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Hall AJ, Kershaw JL, Fraser S, Davidson K, Rowland-Pilgrim S, Turner AD, McConnell B. Estimating the risks of exposure to harmful algal toxins among Scottish harbour seals. HARMFUL ALGAE 2024; 136:102653. [PMID: 38876527 DOI: 10.1016/j.hal.2024.102653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins consumed by marine predators through fish prey can be lethal but studies on the resulting population consequences are lacking. Over the past approximately 20 years there have been large regional declines in some harbour seal populations around Scotland. Analyses of excreta (faeces and urine from live and dead seals and faecal samples from seal haulout sites) suggest widespread exposure to toxins through the ingestion of contaminated prey. A risk assessment model, incorporating concentrations of the two major HAB toxins found in seal prey around Scotland (domoic acid (DA), and saxitoxins (STX)), the seasonal persistence of the toxins in the fish and the foraging patterns of harbour seals were used to estimate the proportion of adults and juveniles likely to have ingested doses above various estimated toxicity thresholds. The results were highly dependent on toxin type, persistence, and foraging regime as well as age class, all of which affected the proportion of exposed animals exceeding toxicity thresholds. In this preliminary model STX exposure was unlikely to result in mortalities. Modelled DA exposure resulted in doses above an estimated lethal threshold of 1900 µg/kg body mass affecting up to 3.8 % of exposed juveniles and 5.3 % of exposed adults. Given the uncertainty in the model parameters and the limitations of the data these conclusions should be treated with caution, but they indicate that DA remains a potential factor involved in the regional declines of harbour seals. Similar risks may be experienced by other top predators, including small cetaceans and seabirds that feed on similar prey in Scottish waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ailsa J Hall
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK, KY16 8LB.
| | - Joanna L Kershaw
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK, KY16 8LB
| | - Shaun Fraser
- UHI Shetland, University of the Highlands and Islands, Port Arthur, Scalloway, Shetland, UK, ZE1 0UN
| | - Keith Davidson
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Oban, UK, PA37 1QA
| | - Stephanie Rowland-Pilgrim
- Food Safety Group, Centre for Environment and Fisheries Science (Cefas), Weymouth, Dorset, UK, DT4 8UB
| | - Andrew D Turner
- Food Safety Group, Centre for Environment and Fisheries Science (Cefas), Weymouth, Dorset, UK, DT4 8UB
| | - Bernie McConnell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK, KY16 8LB
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2
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Cliffe RN, Haupt RJ, Kennedy S, Felton C, Williams HJ, Avey-Arroyo J, Wilson R. The behaviour and activity budgets of two sympatric sloths; Bradypus variegatus and Choloepus hoffmanni. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15430. [PMID: 37273542 PMCID: PMC10234273 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is usually beneficial for species to restrict activity to a particular phase of the 24-hour cycle as this enables the development of morphological and behavioural adaptations to enhance survival under specific biotic and abiotic conditions. Sloth activity patterns are thought to be strongly related to the environmental conditions due to the metabolic consequences of having a low and highly variable core body temperature. Understanding the drivers of sloth activity and their ability to withstand environmental fluctuations is of growing importance for the development of effective conservation measures, particularly when we consider the vulnerability of tropical ecosystems to climate change and the escalating impacts of anthropogenic activities in South and Central America. Unfortunately, the cryptic nature of sloths makes long term observational research difficult and so there is very little existing literature examining the behavioural ecology of wild sloths. Here, we used micro data loggers to continuously record, for the first time, the behaviour of both Bradypus and Choloepus sloths over periods of days to weeks. We investigate how fluctuations in the environmental conditions affect the activity of sloths inhabiting a lowland rainforest on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica and examined how this might relate to their low power lifestyle. Both Bradypus and Choloepus sloths were found to be cathemeral in their activity, with high levels of between-individual and within-individual variation in the amounts of time spent active, and in the temporal distribution of activity over the 24-hour cycle. Daily temperature did not affect activity, although Bradypus sloths were found to show increased nocturnal activity on colder nights, and on nights following colder days. Our results demonstrate a distinct lack of synchronicity within the same population, and we suggest that this pattern provides sloths with the flexibility to exploit favourable environmental conditions whilst reducing the threat of predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca N. Cliffe
- The Sloth Conservation Foundation, Hayfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
- The Sloth Sanctuary of Costa Rica, Limon, Costa Rica
| | - Ryan J. Haupt
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States of America
| | - Sarah Kennedy
- The Sloth Conservation Foundation, Hayfield, Derbyshire, United Kingdom
| | - Cerys Felton
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
| | - Hannah J. Williams
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
- Migration Department, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Rory Wilson
- Swansea Lab for Animal Movement, Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, United Kingdom
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3
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The influence of prey availability on behavioral decisions and reproductive success of a central-place forager during lactation. J Theor Biol 2023; 560:111392. [PMID: 36572092 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Marine central-place foragers are increasingly faced with altered prey landscapes, necessitating predictions of the impact of such changes on behavior, reproductive success, and population dynamics. We used state-dependent behavioral life history theory implemented via Stochastic Dynamic Programming (SDP) to explore the influence of changes in prey distribution and energy gain from foraging on the behavior and reproductive success of a central place forager during lactation. Our work is motivated by northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) because of the ongoing population decline of the Eastern Pacific stock and projected declines in biomass of walleye pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus), a key fur seal prey species in the eastern Bering Sea. We also explored how changes in female and pup metabolic rates, body size, and lactation duration affected model output to provide insight into traits that might experience selective pressure in response to reductions in prey availability. Simulated females adopted a central-place foraging strategy after an initial extended period spent on land (4.7-8.3 days). Trip durations increased as the high energy prey patch moved farther from land or when the energy gain from foraging decreased. Increases in trip duration adversely affected pup growth rates and wean mass despite attempts to compensate by increasing land durations. Metabolic rate changes had the largest impacts on pup wean mass, with reductions in a pup's metabolic rate allowing females to successfully forage at distances of 600+ km from land for up to 15+ days. Our results indicate that without physiological adaptations, a rookery is unlikely to be viable if the primary foraging grounds are 400 km or farther from the rookery. To achieve pup growth rates characteristic of a population experiencing rapid growth, model results indicate the primary foraging grounds need to be <150 km from the rookery.
