1
|
Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Wisniewska DM, Potvin J, Segre PS, Savoca MS, Hazen EL, Czapanskiy MF, Kahane-Rapport SR, DeRuiter SL, Gero S, Tønnesen P, Gough WT, Hanson MB, Holt MM, Jensen FH, Simon M, Stimpert AK, Arranz P, Johnston DW, Nowacek DP, Parks SE, Visser F, Friedlaender AS, Tyack PL, Madsen PT, Pyenson ND. Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants. Science 2020; 366:1367-1372. [PMID: 31831666 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The largest animals are marine filter feeders, but the underlying mechanism of their large size remains unexplained. We measured feeding performance and prey quality to demonstrate how whale gigantism is driven by the interplay of prey abundance and harvesting mechanisms that increase prey capture rates and energy intake. The foraging efficiency of toothed whales that feed on single prey is constrained by the abundance of large prey, whereas filter-feeding baleen whales seasonally exploit vast swarms of small prey at high efficiencies. Given temporally and spatially aggregated prey, filter feeding provides an evolutionary pathway to extremes in body size that are not available to lineages that must feed on one prey at a time. Maximum size in filter feeders is likely constrained by prey availability across space and time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | - D E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - D M Wisniewska
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - J Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - P S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - M S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - E L Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - M F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - S R Kahane-Rapport
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - S L DeRuiter
- Mathematics and Statistics Department, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - S Gero
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - P Tønnesen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - W T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - M B Hanson
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - M M Holt
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - F H Jensen
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - M Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - A K Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - P Arranz
- Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Animal Biology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
| | - D W Johnston
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - D P Nowacek
- Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - S E Parks
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - F Visser
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ and Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn, Netherlands
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - P L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - P T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - N D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Boersma AT, Calambokidis J, Kahane-Rapport SR, Segre PS, Stimpert AK, Friedlaender AS. Using Digital Tags With Integrated Video and Inertial Sensors to Study Moving Morphology and Associated Function in Large Aquatic Vertebrates. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 300:1935-1941. [PMID: 28971623 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2017] [Revised: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 06/21/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The anatomy of large cetaceans has been well documented, mostly through dissection of dead specimens. However, the difficulty of studying the world's largest animals in their natural environment means the functions of anatomical structures must be inferred. Recently, non-invasive tracking devices have been developed that measure body position and orientation, thereby enabling the detailed reconstruction of underwater trajectories. The addition of cameras to the whale-borne tags allows the sensor data to be matched with real-time observations of how whales use their morphological structures, such as flukes, flippers, feeding apparatuses, and blowholes for the physiological functions of locomotion, feeding, and breathing. Here, we describe a new tag design with integrated video and inertial sensors and how it can be used to provide insights to the function of whale anatomy. This technology has the potential to facilitate a wide range of discoveries and comparative studies, but many challenges remain to increase the resolution and applicability of the data. Anat Rec, 300:1935-1941, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - D E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - A T Boersma
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | | | - S R Kahane-Rapport
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - P S Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
| | - A K Stimpert
- Vertebrate Ecology Laboratory, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, California
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Arranz P, DeRuiter SL, Stimpert AK, Neves S, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Visser F, Calambokidis J, Southall BL, Tyack PL. Discrimination of fast click-series produced by tagged Risso's dolphins (Grampus griseus) for echolocation or communication. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 219:2898-2907. [PMID: 27401759 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.144295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2016] [Accepted: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Early studies that categorized odontocete pulsed sounds had few means of discriminating signals used for biosonar-based foraging from those used for communication. This capability to identify the function of sounds is important for understanding and interpreting behavior; it is also essential for monitoring and mitigating potential disturbance from human activities. Archival tags were placed on free-ranging Grampus griseus to quantify and discriminate between pulsed sounds used for echolocation-based foraging and those used for communication. Two types of rapid click-series pulsed sounds, buzzes and burst pulses, were identified as produced by the tagged dolphins and classified using a Gaussian mixture model based on their duration, association with jerk (i.e. rapid change of acceleration) and temporal association with click trains. Buzzes followed regular echolocation clicks and coincided with a strong jerk signal from accelerometers on the tag. They consisted of series averaging 359±210 clicks (mean±s.d.) with an increasing repetition rate and relatively low amplitude. Burst pulses consisted of relatively short click series averaging 45±54 clicks with decreasing repetition rate and longer inter-click interval that were less likely to be associated with regular echolocation and the jerk signal. These results suggest that the longer, relatively lower amplitude, jerk-associated buzzes are used in this species to capture prey, mostly during the bottom phase of foraging dives, as seen in other odontocetes. In contrast, the shorter, isolated burst pulses that are generally emitted by the dolphins while at or near the surface are used outside of a direct, known foraging context.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- P Arranz
