
- KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, Umhlanga Rocks 4320, South Africa
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Jan Menzel
- JanMenzelArt, Stellenbosch 7600, South Africa
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution, and Anatomy Research Lab, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia
| | - Jeanette Pirlo
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University Stanislaus, Turlock, CA 95382, USA
| | - Catalina Pimiento
- Department of Biosciences, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- Paleontological Institute and Museum, University of Zurich, Zurich CH-8006, Switzerland
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institution, Balboa, Panama
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23
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Nazario EC, Cade DE, Bierlich K, Czapanskiy MF, Goldbogen JA, Kahane-Rapport SR, van der Hoop JM, San Luis MT, Friedlaender AS. Baleen whale inhalation variability revealed using animal-borne video tags. PeerJ 2022; 10:e13724. [PMID: 35880219 PMCID: PMC9308462 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.13724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Empirical metabolic rate and oxygen consumption estimates for free-ranging whales have been limited to counting respiratory events at the surface. Because these observations were limited and generally viewed from afar, variability in respiratory properties was unknown and oxygen consumption estimates assumed constant breath-to-breath tidal volume and oxygen uptake. However, evidence suggests that cetaceans in human care vary tidal volume and breathing frequency to meet aerobic demand, which would significantly impact energetic estimates if the findings held in free-ranging species. In this study, we used suction cup-attached video tags positioned posterior to the nares of two humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and four Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) to measure inhalation duration, relative nares expansion, and maximum nares expansion. Inhalation duration and nares expansion varied between and within initial, middle, and terminal breaths of surface sequences between dives. The initial and middle breaths exhibited the least variability and had the shortest durations and smallest nares expansions. In contrast, terminal breaths were highly variable, with the longest inhalation durations and the largest nares expansions. Our results demonstrate breath-to-breath variability in duration and nares expansion, suggesting differential oxygen exchange in each breath during the surface interval. With future validation, inhalation duration or nares area could be used alongside respiratory frequency to improve oxygen consumption estimates by accounting for breath-to-breath variation in wild whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily C. Nazario
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | - David E. Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America
| | - K.C. Bierlich
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, United States of America
| | - Max F. Czapanskiy
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America
| | - Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, United States of America
| | - Shirel R. Kahane-Rapport
- Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA, United States of America
| | | | - Merceline T. San Luis
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
| | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, United States of America
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24
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Meekan MG, Virtue P, Marcus L, Clements KD, Nichols PD, Revill AT. The world's largest omnivore is a fish. Ecology 2022; 103:e3818. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- M. G. Meekan
- Australian Institute of Marine Science, c/o UWA Indian Ocean Marine Research Centre (MO96) 35 Stirling Hwy Crawley WA Australia
| | - P. Virtue
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Private Bag 129 Hobart Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, TAS 7000 Australia
| | - L. Marcus
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Private Bag 129 Hobart Australia
| | - K. D. Clements
- School of Biological Sciences University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand
| | - P. D. Nichols
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania Private Bag 129 Hobart Australia
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, TAS 7000 Australia
| | - A. T. Revill
- Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Oceans and Atmosphere, Castray Esplanade, Battery Point, TAS 7000 Australia
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25
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Nichols RC, Cade DE, Kahane-Rapport S, Goldbogen J, Stimpert A, Nowacek D, Read AJ, Johnston DW, Friedlaender A. Intra-seasonal variation in feeding rates and diel foraging behaviour in a seasonally fasting mammal, the humpback whale. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:211674. [PMID: 35814912 PMCID: PMC9257586 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Antarctic humpback whales forage in summer, coincident with the seasonal abundance of their primary prey, the Antarctic krill. During the feeding season, humpback whales accumulate energy stores sufficient to fuel their fasting period lasting over six months. Previous animal movement modelling work (using area-restricted search as a proxy) suggests a hyperphagic period late in the feeding season, similar in timing to some terrestrial fasting mammals. However, no direct measures of seasonal foraging behaviour existed to corroborate this hypothesis. We attached high-resolution, motion-sensing biologging tags to 69 humpback whales along the Western Antarctic Peninsula throughout the feeding season from January to June to determine how foraging effort changes throughout the season. Our results did not support existing hypotheses: we found a significant reduction in foraging presence and feeding rates from the beginning to the end of the feeding season. During the early summer period, feeding occurred during all hours at high rates. As the season progressed, foraging occurred mostly at night and at lower rates. We provide novel information on seasonal changes in foraging of humpback whales and suggest that these animals, contrary to nearly all other animals that seasonally fast, exhibit high feeding rates soon after exiting the fasting period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross C. Nichols
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz. 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - David E. Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Shirel Kahane-Rapport
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Alison Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, San Jose State University, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Douglas Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences & Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Andrew J. Read