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4
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Kachel S, Bayrakcısmith R, Kubanychbekov Z, Kulenbekov R, McCarthy T, Weckworth B, Wirsing A. Ungulate spatiotemporal responses to contrasting predation risk from wolves and snow leopards. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:142-157. [PMID: 36416593 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Spatial responses to risk from multiple predators can precipitate emergent consequences for prey (i.e. multiple-predator effects, MPEs) and mediate indirect interactions between predators. How prey navigate risk from multiple predators may therefore have important ramifications for understanding the propagation of predation-risk effects (PREs) through ecosystems. The interaction of predator and prey traits has emerged as a potentially key driver of antipredator behaviour but remains underexplored in large vertebrate systems, particularly where sympatric prey share multiple predators. We sought to better generalize our understanding of how predators influence their ecosystems by considering how multiple sources of contingency drive prey distribution in a multi-predator-multi-prey system. Specifically, we explored how two sympatric ungulates with different escape tactics-vertically agile, scrambling ibex Capra sibirica and sprinting argali Ovis ammon-responded to predation risk from shared predators with contrasting hunting modes-cursorial wolves Canis lupus and vertical-ambushing, stalking snow leopards Panthera uncia. Contrasting risk posed by the two predators presented prey with clear trade-offs. Ibex selected for greater exposure to chronic long-term risk from snow leopards, and argali for wolves, in a nearly symmetrical manner that was predictable based on the compatibility of their respective traits. Yet, acute short-term risk from the same predator upended these long-term strategies, increasing each ungulates' exposure to risk from the alternate predator in a manner consistent with a scenario in which conflicting antipredator behaviours precipitate risk-enhancing MPEs and mediate predator facilitation. By contrast, reactive responses to wolves led ibex to reduce their exposure to risk from both predators-a risk-reducing MPE. Evidence of a similar reactive risk-reducing effect for argali vis-à-vis snow leopards was lacking. Our results suggest that prey spatial responses and any resulting MPEs and prey-mediated interactions between predators are contingent on the interplay of hunting mode and escape tactics. Further investigation of interactions among various drivers of contingency in PREs will contribute to a more comprehensive understanding and improved forecasting of the ecological effects of predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon Kachel
- University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.,Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Rahim Kulenbekov
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA.,Ilbirs Foundation, Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic
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Iorio-Merlo V, Graham IM, Hewitt RC, Aarts G, Pirotta E, Hastie GD, Thompson PM. Prey encounters and spatial memory influence use of foraging patches in a marine central place forager. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212261. [PMID: 35232237 PMCID: PMC8889173 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the patchiness and long-term predictability of marine resources, memory of high-quality foraging grounds is expected to provide fitness advantages for central place foragers. However, it remains challenging to characterize how marine predators integrate memory with recent prey encounters to adjust fine-scale movement and use of foraging patches. Here, we used two months of movement data from harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) to quantify the repeatability in foraging patches as a proxy for memory. We then integrated these data into analyses of fine-scale movement and underwater behaviour to test how both spatial memory and prey encounter rates influenced the seals' area-restricted search (ARS) behaviour. Specifically, we used one month's GPS data from 29 individuals to build spatial memory maps of searched areas and archived accelerometery data from a subset of five individuals to detect prey catch attempts, a proxy for prey encounters. Individuals were highly consistent in the areas they visited over two consecutive months. Hidden Markov models showed that both spatial memory and prey encounters increased the probability of seals initiating ARS. These results provide evidence that predators use memory to adjust their fine-scale movement, and this ability should be accounted for in movement models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Virginia Iorio-Merlo
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Isla M Graham
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Rebecca C Hewitt
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
| | - Geert Aarts
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Group and Wageningen Marine Research, Wageningen University and Research, Ankerpark 27, 1781 AG Den Helder, The Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Enrico Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, UK.,School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Gordon D Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Paul M Thompson
- School of Biological Sciences, Lighthouse Field Station, University of Aberdeen, Cromarty, Ross-shire IV11 8YJ, UK
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Salton M, Bestley S, Gales N, Harcourt R. Environmental drivers of foraging behaviour during long-distance foraging trips of male Antarctic fur seals. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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7
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Damseaux F, Siebert U, Pomeroy P, Lepoint G, Das K. Habitat and resource segregation of two sympatric seals in the North Sea. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 764:142842. [PMID: 33342563 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The study of ecological niche segregation in sympatric species is essential to understand ecosystem functioning and its response to potential changes. In the North Sea, sympatric grey and harbour seals may present competition for food resources sustained by intense fishing activities and recent increase of seal populations. In order to coexist and reduce inter-specific competition, sympatric species must segregate at least one aspect of their ecological niches: temporal, spatial or resource segregation. We aim to study the foraging resources and foraging distributions of grey seals and harbour seals and the potential competition between these species in the North Sea. Therefore, we analysed stable isotopic composition of C, N and S (δ13C, δ15N and δ34S values), and the concentrations of Hg and Se in blood of harbour and grey seals from the North Sea. Blood samples were collected on 45 grey seals and 37 harbour seals sampled along German and Scottish coasts. Stable isotope ratios were performed with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an N-C-S elemental analyser for automated analyses. Total mercury concentrations (T-Hg) were determined by atomic absorption spectroscopy and Se concentrations by ICP-MS. The multi-tracer approach shown spatial and resource partitioning within grey and harbour seal living along German and Scottish coasts. Data indicate 1) the offshore foraging distribution of grey seals as reflected by the lower δ15N values and T-Hg concentrations and higher Se concentrations and 2) the inshore foraging distribution of harbour seals because of higher δ15N values and T-Hg concentrations and lower Se concentrations. The SIAR mixing model revealed 3) a more selective diet of grey seals compared to harbour seals and 4) the importance of sandeels in grey seal diet reflected by their high δ34S values. Lastly, diet ellipse overlaps between grey seals and harbour seals sampled along the German coasts suggested 5) a potential sharing of food resources, possibly due to the increase number of grey seals number in this area during the foraging season - all year except breeding and moulting periods. The multi-tracer approach of this study provides a more robust discrimination among diet resources and spatial foraging distributions of grey seals and harbour seals in the North Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- France Damseaux
- Freshwater and Oceanic sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), Laboratory of Oceanology, University of Liège B6c, 11 Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 25761 Büsum, Germany
| | - Patrick Pomeroy
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, East Sands, University of St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Gilles Lepoint
- Freshwater and Oceanic sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), Laboratory of Oceanology, University of Liège B6c, 11 Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liège, Belgium
| | - Krishna Das
- Freshwater and Oceanic sciences Unit of reSearch (FOCUS), Laboratory of Oceanology, University of Liège B6c, 11 Allée du 6 Août, 4000 Liège, Belgium.
