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Williams HJ, Shipley JR, Rutz C, Wikelski M, Wilkes M, Hawkes LA. Future trends in measuring physiology in free-living animals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200230. [PMID: 34176330 PMCID: PMC8237165 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0230] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Thus far, ecophysiology research has predominantly been conducted within controlled laboratory-based environments, owing to a mismatch between the recording technologies available for physiological monitoring in wild animals and the suite of behaviours and environments they need to withstand, without unduly affecting subjects. While it is possible to record some physiological variables for free-living animals using animal-attached logging devices, including inertial-measurement, heart-rate and temperature loggers, the field is still in its infancy. In this opinion piece, we review the most important future research directions for advancing the field of 'physiologging' in wild animals, including the technological development that we anticipate will be required, and the fiscal and ethical challenges that must be overcome. Non-invasive, multi-sensor miniature devices are ubiquitous in the world of human health and fitness monitoring, creating invaluable opportunities for animal and human physiologging to drive synergistic advances. We argue that by capitalizing on the research efforts and advancements made in the development of human wearables, it will be possible to design the non-invasive loggers needed by ecophysiologists to collect accurate physiological data from free-ranging animals ethically and with an absolute minimum of impact. In turn, findings have the capacity to foster transformative advances in human health monitoring. Thus, we invite biomedical engineers and researchers to collaborate with the animal-tagging community to drive forward the advancements necessary to realize the full potential of both fields. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- H. J. Williams
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - J. Ryan Shipley
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - C. Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9TH, UK
| | - M. Wikelski
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - M. Wilkes
- Extreme Environments Research Group, University of Portsmouth, Spinnaker Building, Cambridge Road, Portsmouth PO1 2EF, UK
| | - L. A. Hawkes
- Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Exeter EX4 4PS, UK
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Hawkes LA, Fahlman A, Sato K. What is physiologging? Introduction to the theme issue, part 2. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20210028. [PMID: 34176329 PMCID: PMC8237167 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The physiological mechanisms by which animals regulate energy expenditure, respond to stimuli and stressors, and maintain homeostasis at the tissue, organ and whole organism levels can be described by 'physiologging'-that is, the use of onboard miniature electronic devices to record physiological metrics of animals in captivity or free-living in the wild. Despite its origins in the 1960s, physiologging has evolved more slowly than its umbrella field of biologging. However, the recording of physiological metrics in free-living animals will be key to solving some of the greatest challenges in biodiversity conservation, issues pertaining to animal health and welfare, and for inspiring future therapeutic strategies for human health. Current physiologging technologies encompass the measurement of physiological variables such as heart rate, brain activity, body temperature, muscle stimulation and dynamic movement, yet future developments will allow for onboard logging of metrics relating to organelle, molecular and genetic function. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- L. A. Hawkes
- University of Exeter, Hatherly Laboratories, Prince of Wales Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK
| | - A. Fahlman
- Global Diving Research Inc. Ottawa ON K2J 5E8, USA
| | - K. Sato
- Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba Prefecture 277-8564, Japan
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Williams CL, Ponganis PJ. Diving physiology of marine mammals and birds: the development of biologging techniques. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20200211. [PMID: 34121464 PMCID: PMC8200650 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In the 1940s, Scholander and Irving revealed fundamental physiological responses to forced diving of marine mammals and birds, setting the stage for the study of diving physiology. Since then, diving physiology research has moved from the laboratory to the field. Modern biologging, with the development of microprocessor technology, recorder memory capacity and battery life, has advanced and expanded investigations of the diving physiology of marine mammals and birds. This review describes a brief history of the start of field diving physiology investigations, including the invention of the time depth recorder, and then tracks the use of biologging studies in four key diving physiology topics: heart rate, blood flow, body temperature and oxygen store management. Investigations of diving heart rates in cetaceans and O2 store management in diving emperor penguins are highlighted to emphasize the value of diving physiology biologging research. The review concludes with current challenges, remaining diving physiology questions and what technologies are needed to advance the field. This article is part of the theme issue 'Measuring physiology in free-living animals (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassondra L. Williams
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92106, USA
| | - Paul J. Ponganis
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0204, USA
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Williams CL, Hindle AG. Field Physiology: Studying Organismal Function in the Natural Environment. Compr Physiol 2021; 11:1979-2015. [PMID: 34190338 DOI: 10.1002/cphy.c200005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Continuous physiological measurements collected in field settings are essential to understand baseline, free-ranging physiology, physiological range and variability, and the physiological responses of organisms to disturbances. This article presents a current summary of the available technologies to continuously measure the direct physiological parameters in the field at high-resolution/instantaneous timescales from freely behaving animals. There is a particular focus on advantages versus disadvantages of available methods as well as emerging technologies "on the horizon" that may have been validated in captive or laboratory-based scenarios but have yet to be applied in the wild. Systems to record physiological variables from free-ranging animals are reviewed, including radio (VHF/UFH) telemetry, acoustic telemetry, and dataloggers. Physiological parameters that have been continuously measured in the field are addressed in seven sections including heart rate and electrocardiography (ECG); electromyography (EMG); electroencephalography (EEG); body temperature; respiratory, blood, and muscle oxygen; gastric pH and motility; and blood pressure and flow. The primary focal sections are heart rate and temperature as these can be, and have been, extensively studied in free-ranging organisms. Predicted aspects of future innovation in physiological monitoring are also discussed. The article concludes with an overview of best practices and points to consider regarding experimental designs, cautions, and effects on animals. © 2021 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 11:1979-2015, 2021.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassondra L Williams
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Science, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Allyson G Hindle
- School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
