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Lennox RJ, Eldøy SH, Dahlmo LS, Matley JK, Vollset KW. Acoustic accelerometer transmitters and their growing relevance to aquatic science. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:45. [PMID: 37501158 PMCID: PMC10375738 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00403-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/29/2023]
Abstract
There has recently been great interest in the use of accelerometers onboard electronic transmitters to characterise various aspects of the ecology of wild animals. We review use cases and outline how these tools can provide opportunities for studying activity and survival, exercise physiology of wild animals, the response to stressors, energy landscapes and conservation planning tools, and the means with which to identify behaviours remotely from transmitted data. Accelerometer transmitters typically send data summaries to receivers at fixed intervals after filtering out static acceleration and calculating root-mean square error or overall dynamic body action of 2- or 3-axis acceleration values (often at 5-12.5 Hz) from dynamic acceleration onboard the tag. Despite the popularity of these transmitters among aquatic ecologists, we note that there is wide variation in the sampling frequencies and windows used among studies that will potentially affect the ability to make comparisons in the future. Accelerometer transmitters will likely become increasingly popular tools for studying finer scale details about cryptic species that are difficult to recapture and hence not suitable for studies using data loggers. We anticipate that there will continue to be opportunities to adopt methods used for analysing data from loggers to datasets generated from acceleration transmitters, to generate new knowledge about the ecology of aquatic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Lennox
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Høgskoleringen 9, 7034, Norway.
- NORCE Norwegian Research Centre Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Nygaardsgaten 112, 5008, Bergen, Norway.
- Ocean Tracking Network, Dalhousie University, 1335 Oxford St, B3H 3Z1, Halifax, Canada.
| | - Sindre H Eldøy
- NTNU Vitenskapsmuseet, Erling Skakkes gate 47B, 7012, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Lotte S Dahlmo
- NORCE Norwegian Research Centre Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Nygaardsgaten 112, 5008, Bergen, Norway
| | - Jordan K Matley
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, 5042, Australia
| | - Knut Wiik Vollset
- NORCE Norwegian Research Centre Laboratory for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Nygaardsgaten 112, 5008, Bergen, Norway
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Ste-Marie E, Watanabe YY, Semmens JM, Marcoux M, Hussey NE. Life in the slow lane: Field Metabolic Rate and Prey Consumption Rate of the Greenland Shark (Somniosus microcephalus) modeled using Archival Biologgers. J Exp Biol 2022; 225:274642. [PMID: 35258589 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.242994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Field metabolic rate (FMR) is a holistic measure of metabolism representing the routine energy utilization of a species living within a specific ecological context, thus providing insight into its ecology, fitness and resilience to environmental stressors. For animals which cannot be easily observed in the wild, FMR can also be used in concert with dietary data to quantitatively assess their role as consumers, improving understanding of the trophic linkages that structure food webs and allowing for informed management decisions. Here we modeled the FMR of Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) equipped with biologger packages or pop-up archival satellite tags (PSATs) in two coastal inlets of Baffin Island (Nunavut) using metabolic scaling relationships for mass, temperature and activity. We estimated that Greenland sharks had an overall mean FMR of 21.67±2.30 mgO2h-1kg-0.84 (n=30; 1-4 day accelerometer package deployments) while residing inside these cold-water fjord systems in the late summer, and 25.48±0.47 mgO2h-1kg-0.84 (n=6; PSATs) over an entire year. When considering prey consumption rate, an average shark in these systems (224kg) requires a maintenance ration of 61-193g of fish or marine mammal prey daily. As a lethargic polar species, these low FMR estimates, and corresponding prey consumption estimates suggest Greenland sharks require very little energy to sustain themselves under natural conditions. These data provide the first characterization of the energetics and consumer role of this vulnerable and understudied species in the wild, essential given growing pressures from climate change and expanding commercial fisheries in the Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Ste-Marie
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Yuuki Y Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan.,Department of Polar Science, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI, Tachikawa, Tokyo, 190-8518, Japan
| | - Jayson M Semmens
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Taroona, TAS, 7053, Australia
| | - Marianne Marcoux
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | - Nigel E Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
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Barkley AN, Broell F, Pettitt‐Wade H, Watanabe YY, Marcoux M, Hussey NE. A framework to estimate the likelihood of species interactions and behavioural responses using animal‐borne acoustic telemetry transceivers and accelerometers. J Anim Ecol 2020; 89:146-160. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda N. Barkley
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
| | - Franziska Broell
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
| | - Harri Pettitt‐Wade
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
| | - Yuuki Y. Watanabe
- National Institute of Polar Research Tachikawa Japan