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - S L DeRuiter
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9LZ, UK Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA
| | - A K Stimpert
- Vertebrate Ecology Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA
| | - S Neves
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97635, USA
| | - J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - F Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn 1624 CJ, The Netherlands Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden 2311, The Netherlands
| | | | - B L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Aptos, CA 95003, USA University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | - P L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Friedlaender AS, Hazen EL, Goldbogen JA, Stimpert AK, Calambokidis J, Southall BL. Prey-mediated behavioral responses of feeding blue whales in controlled sound exposure experiments. Ecol Appl 2016; 26:1075-1085. [PMID: 27509749 DOI: 10.1002/15-0783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Behavioral response studies provide significant insights into the nature, magnitude, and consequences of changes in animal behavior in response to some external stimulus. Controlled exposure experiments (CEEs) to study behavioral response have faced challenges in quantifying the importance of and interaction among individual variability, exposure conditions, and environmental covariates. To investigate these complex parameters relative to blue whale behavior and how it may change as a function of certain sounds, we deployed multi-sensor acoustic tags and conducted CEEs using simulated mid-frequency active sonar (MFAS) and pseudo-random noise (PRN) stimuli, while collecting synoptic, quantitative prey measures. In contrast to previous approaches that lacked such prey data, our integrated approach explained substantially more variance in blue whale dive behavioral responses to mid-frequency sounds (r2 = 0.725 vs. 0.14 previously). Results demonstrate that deep-feeding whales respond more clearly and strongly to CEEs than those in other behavioral states, but this was only evident with the increased explanatory power provided by incorporating prey density and distribution as contextual covariates. Including contextual variables increases the ability to characterize behavioral variability and empirically strengthens previous findings that deep-feeding blue whales respond significantly to mid-frequency sound exposure. However, our results are only based on a single behavioral state with a limited sample size, and this analytical framework should be applied broadly across behavioral states. The increased capability to describe and account for individual response variability by including environmental variables, such as prey, that drive foraging behavior underscores the importance of integrating these and other relevant contextual parameters in experimental designs. Our results suggest the need to measure and account for the ecological dynamics of predator-prey interactions when studying the effects of anthropogenic disturbance in feeding animals.
Collapse
|
5
|
Stimpert AK, DeRuiter SL, Southall BL, Moretti DJ, Falcone EA, Goldbogen JA, Friedlaender A, Schorr GS, Calambokidis J. Acoustic and foraging behavior of a Baird's beaked whale, Berardius bairdii, exposed to simulated sonar. Sci Rep 2014; 4:7031. [PMID: 25391309 PMCID: PMC4229675 DOI: 10.1038/srep07031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Accepted: 10/21/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Beaked whales are hypothesized to be particularly sensitive to anthropogenic noise, based on previous strandings and limited experimental and observational data. However, few species have been studied in detail. We describe the underwater behavior of a Baird's beaked whale (Berardius bairdii) from the first deployment of a multi-sensor acoustic tag on this species. The animal exhibited shallow (23 ± 15 m max depth), intermediate (324 ± 49 m), and deep (1138 ± 243 m) dives. Echolocation clicks were produced with a mean inter-click interval of approximately 300 ms and peak frequency of 25 kHz. Two deep dives included presumed foraging behavior, with echolocation pulsed sounds (presumed prey capture attempts) associated with increased maneuvering, and sustained inverted swimming during the bottom phase of the dive. A controlled exposure to simulated mid-frequency active sonar (3.5-4 kHz) was conducted 4 hours after tag deployment, and within 3 minutes of exposure onset, the tagged whale increased swim speed and body movement, and continued to show unusual dive behavior for each of its next three dives, one of each type. These are the first data on the acoustic foraging behavior in this largest beaked whale species, and the first experimental demonstration of a response to simulated sonar.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- A K Stimpert
- 1] Department of Oceanography, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA [2] Vertebrate Ecology Lab, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA
| | - S L DeRuiter
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modeling, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, UK
| | - B L Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, CA
| | | | | | - J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA
| | - A Friedlaender
- Sea and Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR
| | - G S Schorr
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, WA
| | | |
Collapse
|