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - David W. Johnston
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Ari Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz. 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
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26
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Abstract
Reinvasion of the oceans beginning 10-60 million years ago by ancient mammals instigated one of the most remarkable metabolic transitions across evolutionary time. A consequence of marine living, especially in colder waters, has been a 1.4 to 2.9-fold increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) for otters, pinnipeds and cetaceans over predicted levels for terrestrial mammals of similar body mass. Notably, the greatest metabolic elevation occurred in the smallest marine mammals, suggesting an underlying thermal causative mechanism. Superimposed on these resting costs are the metabolic demands of locomotion. Collectively termed the field metabolic rate, such active costs consistently approach three times the resting rates of individuals regardless of locomotor style, species, foraging patterns, habitat or geographic location. In wild non-reproducing mammals, the FMR/RMR ratio averages 2.6-2.8 for both terrestrial and marine species, with the latter group maintaining larger absolute daily metabolic rates supported by comparatively higher food ingestion rates. Interestingly, the limit for habitual (multi-day), sustained maximal energy expenditure in human endurance athletes averages < 3.0 times resting metabolic levels, with a notable exception in Tour de France cyclists. Importantly, both athletes and wild mammals seem similarly constrained; that is, by the ability to process enough calories in a day to support exceptional metabolic performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terrie M Williams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California- Santa Cruz, Coastal Biology Building, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95064
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27
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Pyenson N. How to know whales, and ourselves. Curr Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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28
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Burford BP, Williams RR, Demetras NJ, Carey N, Goldbogen J, Gilly WF, Harding J, Denny MW. The limits of convergence in the collective behavior of competing marine taxa. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8747. [PMID: 35356556 PMCID: PMC8939367 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective behaviors in biological systems such as coordinated movements have important ecological and evolutionary consequences. While many studies examine within‐species variation in collective behavior, explicit comparisons between functionally similar species from different taxonomic groups are rare. Therefore, a fundamental question remains: how do collective behaviors compare between taxa with morphological and physiological convergence, and how might this relate to functional ecology and niche partitioning? We examined the collective motion of two ecologically similar species from unrelated clades that have competed for pelagic predatory niches for over 500 million years—California market squid, Doryteuthis opalescens (Mollusca) and Pacific sardine, Sardinops sagax (Chordata). We (1) found similarities in how groups of individuals from each species collectively aligned, measured by angular deviation, the difference between individual orientation and average group heading. We also (2) show that conspecific attraction, which we approximated using nearest neighbor distance, was greater in sardine than squid. Finally, we (3) found that individuals of each species explicitly matched the orientation of groupmates, but that these matching responses were less rapid in squid than sardine. Based on these results, we hypothesize that information sharing is a comparably important function of social grouping for both taxa. On the other hand, some capabilities, including hydrodynamically conferred energy savings and defense against predators, could stem from taxon‐specific biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin P. Burford
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California USA
| | | | - Nicholas J. Demetras
- Institute of Marine Sciences, affiliated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz California USA
| | - Nicholas Carey
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
- Marine Scotland Science Aberdeen UK
| | - Jeremy Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - William F. Gilly
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - Jeffrey Harding
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service Southwest Fisheries Science Center Santa Cruz California USA
| | - Mark W. Denny
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
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29
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Segre PS, di Clemente J, Kahane‐Rapport SR, Gough WT, Meÿer MA, Lombard AT, Goldbogen JA, Penry GS. High‐speed chases along the seafloor put Bryde's whales at risk of entanglement. Conservat Sci and Prac 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12646] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S. Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - Jacopo di Clemente
- Department of Biology University of Copenhagen Copenhagen Denmark
- Department of Biology University of Southern Denmark Odense Denmark
- Department of Ecoscience Aarhus University Aarhus Denmark
| | - Shirel R. Kahane‐Rapport
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
- Department of Biological Science California State University Fullerton California USA
| | - William T. Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University Pacific Grove California USA
| | - Michael A. Meÿer
- Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Branch: Oceans and Coasts Cape Town South Africa
- South African Whale Disentanglement Network (SAWDN) Cape Town South Africa
| | - Amanda T. Lombard
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University Gqeberha South Africa
| | | | - Gwenith S. Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University Gqeberha South Africa
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30