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8
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Abstract
Central place foragers are expected to offset travel costs between a central place and foraging areas by targeting productive feeding zones. Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) make multi-day foraging trips away from coastal haul-out sites presumably to target rich food resources, but periodic track points from telemetry tags may be insufficient to infer reliably where, and how often, foraging takes place. To study foraging behaviour during offshore trips, and assess what factors limit trip duration, we equipped harbour seals in the German Wadden Sea with high-resolution multi-sensor bio-logging tags, recording 12 offshore trips from 8 seals. Using acceleration transients as a proxy for prey capture attempts, we found that foraging rates during travel to and from offshore sites were comparable to offshore rates. Offshore foraging trips may, therefore, reflect avoidance of intra-specific competition rather than presence of offshore foraging hotspots. Time spent resting increased by approx. 37 min/day during trips suggesting that a resting deficit rather than patch depletion may influence trip length. Foraging rates were only weakly correlated with surface movement patterns highlighting the value of integrating multi-sensor data from on-animal bio-logging tags (GPS, depth, accelerometers and magnetometers) to infer behaviour and habitat use.
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9
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Pirotta E, Booth CG, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Costa DP, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Harwood J, Hazen EL, New L, Southall BL. Context-dependent variability in the predicted daily energetic costs of disturbance for blue whales. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 9:coaa137. [PMID: 33505702 PMCID: PMC7816799 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/19/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the long-term consequences of sub-lethal anthropogenic disturbance on wildlife populations requires integrating data on fine-scale individual behavior and physiology into spatially and temporally broader, population-level inference. A typical behavioral response to disturbance is the cessation of foraging, which can be translated into a common metric of energetic cost. However, this necessitates detailed empirical information on baseline movements, activity budgets, feeding rates and energy intake, as well as the probability of an individual responding to the disturbance-inducing stressor within different exposure contexts. Here, we integrated data from blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus) experimentally exposed to military active sonar signals with fine-scale measurements of baseline behavior over multiple days or weeks obtained from accelerometry loggers, telemetry tracking and prey sampling. Specifically, we developed daily simulations of movement, feeding behavior and exposure to localized sonar events of increasing duration and intensity and predicted the effects of this disturbance source on the daily energy intake of an individual. Activity budgets and movements were highly variable in space and time and among individuals, resulting in large variability in predicted energetic intake and costs. In half of our simulations, an individual's energy intake was unaffected by the simulated source. However, some individuals lost their entire daily energy intake under brief or weak exposure scenarios. Given this large variation, population-level models will have to assess the consequences of the entire distribution of energetic costs, rather than only consider single summary statistics. The shape of the exposure-response functions also strongly influenced predictions, reinforcing the need for contextually explicit experiments and improved mechanistic understanding of the processes driving behavioral and physiological responses to disturbance. This study presents a robust approach for integrating different types of empirical information to assess the effects of disturbance at spatio-temporal and ecological scales that are relevant to management and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Pirotta
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork T23 N73K, Ireland
| | - Cormac G Booth
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - David E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | - Daniel P Costa
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - James A Fahlbusch
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA 98501, USA
| | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - John Harwood
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Elliott L Hazen
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Monterey, CA 93940, USA
| | - Leslie New
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA 98686, USA
| | - Brandon L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA 95003, USA
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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10
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Chudzinska M, Nabe-Nielsen J, Smout S, Aarts G, Brasseur S, Graham I, Thompson P, McConnell B. AgentSeal: Agent-based model describing movement of marine central-place foragers. Ecol Modell 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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11
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McNicol CM, Bavin D, Bearhop S, Bridges J, Croose E, Gill R, Goodwin CED, Lewis J, MacPherson J, Padfield D, Schofield H, Silk MJ, Tomlinson AJ, McDonald RA. Postrelease movement and habitat selection of translocated pine martens Martes martes. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5106-5118. [PMID: 32551086 PMCID: PMC7297779 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6265] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2019] [Revised: 12/20/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Monitoring postrelease establishment and movement of animals is important in evaluating conservation translocations. We translocated 39 wild pine martens Martes martes (19 females, 20 males) from Scotland to Wales. We released them into forested areas with no conspecifics in 2015, followed by a second release in 2016, alongside the previously released animals. We used radio-tracking to describe postrelease movement and habitat selection. Six martens (15%) were not re-encountered during the tracking period, of which four undertook long-distance dispersal. For the remaining individuals, we characterized two phases of movement, "exploration" followed by "settlement," that differed between releases. In the first release, martens remained in exploration phase for a mean of 14.5 days (SE = 3.9 days) and settled at a mean distance of 8.7 km (SE = 1.8 km) from release sites, whereas martens released in year two, alongside resident conspecifics, traveled away from release sites at a faster rate, settling sooner, at a mean of 6.6 days (SE = 1.8 days), but further, at a mean distance of 14.0 km (SE = 1.7 km) from release sites. Animals released in year one did not exhibit habitat preferences overall but within forests they favored recently felled areas, whereas animals released in year two showed strong selection for forested habitat but did not discriminate between forest types. The presence of conspecifics appeared influential for settlement and site fidelity of translocated martens and was associated with more rapid but more distant dispersal of the later cohort. Releases of animals in close proximity appeared to promote site fidelity and rapid establishment of ranges in the recipient environment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David Bavin
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Vincent Wildlife TrustEastnorLedburyUK
| | - Stuart Bearhop
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | | | | | - Robin Gill
- Forest ResearchAlice Holt LodgeFarnhamUK
| | | | | | | | - Daniel Padfield
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
| | | | - Matthew J. Silk