- Department of Polar Science The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI Tachikawa Japan
| | - Marianne Marcoux
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada Winnipeg MB Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg MB Canada
| | - Nigel E. Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Windsor Windsor ON Canada
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Cooke SJ, Brownscombe JW, Raby GD, Broell F, Hinch SG, Clark TD, Semmens JM. Remote bioenergetics measurements in wild fish: Opportunities and challenges. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2016; 202:23-37. [PMID: 27063208 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2016.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The generalized energy budget for fish (i.e., Energy Consumed=Metabolism+Waste+Growth) is as relevant today as when it was first proposed decades ago and serves as a foundational concept in fish biology. Yet, generating accurate measurements of components of the bioenergetics equation in wild fish is a major challenge. How often does a fish eat and what does it consume? How much energy is expended on locomotion? How do human-induced stressors influence energy acquisition and expenditure? Generating answers to these questions is important to fisheries management and to our understanding of adaptation and evolutionary processes. The advent of electronic tags (transmitters and data loggers) has provided biologists with improved opportunities to understand bioenergetics in wild fish. Here, we review the growing diversity of electronic tags with a focus on sensor-equipped devices that are commercially available (e.g., heart rate/electrocardiogram, electromyogram, acceleration, image capture). Next, we discuss each component of the bioenergetics model, recognizing that most research to date has focused on quantifying the activity component of metabolism, and identify ways in which the other, less studied components (e.g., consumption, specific dynamic action component of metabolism, somatic growth, reproductive investment, waste) could be estimated remotely. We conclude with a critical but forward-looking appraisal of the opportunities and challenges in using existing and emerging electronic sensor-tags for the study of fish energetics in the wild. Electronic tagging has become a central and widespread tool in fish ecology and fisheries management; the growing and increasingly affordable toolbox of sensor tags will ensure this trend continues, which will lead to major advances in our understanding of fish biology over the coming decades.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven J Cooke
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Jacob W Brownscombe
- Fish Ecology and Conservation Physiology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr., Ottawa, ON, K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Graham D Raby
- Great Lakes Institute of Environmental Research, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Franziska Broell
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford St., Halifax, NS, B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Scott G Hinch
- Department of Forest & Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Timothy D Clark
- University of Tasmania and CSIRO Agriculture Flagship, 3-4 Castray Esplanade, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Jayson M Semmens
- Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre, Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia
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Broell F, Burnell C, Taggart CT. Measuring abnormal movements in free-swimming fish with accelerometers: implications for quantifying tag and parasite load. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:695-705. [PMID: 26747901 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.133033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 12/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Animal-borne data loggers allow movement, associated behaviours and energy expenditure in fish to be quantified without direct observations. As with any tagging, tags that are attached externally may adversely affect fish behaviour, swimming efficiency and survival. We report on free-swimming wild Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) held in a large mesocosm that exhibited distinctly aberrant rotational swimming (scouring) when externally tagged with accelerometer data loggers. To quantify the phenomenon, the cod were tagged with two sizes of loggers (18 and 6 g; <2% body mass) that measured tri-axial acceleration at 50 Hz. An automated algorithm, based on body angular rotation, was designed to extract the scouring movements from the acceleration signal (98% accuracy). The algorithm also identified the frequency pattern and associated energy expenditure of scouring in relation to tag load (% body weight). The average per cent time spent scouring (5%) was independent of tag load. The vector of the dynamic body acceleration (VeDBA), used as a proxy for energy expenditure, increased with tag load (r(2)=0.51), and suggests that fish with large tags spent more energy when scouring than fish with small tags. The information allowed us to determine potential detrimental effects of an external tag on fish behaviour and how these effects may be mitigated by tag size. The algorithm can potentially identify similar rotational movements associated with spawning, courtship, feeding and parasite-load shedding in the wild. The results infer a more careful interpretation of data derived from external tags and the careful consideration of tag type, drag, buoyancy and placement, as well as animal buoyancy and species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Broell
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Celene Burnell
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
| | - Christopher T Taggart
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, 1355 Oxford Street, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 4R2
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