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Segre PS, Gough WT, Roualdes EA, Cade DE, Czapanskiy MF, Fahlbusch J, Kahane-Rapport SR, Oestreich WK, Bejder L, Bierlich KC, Burrows JA, Calambokidis J, Chenoweth EM, di Clemente J, Durban JW, Fearnbach H, Fish FE, Friedlaender AS, Hegelund P, Johnston DW, Nowacek DP, Oudejans MG, Penry GS, Potvin J, Simon M, Stanworth A, Straley JM, Szabo A, Videsen SKA, Visser F, Weir CR, Wiley DN, Goldbogen JA. Scaling of maneuvering performance in baleen whales: larger whales outperform expectations. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274595. [PMID: 35234874 PMCID: PMC8976943 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Despite their enormous size, whales make their living as voracious predators. To catch their much smaller, more maneuverable prey, they have developed several unique locomotor strategies that require high energetic input, high mechanical power output and a surprising degree of agility. To better understand how body size affects maneuverability at the largest scale, we used bio-logging data, aerial photogrammetry and a high-throughput approach to quantify the maneuvering performance of seven species of free-swimming baleen whale. We found that as body size increases, absolute maneuvering performance decreases: larger whales use lower accelerations and perform slower pitch-changes, rolls and turns than smaller species. We also found that baleen whales exhibit positive allometry of maneuvering performance: relative to their body size, larger whales use higher accelerations, and perform faster pitch-changes, rolls and certain types of turns than smaller species. However, not all maneuvers were impacted by body size in the same way, and we found that larger whales behaviorally adjust for their decreased agility by using turns that they can perform more effectively. The positive allometry of maneuvering performance suggests that large whales have compensated for their increased body size by evolving more effective control surfaces and by preferentially selecting maneuvers that play to their strengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Edward A Roualdes
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, California State University, Chico, Chico, CA 95929, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - James Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Shirel R Kahane-Rapport
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA
| | | | - Lars Bejder
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Kaneohe, HI 96744, USA.,Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - K C Bierlich
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.,Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Julia A Burrows
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA.,Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | | | - Ellen M Chenoweth
- University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA.,Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, AK 99835, USA
| | - Jacopo di Clemente
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - John W Durban
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
| | - Holly Fearnbach
- SR3, SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, Des Moines, WA 98198, USA
| | - Frank E Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, PA 19383, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Peter Hegelund
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk 3900, Greenland
| | - David W Johnston
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Douglas P Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | | | - Gwenith S Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Gqeberha 6031, South Africa
| | - Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk 3900, Greenland
| | | | - Janice M Straley
- Department of Natural Sciences, University of Alaska Southeast, AK 99835, USA
| | - Andrew Szabo
- Alaska Whale Foundation, Petersburg, AK 99833, USA
| | - Simone K A Videsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Fleur Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, 1624 CJ Hoorn, The Netherlands.,Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, 1090 GE Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, 1790 AB Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | | | - David N Wiley
- NOAA/Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, MA 02066, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
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31
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Allen AS, Read AJ, Shorter KA, Gabaldon J, Blawas AM, Rocho-Levine J, Fahlman A. Dynamic body acceleration as a proxy to predict the cost of locomotion in bottlenose dolphins. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274390. [PMID: 35014667 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.243121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Estimates of the energetic costs of locomotion (COL) at different activity levels are necessary to answer fundamental eco-physiological questions and to understand the impacts of anthropogenic disturbance to marine mammals. We combined estimates of energetic costs derived from breath-by-breath respirometry with measurements of overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA) from biologging tags to validate ODBA as a proxy for COL in trained common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus). We measured resting metabolic rate (RMR); mean individual RMR was 0.71-1.42 times that of a similarly sized terrestrial mammal and agreed with past measurements which used breath-by-breath and flow-through respirometry. We also measured energy expenditure during submerged swim trials, at primarily moderate exercise levels. We subtracted RMR to obtain COL, and normalized COL by body size to incorporate individual swimming efficiencies. We found both mass-specific energy expenditure and mass-specific COL were linearly related with ODBA. Measurements of activity level and cost of transport (the energy required to move a given distance) improve understanding of the costs of locomotion in marine mammals. The strength of the correlation between ODBA and COL varied among individuals, but the overall relationship can be used at a broad scale to estimate the energetic costs of disturbance, daily locomotion costs to build energy budgets, and investigate the costs of diving in free-ranging animals where bio-logging data are available. We propose that a similar approach could be applied to other cetacean species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - K Alex Shorter
- Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | | | | | - Andreas Fahlman
- Fundación Oceanogràfic de la Comunitat Valenciana, Research Department, Valencia, Spain.,Global Diving Research S.L., Valencia, Spain
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32
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Vicari D, Sabin RC, Brown RP, Lambert O, Bianucci G, Meloro C. Skull morphological variation in a British stranded population of false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens): a three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach. CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)) is a globally distributed delphinid that shows geographical differentiation in its skull morphology. We explored cranial morphological variation in a sample of 85 skulls belonging to a mixed sex population stranded in the Moray Firth, Scotland, in 1927. A three-dimensional digitizer (Microscribe 2GX) was used to record 37 anatomical landmarks on the cranium and 25 on the mandible to investigate size and shape variation and to explore sexual dimorphism using geometric morphometric. Males showed greater overall skull size than females, whereas no sexual dimorphism could be identified in cranial and mandibular shape. Allometric skull changes occurred in parallel for both males and females, supporting the lack of sexual shape dimorphism for this particular sample. Also, fluctuating asymmetry did not differ between crania of males and females. This study confirms the absence of sexual shape dimorphism and the presence of a sexual size dimorphism in this false killer whale population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Vicari