- Environment and Sustainability InstituteUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationUniversity of ExeterPenrynUK
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12
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Carter MID, McClintock BT, Embling CB, Bennett KA, Thompson D, Russell DJF. From pup to predator: generalized hidden Markov models reveal rapid development of movement strategies in a naïve long‐lived vertebrate. OIKOS 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.06853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matt I. D. Carter
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Univ. of Plymouth Plymouth UK
| | - Brett T. McClintock
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA NMFS Seattle USA
| | - Clare B. Embling
- Marine Biology and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, Univ. of Plymouth Plymouth UK
| | | | - Dave Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
| | - Debbie J. F. Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, Univ. of St Andrew St Andrews UK
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Nowak BVR, Bowen WD, Whoriskey K, Lidgard DC, Mills Flemming JE, Iverson SJ. Foraging behaviour of a continental shelf marine predator, the grey seal ( Halichoerus grypus), is associated with in situ, subsurface oceanographic conditions. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2020; 8:41. [PMID: 33093960 PMCID: PMC7574573 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-020-00225-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The heterogeneous oceanographic conditions of continental shelf ecosystems result in a three-dimensionally patchy distribution of prey available to upper-trophic level predators. The association of bio-physical conditions with movement patterns of large marine predators has been demonstrated in diverse taxa. However, obtaining subsurface data that are spatio-temporally relevant to the decisions made by benthically-foraging species can be challenging. METHODS Between 2009 and 2015, grey seals were captured on Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada during summer and fall and instrumented with high-resolution archival GPS tags. These tags recorded location data as well as depth (m), temperature (°C), and light level measurements during dives, until animals returned to the haulout site to breed. Hidden Markov models were used to predict apparent foraging along movement tracks for 79 individuals (59 females, 20 males) every 3 h. In situ measurements were used to estimate chlorophyll-a concentration (mg m- 3) and temperature within the upper-water column (50 m) and temperature and depth at the bottom of dives. As chlorophyll-a could only be estimated from 10:00 to 14:00 AST for dive depths ≥50 m, we formulated two generalized linear mixed-effects models to test the association of predicted grey seal behavioural states with oceanographic conditions and phytoplankton biomass: the first representing conditions of the upper-water column likely to influence primary productivity, and a second model including environmental conditions encountered by grey seals at the bottom of dives, when seals were more likely to be foraging. RESULTS Predicted grey seal behavioural states were associated with fine-scale chlorophyll-a concentrations and other environmental conditions they encountered across the continental shelf. In the Water Column Model, season had no influence on the probability of observing apparent foraging, but chlorophyll-a, upper-water column temperature, and sex did, with females having a greater probability of foraging than males. In the Bottom Conditions Model, again season had no influence on the probability of apparent foraging, but females were over twice as likely as males to be foraging. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study highlight the value of in situ measurements of oceanographic properties that can be collected at high temporal resolution by animal-borne data loggers. These data provide insight into how inferred behavioural decisions made by large marine predators, such as the grey seal, may be influenced by fine-scale oceanographic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. V. R. Nowak
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
| | - W. D. Bowen
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
- Population Ecology Division, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - K. Whoriskey
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
| | - D. C. Lidgard
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
- Population Ecology Division, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2 Canada
| | - J. E. Mills Flemming
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
| | - S. J. Iverson
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4JI Canada
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15
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van Beest FM, Mews S, Elkenkamp S, Schuhmann P, Tsolak D, Wobbe T, Bartolino V, Bastardie F, Dietz R, von Dorrien C, Galatius A, Karlsson O, McConnell B, Nabe-Nielsen J, Olsen MT, Teilmann J, Langrock R. Classifying grey seal behaviour in relation to environmental variability and commercial fishing activity - a multivariate hidden Markov model. Sci Rep 2019; 9:5642. [PMID: 30948786 PMCID: PMC6449369 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-42109-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Classifying movement behaviour of marine predators in relation to anthropogenic activity and environmental conditions is important to guide marine conservation. We studied the relationship between grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) behaviour and environmental variability in the southwestern Baltic Sea where seal-fishery conflicts are increasing. We used multiple environmental covariates and proximity to active fishing nets within a multivariate hidden Markov model (HMM) to quantify changes in movement behaviour of grey seals while at sea. Dive depth, dive duration, surface duration, horizontal displacement, and turning angle were used to identify travelling, resting and foraging states. The likelihood of seals foraging increased in deeper, colder, more saline waters, which are sites with increased primary productivity and possibly prey densities. Proximity to active fishing net also had a pronounced effect on state occupancy. The probability of seals foraging was highest <5 km from active fishing nets (51%) and decreased as distance to nets increased. However, seals used sites <5 km from active fishing nets only 3% of their time at sea highlighting an important temporal dimension in seal-fishery interactions. By coupling high-resolution oceanographic, fisheries, and grey seal movement data, our study provides a scientific basis for designing management strategies that satisfy ecological and socioeconomic demands on marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Floris M van Beest
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Sina Mews
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Svenja Elkenkamp
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Patrick Schuhmann
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Dorian Tsolak
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Till Wobbe
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Valerio Bartolino
- Department of Aquatic Resources, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Lysekil, SE-45321, Sweden
| | - Francois Bastardie
- National Institute for Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Kgs. Lyngby, DK-2800, Denmark
| | - Rune Dietz
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Christian von Dorrien
- Thünen Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, Alter Hafen Süd 2, D-18069, Rostock, Germany
| | - Anders Galatius
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Olle Karlsson
- Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Bernie McConnell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - Jacob Nabe-Nielsen
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics Section, Natural History Museum of Denmark, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, DK-1350, Copenhagen K, Denmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Roland Langrock