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Fahlman A, Aoki K, Bale G, Brijs J, Chon KH, Drummond CK, Føre M, Manteca X, McDonald BI, McKnight JC, Sakamoto KQ, Suzuki I, Rivero MJ, Ropert-Coudert Y, Wisniewska DM. The New Era of Physio-Logging and Their Grand Challenges. Front Physiol 2021; 12:669158. [PMID: 33859577 PMCID: PMC8042203 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.669158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Fahlman
- Fundación Oceanográfic de la Comunitat Valenciana, Valencia, Spain
| | - Kagari Aoki
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Gemma Bale
- Department of Physics and Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jeroen Brijs
- Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Manoa, HI, United States
| | - Ki H. Chon
- Biomedical Engineering, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, United States
| | - Colin K. Drummond
- Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, United States
| | - Martin Føre
- Department of Engineering Cybernetics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Xavier Manteca
- Department of Animal and Food Science, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Birgitte I. McDonald
- Moss Landing Marine Labs at San Jose State University, Moss Landing, CA, United States
| | - J. Chris McKnight
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Kentaro Q. Sakamoto
- Department of Marine Bioscience, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
| | - Ippei Suzuki
- Akkeshi Marine Station, Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere, Hokkaido University, Akkeshi, Japan
| | | | - Yan Ropert-Coudert
- Centre D'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, La Rochelle Université, UMR7372, CNRS, France
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Gaidica M, Dantzer B. Quantifying the Autonomic Response to Stressors-One Way to Expand the Definition of "Stress" in Animals. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:113-125. [PMID: 32186720 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying how whole organisms respond to challenges in the external and internal environment ("stressors") is difficult. To date, physiological ecologists have mostly used measures of glucocorticoids (GCs) to assess the impact of stressors on animals. This is of course too simplistic as Hans Seyle himself characterized the response of organisms to "noxious stimuli" using multiple physiological responses. Possible solutions include increasing the number of biomarkers to more accurately characterize the "stress state" of animal or just measuring different biomarkers to more accurately characterize the degree of acute or chronic stressors an animal is experiencing. We focus on the latter and discuss how heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) may be better predictors of the degree of activation of the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system and complement or even replace measures of GCs as indicators of animal health, welfare, fitness, or their level of exposure to stressors. The miniaturization of biological sensor technology ("bio-sensors" or "bio-loggers") presents an opportunity to reassess measures of stress state and develop new approaches. We describe some modern approaches to gathering these HR and HRV data in free-living animals with the aim that heart dynamics will be more integrated with measures of GCs as bio-markers of stress state and predictors of fitness in free-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Gaidica
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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Williams HJ, Taylor LA, Benhamou S, Bijleveld AI, Clay TA, de Grissac S, Demšar U, English HM, Franconi N, Gómez-Laich A, Griffiths RC, Kay WP, Morales JM, Potts JR, Rogerson KF, Rutz C, Spelt A, Trevail AM, Wilson RP, Börger L. Optimizing the use of biologgers for movement ecology research. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:186-206. [PMID: 31424571 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2018] [Accepted: 08/08/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The paradigm-changing opportunities of biologging sensors for ecological research, especially movement ecology, are vast, but the crucial questions of how best to match the most appropriate sensors and sensor combinations to specific biological questions and how to analyse complex biologging data, are mostly ignored. Here, we fill this gap by reviewing how to optimize the use of biologging techniques to answer questions in movement ecology and synthesize this into an Integrated Biologging Framework (IBF). We highlight that multisensor approaches are a new frontier in biologging, while identifying current limitations and avenues for future development in sensor technology. We focus on the importance of efficient data exploration, and more advanced multidimensional visualization methods, combined with appropriate archiving and sharing approaches, to tackle the big data issues presented by biologging. We also discuss the challenges and opportunities in matching the peculiarities of specific sensor data to the statistical models used, highlighting at the same time the large advances which will be required in the latter to properly analyse biologging data. Taking advantage of the biologging revolution will require a large improvement in the theoretical and mathematical foundations of movement ecology, to include the rich set of high-frequency multivariate data, which greatly expand the fundamentally limited and coarse data that could be collected using location-only technology such as GPS. Equally important will be the establishment of multidisciplinary collaborations to catalyse the opportunities offered by current and future biologging technology. If this is achieved, clear potential exists for developing a vastly improved mechanistic understanding of animal movements and their roles in ecological processes and for building realistic predictive models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah J Williams
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Lucy A Taylor
- Save the Elephants, Nairobi, Kenya.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Simon Benhamou
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, CNRS Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Allert I Bijleveld
- NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Department of Coastal Systems, Utrecht University, Den Burg, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas A Clay
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Sophie de Grissac
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Urška Demšar
- School of Geography & Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Holly M English
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Novella Franconi
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Agustina Gómez-Laich
- Instituto de Biología de Organismos Marinos (IBIOMAR), CONICET, Puerto Madryn, Chubut, Argentina
| | - Rachael C Griffiths
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - William P Kay
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Juan Manuel Morales
- Grupo de Ecología Cuantitativa, INIBIOMA-Universidad Nacional del Comahue, CONICET, Bariloche, Argentina
| | - Jonathan R Potts
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | | | - Christian Rutz
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Anouk Spelt
- Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Bristol, University Walk, UK
| | - Alice M Trevail
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Rory P Wilson
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences, College of Science, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
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Ponganis PJ. Advances in Technology: Blood-sampling at depth. Focus on "Development of an animal-borne blood sample collection device and its deployment for the determination of cardiovascular and stress hormones in submerged phocid seals". Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2016; 311:R917-R918. [PMID: 27707725 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00411.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2016] [Accepted: 09/30/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paul J Ponganis
- Center for Marine Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California
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