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Richard C. Sabin
- Department of Life Sciences, The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Richard P. Brown
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
| | - Olivier Lambert
- D.O. Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Giovanni Bianucci
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa, 56126 Pisa, Italy
| | - Carlo Meloro
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
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33
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Delsett LL, Pyenson ND. Early and fast rise of Mesozoic ocean giants. Science 2021; 374:1554-1555. [PMID: 34941421 DOI: 10.1126/science.abm3751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- Lene Liebe Delsett
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.,Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.,Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
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34
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Sander PM, Griebeler EM, Klein N, Juarbe JV, Wintrich T, Revell LJ, Schmitz L. Early giant reveals faster evolution of large body size in ichthyosaurs than in cetaceans. Science 2021; 374:eabf5787. [PMID: 34941418 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf5787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- P Martin Sander
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Eva Maria Griebeler
- Institut für Organismische und Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Evolutionäre Ökologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicole Klein
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jorge Velez Juarbe
- Department of Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Tanja Wintrich
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,Anatomisches Institut, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.,Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Lars Schmitz
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA.,W.M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
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35
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Cade DE, Fahlbusch JA, Oestreich WK, Ryan J, Calambokidis J, Findlay KP, Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Seakamela SM, Goldbogen JA. Social exploitation of extensive, ephemeral, environmentally controlled prey patches by supergroups of rorqual whales. Anim Behav 2021; 182:251-66. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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36
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37
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Omotoso O, Gladyshev VN, Zhou X. Lifespan Extension in Long-Lived Vertebrates Rooted in Ecological Adaptation. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:704966. [PMID: 34733838 PMCID: PMC8558438 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.704966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2021] [Accepted: 09/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Contemporary studies on aging and longevity have largely overlooked the role that adaptation plays in lifespan variation across species. Emerging evidence indicates that the genetic signals of extended lifespan may be maintained by natural selection, suggesting that longevity could be a product of organismal adaptation. The mechanisms of adaptation in long-lived animals are believed to account for the modification of physiological function. Here, we first review recent progress in comparative biology of long-lived animals, together with the emergence of adaptive genetic factors that control longevity and disease resistance. We then propose that hitchhiking of adaptive genetic changes is the basis for lifespan changes and suggest ways to test this evolutionary model. As individual adaptive or adaptation-linked mutations/substitutions generate specific forms of longevity effects, the cumulative beneficial effect is largely nonrandom and is indirectly favored by natural selection. We consider this concept in light of other proposed theories of aging and integrate these disparate ideas into an adaptive evolutionary model, highlighting strategies in decoding genetic factors of lifespan control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olatunde Omotoso
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Vadim N Gladyshev
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Xuming Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, China
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38
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Gallagher CA, Chimienti M, Grimm V, Nabe-Nielsen J. Energy-mediated responses to changing prey size and distribution in marine top predator movements and population dynamics. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:241-254. [PMID: 34739086 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is modifying the structure of marine ecosystems, including that of fish communities. Alterations in abiotic and biotic conditions can decrease fish size and change community spatial arrangement, ultimately impacting predator species which rely on these communities. To conserve predators and understand the drivers of observed changes in their population dynamics, we must advance our understanding of how shifting environmental conditions can impact populations by limiting food available to individuals. To investigate the impacts of changing fish size and spatial aggregation on a top predator population, we applied an existing agent-based model parameterized for harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena which represents animal energetics and movements in high detail. We used this framework to quantify the impacts of shifting prey size and spatial aggregation on porpoise movement, space use, energetics and population dynamics. Simulated individuals were more likely to switch from area-restricted search to transit behaviour with increasing prey size, particularly when starving, due to elevated resource competition. In simulations with highly aggregated prey, higher prey encounter rates counteracted resource competition, resulting in no impacts of prey spatial aggregation on movement behaviour. Reduced energy intake with decreasing prey size and aggregation level caused population decline, with a 15% decrease in fish length resulting in total population collapse Increasing prey consumption rates by 42.8 ± 4.5% could offset population declines; however, this increase was 21.3 ± 12.7% higher than needed to account for changes in total energy availability alone. This suggests that animals in realistic seascapes require additional energy to locate smaller prey which should be considered when assessing the impacts of decreased energy availability. Changes in prey size and aggregation influenced movements and population dynamics of simulated harbour porpoises, revealing that climate-induced changes in prey structure, not only prey abundance, may threaten predator populations. We demonstrate how a population model with realistic animal movements and process-based energetics can be used to investigate population consequences of shifting food availability, such as those mediated by climate change, and provide a mechanistic explanation for how changes in prey structure can impact energetics, behaviour and ultimately viability of predator populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara A Gallagher