- Department of Business Administration and Economics, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615, Bielefeld, Germany
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16
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Mikkelsen L, Johnson M, Wisniewska DM, van Neer A, Siebert U, Madsen PT, Teilmann J. Long-term sound and movement recording tags to study natural behavior and reaction to ship noise of seals. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:2588-2601. [PMID: 30891202 PMCID: PMC6405890 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2018] [Revised: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 12/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of anthropogenic noise on marine fauna is of increasing conservation concern with vessel noise being one of the major contributors. Animals that rely on shallow coastal habitats may be especially vulnerable to this form of pollution.Very limited information is available on how much noise from ship traffic individual animals experience, and how they may react to it due to a lack of suitable methods. To address this, we developed long-duration audio and 3D-movement tags (DTAGs) and deployed them on three harbor seals and two gray seals in the North Sea during 2015-2016.These tags recorded sound, accelerometry, magnetometry, and pressure continuously for up to 21 days. GPS positions were also sampled for one seal continuously throughout the recording period. A separate tag, combining a camera and an accelerometer logger, was deployed on two harbor seals to visualize specific behaviors that helped interpret accelerometer signals in the DTAG data.Combining data from depth, accelerometer, and audio sensors, we found that animals spent 6.6%-42.3% of the time hauled out (either on land or partly submerged), and 5.3%-12.4% of their at-sea time resting at the sea bottom, while the remaining time was used for traveling, resting at surface, and foraging. Animals were exposed to audible vessel noise 2.2%-20.5% of their time when in water, and we demonstrate that interruption of functional behaviors (e.g., resting) in some cases coincides with high-level vessel noise. Two-thirds of the ship noise events were traceable by the AIS vessel tracking system, while one-third comprised vessels without AIS.This preliminary study demonstrates how concomitant long-term continuous broadband on-animal sound and movement recordings may be an important tool in future quantification of disturbance effects of anthropogenic activities at sea and assessment of long-term population impacts on pinnipeds.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mark Johnson
- Sea Mammal Research UnitUniversity of St. AndrewsSt. AndrewsUK
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
| | - Danuta Maria Wisniewska
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
- Hopkins Marine StationStanford UniversityStanfordCalifornia
| | - Abbo van Neer
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW)University of Veterinary Medicine HannoverFoundationGermany
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research (ITAW)University of Veterinary Medicine HannoverFoundationGermany
| | - Peter Teglberg Madsen
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
- Aarhus Institute for Advanced StudiesAarhus UniversityAarhus CDenmark
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Théo Michelot
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Paul G. Blackwell
- School of Mathematics and StatisticsUniversity of Sheffield Sheffield UK
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18
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Hauser DDW, Laidre KL, Stern HL, Suydam RS, Richard PR. Indirect effects of sea ice loss on summer‐fall habitat and behaviour for sympatric populations of an Arctic marine predator. DIVERS DISTRIB 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Donna D. W. Hauser
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
- Polar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Kristin L. Laidre
- School of Aquatic & Fishery Sciences University of Washington Seattle WA USA
- Polar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Harry L. Stern
- Polar Science Center Applied Physics Laboratory University of Washington Seattle WA USA
| | - Robert S. Suydam
- Department of Wildlife Management North Slope Borough Barrow AK USA
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19
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Isojunno S, Sadykova D, DeRuiter S, Curé C, Visser F, Thomas L, Miller PJO, Harris CM. Individual, ecological, and anthropogenic influences on activity budgets of long‐finned pilot whales. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- S. Isojunno
- Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling (CREEM) The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY169LZ UK
| | - D. Sadykova
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences School of Biological Sciences University of Aberdeen Tillydrone Avenue Aberdeen AB24 2TZ UK
- School of Biological Sciences Queen's University Belfast 97 Lisburn Road Belfast BT9 7BL UK
| | - S. DeRuiter
- Mathematics and Statistics Department Calvin College Grand Rapids Michigan 49546 USA
| | - C. Curé
- Cerema, DTer Est Acoustics Group F‐67035 Strasbourg Cedex 2 France
| | - F. Visser
- Kelp Marine Research Loniusstraat 9 1624 CJ Hoorn The Netherlands
- Behavioural Biology Institute of Biology Leiden University P.O. Box 9505 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands
| | - L. Thomas
- Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling (CREEM) The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY169LZ UK
| | - P. J. O. Miller
- Sea Mammal Research Unit Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - C. M. Harris
- Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling (CREEM) The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens University of St Andrews St Andrews, Fife KY169LZ UK
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20
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Carter MID, Russell DJF, Embling CB, Blight CJ, Thompson D, Hosegood PJ, Bennett KA. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors drive ontogeny of early-life at-sea behaviour in a marine top predator. Sci Rep 2017; 7:15505. [PMID: 29138511 PMCID: PMC5686064 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-15859-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 11/01/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Young animals must learn to forage effectively to survive the transition from parental provisioning to independent feeding. Rapid development of successful foraging strategies is particularly important for capital breeders that do not receive parental guidance after weaning. The intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of variation in ontogeny of foraging are poorly understood for many species. Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are typical capital breeders; pups are abandoned on the natal site after a brief suckling phase, and must develop foraging skills without external input. We collected location and dive data from recently-weaned grey seal pups from two regions of the United Kingdom (the North Sea and the Celtic and Irish Seas) using animal-borne telemetry devices during their first months of independence at sea. Dive duration, depth, bottom time, and benthic diving increased over the first 40 days. The shape and magnitude of changes differed between regions. Females consistently had longer bottom times, and in the Celtic and Irish Seas they used shallower water than males. Regional sex differences suggest that extrinsic factors, such as water depth, contribute to behavioural sexual segregation. We recommend that conservation strategies consider movements of young naïve animals in addition to those of adults to account for developmental behavioural changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt I D Carter
- School of Biological & Marine Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK.
