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Kügler A, Lammers MO, Pack AA, Tenorio-Hallé L, Thode AM. Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230279. [PMID: 38269074 PMCID: PMC10805604 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Humpback whale song chorusing dominates the marine soundscape in Hawai'i during winter months, yet little is known about spatio-temporal habitat use patterns of singers. We analysed passive acoustic monitoring data from five sites off Maui and found that ambient noise levels associated with song chorusing decreased during daytime hours nearshore but increased offshore. To resolve whether these changes reflect a diel offshore-onshore movement or a temporal difference in singing activity, data from 71 concurrently conducted land-based theodolite surveys were analysed. Non-calf pods (n = 3082), presumably including the majority of singers, were found further offshore with increasing time of the day. Separately, we acoustically localized 217 nearshore singers using vector-sensors. During the day, distances to shore and minimum distances among singers increased, and singers switched more between being stationary and singing while travelling. Together, these findings suggest that the observed diel trends in humpback whale chorusing off Maui represent a pattern of active onshore-offshore movement of singers. We hypothesize that this may result from singers attempting to reduce intraspecific acoustic masking when densities are high nearshore and avoidance of a loud, non-humpback, biological evening chorus offshore, creating a dynamic of movement of singers aimed at increasing the efficiency of their acoustic display.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Kügler
- University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Bioacoustics and Behavioral Ecology Lab, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
- Oceanwide Science Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Marc O. Lammers
- Oceanwide Science Institute, Honolulu, HI, USA
- Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, Kīhei, HI, USA
| | - Adam A. Pack
- University of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hilo, HI, USA
- The Dolphin Institute, Hilo, HI, USA
| | - Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé
- Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Aaron M. Thode
- Marine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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Thiel A, Hertel AG, Giroud S, Friebe A, Fuchs B, Kindberg J, Græsli AR, Arnemo JM, Evans AL. The cost of research: Lasting effects of capture, surgery and muscle biopsy on brown bear ( Ursus arctos) movement and physiology. Anim Welf 2023; 32:e75. [PMID: 38510989 PMCID: PMC10951663 DOI: 10.1017/awf.2023.95] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Animal models are a key component of translational medicine, helping transfer scientific findings into practical applications for human health. A fundamental principle of research ethics involves weighing the benefits of the research to society against the burden imposed on the animals used for scientific purposes. The utilisation of wild animals for research requires evaluation of the effects of capture and invasive sampling. Determining the severity and duration of these interventions on the animal's physiology and behaviour allows for refining study methodology and for excluding or accounting for biased data. In this study, 39 Scandinavian brown bears (Ursus arctos) captured either while hibernating in winter or via helicopter in summer and that underwent surgery as part of a human health project had their movement, body temperature and timing of onset of hibernation compared with those of 14 control bears that had not been captured during the same period. Bears captured in winter and summer showed decreased movement from den exit until late summer, compared to those in the control group. Bears captured in summer showed reduced movement and body temperature for at least, respectively, 14 and 3 days, with an 11% decrease in hourly distance, compared to pre-capture levels, but did not differ in the timing of hibernation onset. We reveal that brown bear behaviour and physiology can be altered in response to capture and surgery for days to months, post-capture. This has broad implications for the conclusions of wildlife studies that rely upon invasive sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Thiel
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Anne G Hertel
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Sylvain Giroud
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria
- Energetics Lab, Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI, USA
| | - Andrea Friebe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Boris Fuchs
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Jonas Kindberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anne Randi Græsli
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Jon M Arnemo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Alina L Evans
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Biotechnology, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
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Evans AL, Fuchs B, Singh NJ, Thiel A, Giroud S, Blanc S, Laske TG, Frobert O, Friebe A, Swenson JE, Arnemo JM. Body mass is associated with hibernation length, body temperature, and heart rate in free-ranging brown bears. Front Zool 2023; 20:27. [PMID: 37587452 PMCID: PMC10433566 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-023-00501-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite centuries of research, debate remains on the scaling of metabolic rate to mass especially for intraspecific cases. The high variation of body mass within brown bears presents a unique opportunity to study the intraspecific effects of body mass on physiological variables. The amplitude of metabolic rate reduction in hibernators is dependent on body mass of the species. Small hibernators have high metabolic rates when euthermic but experience a drastic decrease in body temperature during torpor, which is necessary to reach a very low metabolic rate. Conversely, large hibernators, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), show a moderate decrease in temperature during hibernation, thought to be related to the bear's large size. We studied body mass, abdominal body temperature, heart rate, and accelerometer-derived activity from 63 free-ranging brown bears (1-15 years old, 15-233 kg). We tested for relationships between body mass and body temperature, heart rate, and hibernation duration. RESULTS The smallest individuals maintained lower body temperatures during hibernation, hibernated longer, and ended hibernation later than large bears. Unlike body temperature, winter heart rates were not associated with body mass. In summer, the opposite pattern was found, with smaller individuals having higher body temperature and daytime heart rates. Body mass was associated with body temperature in the winter hypometabolic state, even in a large hibernating mammal. Smaller bears, which are known to have higher thermal conductance, reached lower body temperatures during hibernation. During summer, smaller bears had higher body temperatures and daytime heart rates, a phenomenon not previously documented within a single mammalian species. CONCLUSION We conclude that the smallest bears hibernated more deeply and longer than large bears, likely from a combined effect of basic thermodynamics, the higher need for energy savings, and a lower cost of warming up a smaller body.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina L Evans
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2418, Elverum, Norway.