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.,Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Marianna Chimienti
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark.,Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Volker Grimm
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany.,Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
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39
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Savoca MS, Czapanskiy MF, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT, Fahlbusch JA, Bierlich KC, Segre PS, Di Clemente J, Penry GS, Wiley DN, Calambokidis J, Nowacek DP, Johnston DW, Pyenson ND, Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA. Baleen whale prey consumption based on high-resolution foraging measurements. Nature 2021; 599:85-90. [PMID: 34732868 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03991-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Baleen whales influence their ecosystems through immense prey consumption and nutrient recycling1-3. It is difficult to accurately gauge the magnitude of their current or historic ecosystem role without measuring feeding rates and prey consumed. To date, prey consumption of the largest species has been estimated using metabolic models3-9 based on extrapolations that lack empirical validation. Here, we used tags deployed on seven baleen whale (Mysticeti) species (n = 321 tag deployments) in conjunction with acoustic measurements of prey density to calculate prey consumption at daily to annual scales from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southern Oceans. Our results suggest that previous studies3-9 have underestimated baleen whale prey consumption by threefold or more in some ecosystems. In the Southern Ocean alone, we calculate that pre-whaling populations of mysticetes annually consumed 430 million tonnes of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), twice the current estimated total biomass of E. superba10, and more than twice the global catch of marine fisheries today11. Larger whale populations may have supported higher productivity in large marine regions through enhanced nutrient recycling: our findings suggest mysticetes recycled 1.2 × 104 tonnes iron yr-1 in the Southern Ocean before whaling compared to 1.2 × 103 tonnes iron yr-1 recycled by whales today. The recovery of baleen whales and their nutrient recycling services2,3,7 could augment productivity and restore ecosystem function lost during 20th century whaling12,13.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | | | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - James A Fahlbusch
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA.,Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Paolo S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Jacopo Di Clemente
- Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Gwenith S Penry
- Institute for Coastal and Marine Research, Nelson Mandela University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
| | - David N Wiley
- Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, NOAA National Ocean Service, Scituate, MA, USA
| | | | - Douglas P Nowacek
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - David W Johnston
- Duke University Marine Laboratory, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA
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40
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Abstract
Assessing the non-lethal effects of disturbance from human activities is necessary for wildlife conservation and management. However, linking short-term responses to long-term impacts on individuals and populations is a significant hurdle for evaluating the risks of a proposed activity. The Population Consequences of Disturbance (PCoD) framework conceptually describes how disturbance can lead to changes in population dynamics, and its real-world application has led to a suite of quantitative models that can inform risk assessments. Here, we review PCoD models that forecast the possible consequences of a range of disturbance scenarios for marine mammals. In so doing, we identify common themes and highlight general principles to consider when assessing risk. We find that, when considered holistically, these models provide valuable insights into which contextual factors influence a population's degree of exposure and sensitivity to disturbance. We also discuss model assumptions and limitations, identify data gaps and suggest future research directions to enable PCoD models to better inform risk assessments and conservation and management decisions. The general principles explored can help wildlife managers and practitioners identify and prioritize the populations most vulnerable to disturbance and guide industry in planning activities that avoid or mitigate population-level effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly A. Keen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Roxanne S. Beltran
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - Enrico Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, UK
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Daniel P. Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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41
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Rimbach R, Amireh A, Allen A, Hare B, Guarino E, Kaufman C, Salomons H, Pontzer H. Total energy expenditure of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) of different ages. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:271194. [PMID: 34350948 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Marine mammals are thought to have an energetically expensive lifestyle because endothermy is costly in marine environments. However, measurements of total energy expenditure (TEE; kcal day-1) are available only for a limited number of marine mammals, because large body size and inaccessible habitats make TEE measurements expensive and difficult to obtain for many taxa. We measured TEE in 10 adult common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) living in natural seawater lagoons at two facilities (Dolphin Research Center and Dolphin Quest) using the doubly labeled water method. We assessed the relative effects of body mass, age and physical activity on TEE. We also examined whether TEE of bottlenose dolphins, and more generally of marine mammals, differs from that expected for their body mass compared with other eutherian mammals, using phylogenetic least squares (PGLS) regressions. There were no differences in body mass or TEE (unadjusted TEE and TEE adjusted for fat-free mass) between dolphins from the two facilities. Our results show that adjusted TEE decreased and fat mass increased with age. Different measures of activity were not related to age, body fat or adjusted TEE. Both PGLS and the non-phylogenetic linear regression indicate that marine mammals have an elevated TEE compared with that of terrestrial mammals. However, bottlenose dolphins expended 17.1% less energy than other marine mammals of similar body mass. The two oldest dolphins (>40 years) showed a lower TEE, similar to the decline in TEE seen in older humans. To our knowledge, this is the first study to show an age-related metabolic decline in a large non-human mammal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rimbach