| | - Deborah J F Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK.,Centre for Research into Ecological & Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Clare B Embling
- School of Biological & Marine Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Clint J Blight
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - David Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Philip J Hosegood
- School of Biological & Marine Sciences, Plymouth University, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK
| | - Kimberley A Bennett
- School of Science, Engineering & Technology, Abertay University, Dundee, DD1 1HG, UK
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21
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Hastie GD, Russell DJF, Lepper P, Elliott J, Wilson B, Benjamins S, Thompson D. Harbour seals avoid tidal turbine noise: Implications for collision risk. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon D. Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
| | - Debbie J. F. Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling; The Observatory; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
| | | | - Jim Elliott
- Scottish Association for Marine Science; Scottish Marine Institute Oban; Argyll UK
| | - Ben Wilson
- Scottish Association for Marine Science; Scottish Marine Institute Oban; Argyll UK
| | - Steven Benjamins
- Scottish Association for Marine Science; Scottish Marine Institute Oban; Argyll UK
| | - Dave Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews UK
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22
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Hanson N, Jones EL, Harris RN. Multi-decadal and ontogenetic trophic shifts inferred from stable isotope ratios of pinniped teeth. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Nora Hanson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews; KY16 8LB UK
| | - Esther L. Jones
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews; KY16 8LB UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens, Univ. of St Andrews; UK
| | - Robert N. Harris
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Inst., Univ. of St Andrews; KY16 8LB UK
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23
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Ditmer MA, Moen RA, Windels SK, Forester JD, Ness TE, Harris TR. Moose at their bioclimatic edge alter their behavior based on weather, landscape, and predators. Curr Zool 2017; 64:419-432. [PMID: 30109872 PMCID: PMC6084617 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Populations inhabiting the bioclimatic edges of a species’ geographic range face an increasing amount of stress from alterations to their environment associated with climate change. Moose Alces alces are large-bodied ungulates that are sensitive to heat stress and have exhibited population declines and range contractions along their southern geographic extent. Using a hidden Markov model to analyze movement and accelerometer data, we assigned behaviors (rest, forage, or travel) to all locations of global positioning system-collared moose (n = 13, moose-years = 19) living near the southern edge of the species’ range in and around Voyageurs National Park, MN, USA. We assessed how moose behavior changed relative to weather, landscape, and the presence of predators. Moose significantly reduced travel and increased resting behaviors at ambient temperatures as low as 15 °C and 24 °C during the spring and summer, respectively. In general, moose behavior changed seasonally in association with distance to lakes and ponds. Moose used wetlands for travel throughout the year, rested in conifer forests, and foraged in shrublands. The influence of wolves Canis lupus varied among individual moose and season, but the largest influence was a reduction in travel during spring when near a wolf home range core, primarily by pregnant females. Our analysis goes beyond habitat selection to capture how moose alter their activities based on their environment. Our findings, along with climate change forecasts, suggest that moose in this area will be required to further alter their activity patterns and space use in order to find sufficient forage and avoid heat stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Ditmer
- Conservation Department, Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN, USA.,Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, Ste 135, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Ron A Moen
- Natural Resources Research Institute and Department of Biology, University of Minnesota Duluth, 5013 Miller Trunk Highway, Duluth, MN, USA
| | - Steve K Windels
- Voyageurs National Park, 360 Hwy 11 E, International Falls, MN, USA
| | - James D Forester
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, Ste 135, St Paul, MN, USA
| | - Thomas E Ness
- Conservation Department, Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN, USA
| | - Tara R Harris
- Conservation Department, Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Boulevard, Apple Valley, MN, USA.,Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 2003 Upper Buford Circle, Ste 135, St Paul, MN, USA
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24
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Incorporating Telemetry Error into Hidden Markov Models of Animal Movement Using Multiple Imputation. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s13253-017-0285-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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25
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Jones EL, Hastie GD, Smout S, Onoufriou J, Merchant ND, Brookes KL, Thompson D. Seals and shipping: quantifying population risk and individual exposure to vessel noise. J Appl Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Esther L. Jones
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling; The Observatory; Buchanan Gardens; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 9LZ UK
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
| | - Gordon D. Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
| | - Sophie Smout
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling; The Observatory; Buchanan Gardens; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 9LZ UK
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
| | - Joseph Onoufriou
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
| | - Nathan D. Merchant
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science; Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT UK
| | - Kate L. Brookes
- Marine Scotland Science; 375 Victoria Road Aberdeen AB11 9DB UK
| | - David Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; St Andrews KY16 8LB UK
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26
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McClintock BT, London JM, Cameron MF, Boveng PL. Bridging the gaps in animal movement: hidden behaviors and ecological relationships revealed by integrated data streams. Ecosphere 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.1751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Brett T. McClintock
- Marine Mammal Laboratory; Alaska Fisheries Science Center; NOAA-NMFS; 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle Washington 98115 USA