| | - Boris Fuchs
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2418, Elverum, Norway
| | - Navinder J Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Alexandra Thiel
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2418, Elverum, Norway
| | - Sylvain Giroud
- Reseach Institute of Wildlife Ecology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine, Savoyenstraße 1, 1160, Vienna, Austria
- Energetics Lab, Department of Biology, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, USA
| | - Stephane Blanc
- Hubert Curien Multidisciplinary Institute, UMR 7178 CNRS/UDS, 23 Rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France
| | - Timothy G Laske
- Department of Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, USA
| | - Ole Frobert
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Andrea Friebe
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, 7485, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Jon E Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Post Box 5003, 1432, Ås, Norway
| | - Jon M Arnemo
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Faculty of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Campus Evenstad, 2418, Elverum, Norway
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Faculty of Forest Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 901 83, Umeå, Sweden
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Donatelli A, Mastrantonio G, Ciucci P. Circadian activity of small brown bear populations living in human-dominated landscapes. Sci Rep 2022; 12:15804. [PMID: 36138081 PMCID: PMC9499929 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20163-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Whereas numerous studies on large carnivores have focused on analyzing spatial patterns and habitat use, the temporal dimension of their activity has been relatively little investigated, making this a topic of growing interest, especially in human-dominated landscapes. Relict and isolated Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) have been living in a human-modified landscape since millennia, but no information is available on their activity patterns. By means of GPS telemetry (26,880 GPS locations collected from 18 adult Apennine brown bears) we investigated their circadian rhythms, using hourly movement rates as an index of bear activity. Based on a Bayesian modeling approach, circadian activity of Apennine brown bears was described by a bimodal curve, with peaks of activity around sunrise and sunset. We revealed seasonal effects, with bears exhibiting higher movement rates throughout the mating season, but no relevant influence of sex. In addition, bears increased their movement rate at distances < 100–500 m to roads and settlements exclusively during spring and late summer, suggesting a trade-off between foraging opportunities and risk avoidance. The absence of a marked nocturnality in Apennine brown bears suggests a relatively low degree of habitat encroachment and disturbance by humans. Yet, the occurrence of crepuscular activity patterns and the responses in proximity of anthropogenic landscape features likely indicate a coadaptation by bears to human presence through a shift in their temporal niche. Further studies should aim to unveil fitness implications of such modifications in activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Donatelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | | | - Paolo Ciucci
- Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
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Kawamura K, Jimbo M, Adachi K, Shirane Y, Nakanishi M, Umemura Y, Ishinazaka T, Uno H, Sashika M, Tsubota T, Shimozuru M. Diel and monthly activity pattern of brown bears and sika deer in the Shiretoko Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan. J Vet Med Sci 2022; 84:1146-1156. [PMID: 35811130 PMCID: PMC9412065 DOI: 10.1292/jvms.21-0665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals exhibit several types of diel activity pattern, including nocturnal, diurnal,
crepuscular, and cathemeral. These patterns vary inter- and intra-specifically and are
affected by environmental factors, individual status, and interactions with other
individuals or species. Determining the factors that shape diel activity patterns is
challenging but essential for understanding the behavioral ecology of animal species, and
for wildlife conservation and management. Using camera-trap surveys, we investigated the
species distributions and activity patterns of terrestrial mammals on the Shiretoko
Peninsula, Hokkaido, Japan, with particular focus on brown bears and sika deer. From June
to October 2019, a total of 7,530 observations were recorded by 65 camera-traps for eight
species, including two alien species. The diel activity pattern of brown bears was
diurnal/crepuscular, similar to that of bears in North America, but different from
European populations. Bear observations were more frequent during the autumnal hyperphagia
period, and adult females and sub-adults were more diurnal than adult males. In addition,
bears inside the protected area were more diurnal than those outside it. These findings
suggest that appetite motivation, competitive interactions between conspecifics, and human
activities potentially affect bear activity patterns. Similar to other sika deer
populations and other deer species, the diel activity patterns of sika deer were
crepuscular. Deer showed less variation in activity patterns among months and sex-age
classes, while adult males were observed more frequently during the autumn copulation
period, suggesting that reproductive motivation affects their activity patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kei Kawamura
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University
| | - Mina Jimbo
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University
| | | | - Yuri Shirane
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hokkaido University.,Hokkaido Research Organization
| | | | | | | | - Hiroyuki Uno
- Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
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