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, WITS 2050, South Africa
| | - Ahmad Amireh
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Austin Allen
- Duke University Marine Lab, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Brian Hare
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Chana Kaufman
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Hannah Salomons
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710, USA
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42
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Blawas AM, Nowacek DP, Rocho-Levine J, Robeck TR, Fahlman A. Scaling of heart rate with breathing frequency and body mass in cetaceans. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200223. [PMID: 34121456 PMCID: PMC8200651 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasticity in the cardiac function of a marine mammal facilitates rapid adjustments to the contrasting metabolic demands of breathing at the surface and diving during an extended apnea. By matching their heart rate (fH) to their immediate physiological needs, a marine mammal can improve its metabolic efficiency and maximize the proportion of time spent underwater. Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is a known modulation of fH that is driven by respiration and has been suggested to increase cardiorespiratory efficiency. To investigate the presence of RSA in cetaceans and the relationship between fH, breathing rate (fR) and body mass (Mb), we measured simultaneous fH and fR in five cetacean species in human care. We found that a higher fR was associated with a higher mean instantaneous fH (ifH) and minimum ifH of the RSA. By contrast, fH scaled inversely with Mb such that larger animals had lower mean and minimum ifHs of the RSA. There was a significant allometric relationship between maximum ifH of the RSA and Mb, but not fR, which may indicate that this parameter is set by physical laws and not adjusted dynamically with physiological needs. RSA was significantly affected by fR and was greatly reduced with small increases in fR. Ultimately, these data show that surface fHs of cetaceans are complex and the fH patterns we observed are controlled by several factors. We suggest the importance of considering RSA when interpreting fH measurements and particularly how fR may drive fH changes that are important for efficient gas exchange. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashley M. Blawas
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - Douglas P. Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
- Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | | | - Andreas Fahlman
- Fundación Oceanogràfic de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain 46005
- Global Diving Research, Inc., Ottawa, Canada, K2 J 5E8
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43
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Czapanskiy MF, Savoca MS, Gough WT, Segre PS, Wisniewska DM, Cade DE, Goldbogen JA. Modelling short‐term energetic costs of sonar disturbance to cetaceans using high‐resolution foraging data. J Appl Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Max F. Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - Matthew S. Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - William T. Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - Paolo S. Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - Danuta M. Wisniewska
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé CNRS‐Université de La Rochelle Villiers‐en‐Bois France
| | - David E. Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - Jeremy A. Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station Department of Biology Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
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44
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Abstract
Abstract
The evolution of gigantic body size represents a key to understand the ecological role of baleen whales in oceanic ecosystems. Many efforts have been devoted to the formulation of equations relating different body parts to total body length and mass in living and fossil mysticetes, mainly focusing on balaenopterid and balaenopterid-like mysticetes. Right whales (family Balaenidae) have a unique head-to-body length ratio, suggesting that their body proportions cannot be predicted effectively using equations based primarily on non-balaenid mysticetes. A new morphometric dataset of living and fossil balaenids is provided herein, and new regression equations allow one to predict the body length and mass of extinct species based on the expected head-to-body length ratio of extant balaenids. The reconstructed values are mapped on a new phylogenetic analysis of the Balaenidae, inferring body size and mass at ancestral nodes. The variations of body size and mass in Balaenidae since the early Miocene are reconstructed, revealing that: (1) a reduction in total body length occurred in the early Pliocene; (2) the origin of the gigantic body size in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is probably related to invasion of the Arctic Ocean in the last 3 Myr; and (3) the origin of the gigantic body size in the right whales (genus Eubalaena) occurred since the latest Miocene, probably concomitant with pulses of nutrients sustaining large zooplankton populations. We suggest that the evolution of gigantism in Balaenidae occurred independently in two lineages and, probably, in response to different palaeoenvironmental drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelangelo Bisconti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
- San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Luca Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
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45
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Abstract