| | - Joshua M. London
- Marine Mammal Laboratory; Alaska Fisheries Science Center; NOAA-NMFS; 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle Washington 98115 USA
| | - Michael F. Cameron
- Marine Mammal Laboratory; Alaska Fisheries Science Center; NOAA-NMFS; 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle Washington 98115 USA
| | - Peter L. Boveng
- Marine Mammal Laboratory; Alaska Fisheries Science Center; NOAA-NMFS; 7600 Sand Point Way NE Seattle Washington 98115 USA
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27
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28
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Bestley S, Jonsen I, Harcourt RG, Hindell MA, Gales NJ. Putting the behavior into animal movement modeling: Improved activity budgets from use of ancillary tag information. Ecol Evol 2016; 6:8243-8255. [PMID: 27878092 PMCID: PMC5108274 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2016] [Revised: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Animal movement research relies on biotelemetry, and telemetry-based locations are increasingly augmented with ancillary information. This presents an underutilized opportunity to enhance movement process models. Given tags designed to record specific behaviors, efforts are increasing to update movement models beyond reliance solely upon horizontal movement information to improve inference of space use and activity budgets. We present two state-space models adapted to incorporate ancillary data to inform three discrete movement states: directed, resident, and an activity state. These were developed for two case studies: (1) a "haulout" model for Weddell seals, and (2) an "activity" model for Antarctic fur seals which intersperse periods of diving activity and inactivity. The methodology is easily implementable with any ancillary data that can be expressed as a proportion (or binary) indicator. A comparison of the models augmented with ancillary information and unaugmented models confirmed that many behavioral states appeared mischaracterized in the latter. Important changes in subsequent activity budgets occurred. Haulout accounted for 0.17 of the overall Weddell seal time budget, with the estimated proportion of time spent in a resident state reduced from a posterior median of 0.69 (0.65-0.73; 95% HPDI) to 0.54 (0.50-0.58 HPDI). The drop was more dramatic in the Antarctic fur seal case, from 0.57 (0.52-0.63 HPDI) to 0.22 (0.20-0.25 HPDI), with 0.35 (0.31-0.39 HPDI) of time spent in the inactive (nondiving) state. These findings reinforce previously raised contentions about the drawbacks of behavioral states inferred solely from horizontal movements. Our findings have implications for assessing habitat requirements; estimating energetics and consumption; and management efforts such as mitigating fisheries interactions. Combining multiple sources of information within integrated frameworks should improve inference of relationships between movement decisions and fitness, the interplay between resource and habitat dependencies, and their changes at the population and landscape level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Bestley
- Australian Antarctic Division Department of Environment Kingston Tas. Australia; Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Hobart Tas. Australia; Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre Hobart Tas. Australia
| | - Ian Jonsen
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Robert G Harcourt
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW Australia
| | - Mark A Hindell
- Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Hobart Tas. Australia; Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems Co-operative Research Centre Hobart Tas. Australia
| | - Nicholas J Gales
- Australian Antarctic Division Department of Environment Kingston Tas. Australia
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29
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Russell DJF, Hastie GD, Thompson D, Janik VM, Hammond PS, Scott-Hayward LAS, Matthiopoulos J, Jones EL, McConnell BJ. Avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is limited to pile driving activities. J Appl Ecol 2016; 53:1642-1652. [PMID: 27867217 PMCID: PMC5111737 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2015] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
As part of global efforts to reduce dependence on carbon‐based energy sources there has been a rapid increase in the installation of renewable energy devices. The installation and operation of these devices can result in conflicts with wildlife. In the marine environment, mammals may avoid wind farms that are under construction or operating. Such avoidance may lead to more time spent travelling or displacement from key habitats. A paucity of data on at‐sea movements of marine mammals around wind farms limits our understanding of the nature of their potential impacts. Here, we present the results of a telemetry study on harbour seals Phoca vitulina in The Wash, south‐east England, an area where wind farms are being constructed using impact pile driving. We investigated whether seals avoid wind farms during operation, construction in its entirety, or during piling activity. The study was carried out using historical telemetry data collected prior to any wind farm development and telemetry data collected in 2012 during the construction of one wind farm and the operation of another. Within an operational wind farm, there was a close‐to‐significant increase in seal usage compared to prior to wind farm development. However, the wind farm was at the edge of a large area of increased usage, so the presence of the wind farm was unlikely to be the cause. There was no significant displacement during construction as a whole. However, during piling, seal usage (abundance) was significantly reduced up to 25 km from the piling activity; within 25 km of the centre of the wind farm, there was a 19 to 83% (95% confidence intervals) decrease in usage compared to during breaks in piling, equating to a mean estimated displacement of 440 individuals. This amounts to significant displacement starting from predicted received levels of between 166 and 178 dB re 1 μPa(p‐p). Displacement was limited to piling activity; within 2 h of cessation of pile driving, seals were distributed as per the non‐piling scenario. Synthesis and applications. Our spatial and temporal quantification of avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is critical to reduce uncertainty and increase robustness in environmental impact assessments of future developments. Specifically, the results will allow policymakers to produce industry guidance on the likelihood of displacement of seals in response to pile driving; the relationship between sound levels and avoidance rates; and the duration of any avoidance, thus allowing far more accurate environmental assessments to be carried out during the consenting process. Further, our results can be used to inform mitigation strategies in terms of both the sound levels likely to cause displacement and what temporal patterns of piling would minimize the magnitude of the energetic impacts of displacement.
Our spatial and temporal quantification of avoidance of wind farms by harbour seals is critical to reduce uncertainty and increase robustness in environmental impact assessments of future developments. Specifically, the results will allow policymakers to produce industry guidance on the likelihood of displacement of seals in response to pile driving; the relationship between sound levels and avoidance rates; and the duration of any avoidance, thus allowing far more accurate environmental assessments to be carried out during the consenting process. Further, our results can be used to inform mitigation strategies in terms of both the sound levels likely to cause displacement and what temporal patterns of piling would minimize the magnitude of the energetic impacts of displacement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debbie J F Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK; Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9LZ UK
| | - Gordon D Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - David Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Vincent M Janik
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Philip S Hammond
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Lindesay A S Scott-Hayward
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9LZ UK
| | - Jason Matthiopoulos
- Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health, and Comparative Medicine University of Glasgow Graham Kerr Building Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Esther L Jones
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK; Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 9LZ UK
| | - Bernie J McConnell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit University of St Andrews St Andrews Fife KY16 8LB UK
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30
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Boehme L, Baker A, Fedak M, Årthun M, Nicholls K, Robinson P, Costa D, Biuw M, Photopoulou T. Bimodal Winter Haul-Out Patterns of Adult Weddell Seals (Leptonychotes weddellii) in the Southern Weddell Sea. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0155817. [PMID: 27196097 PMCID: PMC4873014 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0155817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Hauling out is an essential component of pinniped life-history. Haul-out behaviour may be affected by biological (e.g. sex, age and condition) and physical factors (e.g. food availability and environmental conditions), and identifying these factors may help explain the spatio-temporal distribution and habitat use of pinnipeds. The aim of this study is to describe observed winter haul-out patterns of adult Weddell seals in the Weddell Sea and investigate the role of potential predictors to gain insight into the way these animals interact with the physical environment in this region. We examined the haul-out behaviour in relation to available biological (i.e., diving effort, sex) and physical information (i.e., sun angle). Thirty-three satellite telemetry tags were deployed on adult Weddell seals in the southern Weddell Sea during February 2007, 2009 and 2011, following their annual moult recording information on the behavioural mode of the animal: at surface, hauled out or diving. At the end of the austral summer Weddell seals spent, on average, more than 40% of their time hauled out on the ice. Under constant light conditions, it appears that physiological factors drive sex differences in the timing and duration of haul-out behaviour, with females spending on average more time hauled out than males during daylight hours. This time spent hauled-out declined to around 15% in both sexes by the beginning of autumn and remained at this level with a clear nocturnal haul-out pattern during the winter. The time spent diving increased during this period, indicating an increase in foraging effort during the winter months, and led to a common haul-out pattern in both sexes over winter. We found a positive relationship between haul-out duration and the percentage of time spent diving prior to a haul-out in both sexes, with the exception of female daytime haul-outs early in the year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars Boehme
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Amy Baker
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Mike Fedak
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Patrick Robinson
- University of California, Long Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, United States of America
| | - Dan Costa
- University of California, Long Marine Laboratory, Santa Cruz, United States of America
| | - Martin Biuw
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Theoni Photopoulou
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, St Andrews, United Kingdom
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31
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Carter MID, Bennett KA, Embling CB, Hosegood PJ, Russell DJF. Navigating uncertain waters: a critical review of inferring foraging behaviour from location and dive data in pinnipeds. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2016; 4:25. [PMID: 27800161 PMCID: PMC5080796 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-016-0090-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2016] [Accepted: 10/17/2016] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
In the last thirty years, the emergence and progression of biologging technology has led to great advances in marine predator ecology. Large databases of location and dive observations from biologging devices have been compiled for an increasing number of diving predator species (such as pinnipeds, sea turtles, seabirds and cetaceans), enabling complex questions about animal activity budgets and habitat use to be addressed. Central to answering these questions is our ability to correctly identify and quantify the frequency of essential behaviours, such as foraging. Despite technological advances that have increased the quality and resolution of location and dive data, accurately interpreting behaviour from such data remains a challenge, and analytical methods are only beginning to unlock the full potential of existing datasets. This review evaluates both traditional and emerging methods and presents a starting platform of options for future studies of marine predator foraging ecology, particularly from location and two-dimensional (time-depth) dive data. We outline the different devices and data types available, discuss the limitations and advantages of commonly-used analytical techniques, and highlight key areas for future research. We focus our review on pinnipeds - one of the most studied taxa of marine predators - but offer insights that will be applicable to other air-breathing marine predator tracking studies. We highlight that traditionally-used methods for inferring foraging from location and dive data, such as first-passage time and dive shape analysis, have important caveats and limitations depending on the nature of the data and the research question. We suggest that more holistic statistical techniques, such as state-space models, which can synthesise multiple track, dive and environmental metrics whilst simultaneously accounting for measurement error, offer more robust alternatives. Finally, we identify a need for more research to elucidate the role of physical oceanography, device effects, study animal selection, and developmental stages in predator behaviour and data interpretation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Ian Daniel Carter
- Marine Biology & Ecology Research Centre, School of Marine Science & Engineering, Plymouth University, PL4 8AA Plymouth, UK
| | - Kimberley A. Bennett
- School of Science, Engineering & Technology, Abertay University, DD1 1HG Dundee, UK
| | - Clare B. Embling
- Marine Biology & Ecology Research Centre, School of Marine Science & Engineering, Plymouth University, PL4 8AA Plymouth, UK
| | - Philip J. Hosegood
- Centre for Coast and Ocean Science & Engineering, School of Marine Science & Engineering, Plymouth University, PL4 8AA Plymouth, UK
| | - Debbie J. F. Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, KY16 8LB St. Andrews, UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St. Andrews, KY16 9LZ St. Andrews, UK
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Hastie GD, Russell DJ, McConnell B, Moss S, Thompson D, Janik VM. Sound exposure in harbour seals during the installation of an offshore wind farm: predictions of auditory damage. J Appl Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon D. Hastie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Deborah J.F. Russell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling; The Observatory; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 9LZ UK
| | - Bernie McConnell
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Simon Moss
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Dave Thompson
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
| | - Vincent M. Janik
- Sea Mammal Research Unit; Scottish Oceans Institute; University of St Andrews; Fife KY16 8LB UK
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