Wild animals are under selective pressure to optimise energy budgets; therefore, quantifying energy expenditure, intake and allocation to specific activities is important if we are to understand how animals survive in their environment. One approach toward estimating energy budgets has involved measuring oxygen consumption rates under controlled conditions and constructing allometric relationships across species. However, studying 'giant' marine vertebrates (e.g. pelagic sharks, whales) in this way is logistically difficult or impossible. An alternative approach involves the use of increasingly sophisticated electronic tags that have allowed recordings of behaviour, internal states and the surrounding environment of marine animals. This Review outlines how we could study the energy expenditure and intake of free-living ocean giants using this 'biologging' technology. There are kinematic, physiological and theoretical approaches for estimating energy expenditure, each of which has merits and limitations. Importantly, tag-derived energy proxies can hardly be validated against oxygen consumption rates for giant species. The proxies are thus qualitative, rather than quantitative, estimates of energy expenditure, and have more limited utilities. Despite this limitation, these proxies allow us to study the energetics of ocean giants in their behavioural context, providing insight into how these animals optimise their energy budgets under natural conditions. We also outline how information on energy intake and foraging behaviour can be gained from tag data. These methods are becoming increasingly important owing to the natural and anthropogenic environmental changes faced by ocean giants that can alter their energy budgets, fitness and, ultimately, population sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan.,Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo 190-8518, Japan
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
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46
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Chenoweth EM, Boswell KM, Friedlaender AS, McPhee MV, Burrows JA, Heintz RA, Straley JM. Confronting assumptions about prey selection by lunge‐feeding whales using a process‐based model. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ellen M. Chenoweth
- University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks AK USA
- University of Alaska Southeast Sitka AK USA
| | | | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
- Oregon State University Newport OR USA
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47
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Gough WT, Smith HJ, Savoca MS, Czapanskiy MF, Fish FE, Potvin J, Bierlich KC, Cade DE, Di Clemente J, Kennedy J, Segre P, Stanworth A, Weir C, Goldbogen JA. Scaling of oscillatory kinematics and Froude efficiency in baleen whales. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:269076. [PMID: 34109418 PMCID: PMC8317509 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.237586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
High efficiency lunate-tail swimming with high-aspect-ratio lifting surfaces has evolved in many vertebrate lineages, from fish to cetaceans. Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are the largest swimming animals that exhibit this locomotor strategy, and present an ideal study system to examine how morphology and the kinematics of swimming scale to the largest body sizes. We used data from whale-borne inertial sensors coupled with morphometric measurements from aerial drones to calculate the hydrodynamic performance of oscillatory swimming in six baleen whale species ranging in body length from 5 to 25 m (fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus; Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera edeni; sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis; Antarctic minke whale, Balaenoptera bonaerensis; humpback whale, Megaptera novaeangliae; and blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus). We found that mass-specific thrust increased with both swimming speed and body size. Froude efficiency, defined as the ratio of useful power output to the rate of energy input ( Sloop, 1978), generally increased with swimming speed but decreased on average with increasing body size. This finding is contrary to previous results in smaller animals, where Froude efficiency increased with body size. Although our empirically parameterized estimates for swimming baleen whale drag were higher than those of a simple gliding model, oscillatory locomotion at this scale exhibits generally high Froude efficiency as in other adept swimmers. Our results quantify the fine-scale kinematics and estimate the hydrodynamics of routine and energetically expensive swimming modes at the largest scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Hayden J Smith
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Department of Physics, Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX 78626, USA
| | - Matthew S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Max F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - Frank E Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | - Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.,Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | - John Kennedy
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - Paolo Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | | | - Caroline Weir
- Falklands Conservation, Stanley FIQQ 1ZZ, Falkland Islands
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
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48
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Yoerger DR, Govindarajan AF, Howland JC, Llopiz JK, Wiebe PH, Curran M, Fujii J, Gomez-Ibanez D, Katija K, Robison BH, Hobson BW, Risi M, Rock SM. A hybrid underwater robot for multidisciplinary investigation of the ocean twilight zone. Sci Robot 2021; 6:6/55/eabe1901. [PMID: 34135116 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.abe1901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Mesobot, an autonomous underwater vehicle, addresses specific unmet needs for observing and sampling a variety of phenomena in the ocean's midwaters. The midwater hosts a vast biomass, has a role in regulating climate, and may soon be exploited commercially, yet our scientific understanding of it is incomplete. Mesobot has the ability to survey and track slow-moving animals and to correlate the animals' movements with critical environmental measurements. Mesobot will complement existing oceanographic assets such as towed, remotely operated, and autonomous vehicles; shipboard acoustic sensors; and net tows. Its potential to perform behavioral studies unobtrusively over long periods with substantial autonomy provides a capability that is not presently available to midwater researchers. The 250-kilogram marine robot can be teleoperated through a lightweight fiber optic tether and can also operate untethered with full autonomy while minimizing environmental disturbance. We present recent results illustrating the vehicle's ability to automatically track free-swimming hydromedusae (Solmissus sp.) and larvaceans (Bathochordaeus stygius) at depths of 200 meters in Monterey Bay, USA. In addition to these tracking missions, the vehicle can execute preprogrammed missions collecting image and sensor data while also carrying substantial auxiliary payloads such as cameras, sonars, and samplers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana R Yoerger
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA.
| | | | | | - Joel K Llopiz
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Peter H Wiebe
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Molly Curran
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Justin Fujii
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | | | - Kakani Katija
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Bruce H Robison
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Brett W Hobson
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Michael Risi
- Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - Stephen M Rock
- Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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49
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Potvin J, Cade DE, Werth AJ, Shadwick RE, Goldbogen JA. Rorqual Lunge-Feeding Energetics Near and Away from the Kinematic Threshold of Optimal Efficiency. Integr Org Biol 2021; 3:obab005. [PMID: 34104873 PMCID: PMC8179629 DOI: 10.1093/iob/obab005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Humpback and blue whales are large baleen-bearing cetaceans, which use a unique prey-acquisition strategy—lunge feeding—to engulf entire patches of large plankton or schools of forage fish and the water in which they are embedded. Dynamically, and while foraging on krill, lunge-feeding incurs metabolic expenditures estimated at up to 20.0 MJ. Because of prey abundance and its capture in bulk, lunge feeding is carried out at high acquired-to-expended energy ratios of up to 30 at the largest body sizes (∼27 m). We use bio-logging tag data and the work-energy theorem to show that when krill-feeding at depth while using a wide range of prey approach swimming speeds (2–5 m/s), rorquals generate significant and widely varying metabolic power output during engulfment, typically ranging from 10 to 50 times the basal metabolic rate of land mammals. At equal prey field density, such output variations lower their feeding efficiency two- to three-fold at high foraging speeds, thereby allowing slow and smaller rorquals to feed more efficiently than fast and larger rorquals. The analysis also shows how the slowest speeds of harvest so far measured may be connected to the biomechanics of the buccal cavity and the prey’s ability to collectively avoid engulfment. Such minimal speeds are important as they generate the most efficient lunges. Sommaire Les rorquals à bosse et rorquals bleus sont des baleines à fanons qui utilisent une technique d’alimentation unique impliquant une approche avec élan pour engouffrer de larges quantités de plancton et bancs de petits poissons, ainsi que la masse d’eau dans laquelle ces proies sont situés. Du point de vue de la dynamique, et durant l’approche et engouffrement de krill, leurs dépenses énergétiques sont estimées jusqu’à 20.0 MJ. À cause de l’abondance de leurs proies et capture en masse, cette technique d’alimentation est effectuée à des rapports d’efficacité énergétique (acquise -versus- dépensée) estimés aux environs de 30 dans le cas des plus grandes baleines (27 m). Nous utilisons les données recueillies par des capteurs de bio-enregistrement ainsi que le théorème reliant l’énergie à l’effort pour démontrer comment les rorquals s’alimentant sur le krill à grandes profondeurs, et à des vitesses variant entre 2 et 5 m/s, maintiennent des taux de dépenses énergétiques entre 10 et 50 fois le taux métabolique basal des mammifères terrestres. À densités de proies égales, ces variations d’énergie utilisée peuvent réduire le rapport d’efficacité énergétique par des facteurs entre 2x et 3x, donc permettant aux petits et plus lents rorquals de chasser avec une efficacité comparable à celle des rorquals les plus grands et rapides. Notre analyse démontre aussi comment des vitesses d’approche plus lentes peuvent être reliées à la biomécanique de leur poche ventrale extensible, et à l’habilitée des proies à éviter d’être engouffrer. Ces minimums de vitesses sont importants car ils permettent une alimentation plus efficace énergétiquement.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO 63103, USA
| | - D E Cade
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Sant Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - A J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA 23943, USA
| | - R E Shadwick
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
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Segre PS, Weir CR, Stanworth A, Cartwright S, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA. Biomechanically distinct filter-feeding behaviors distinguish sei whales as a functional intermediate and ecologically flexible species. J Exp Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.238873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
With their ability to facultatively switch between filter-feeding modes, sei whales represent a functional and ecological intermediate in the transition between intermittent and continuous filter feeding. Morphologically resembling their lunge-feeding, rorqual relatives, sei whales have convergently evolved the ability to skim prey near the surface of the water, like the more distantly related balaenids. Because of their intermediate nature, understanding how sei whales switch between feeding behaviors may shed light on the rapid evolution and flexibility of filter-feeding strategies. We deployed multi-sensor bio-logging tags on two sei whales and measured the kinematics of feeding behaviors in this poorly understood and endangered species. To forage at the surface, sei whales used a unique combination of surface lunges and skim-feeding behaviors. The surface lunges were slow and stereotyped, and were unlike lunges performed by other rorqual species. The skim-feeding events featured a different filtration mechanism from the lunges and were kinematically different from the continuous filter feeding used by balaenids. While foraging below the surface, sei whales used faster and more variable lunges. The morphological characteristics that allow sei whales to effectively perform different feeding behaviors suggest that sei whales rapidly evolved their functionally intermediate and ecologically flexible form to compete with larger and more efficient rorqual species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo S. Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | | | | | | | - Ari S. Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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