scholarly journals Using accelerometers to develop time-energy budgets of wild fur seals from captive surrogates

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique A. Ladds ◽  
Marcus Salton ◽  
David P. Hocking ◽  
Rebecca R. McIntosh ◽  
Adam P. Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Movement Data ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Very High

BackgroundAccurate time-energy budgets summarise an animal’s energy expenditure in a given environment, and are potentially a sensitive indicator of how an animal responds to changing resources. Deriving accurate time-energy budgets requires an estimate of time spent in different activities and of the energetic cost of that activity. Bio-loggers (e.g., accelerometers) may provide a solution for monitoring animals such as fur seals that make long-duration foraging trips. Using low resolution to record behaviour may aid in the transmission of data, negating the need to recover the device.MethodsThis study used controlled captive experiments and previous energetic research to derive time-energy budgets of juvenile Australian fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus)equipped with tri-axial accelerometers. First, captive fur seals and sea lions were equipped with accelerometers recording at high (20 Hz) and low (1 Hz) resolutions, and their behaviour recorded. Using this data, machine learning models were trained to recognise four states—foraging, grooming, travelling and resting. Next, the energetic cost of each behaviour, as a function of location (land or water), season and digestive state (pre- or post-prandial) was estimated. Then, diving and movement data were collected from nine wild juvenile fur seals wearing accelerometers recording at high- and low- resolutions. Models developed from captive seals were applied to accelerometry data from wild juvenile Australian fur seals and, finally, their time-energy budgets were reconstructed.ResultsBehaviour classification models built with low resolution (1 Hz) data correctly classified captive seal behaviours with very high accuracy (up to 90%) and recorded without interruption. Therefore, time-energy budgets of wild fur seals were constructed with these data. The reconstructed time-energy budgets revealed that juvenile fur seals expended the same amount of energy as adults of similar species. No significant differences in daily energy expenditure (DEE) were found across sex or season (winter or summer), but fur seals rested more when their energy expenditure was expected to be higher. Juvenile fur seals used behavioural compensatory techniques to conserve energy during activities that were expected to have high energetic outputs (such as diving).DiscussionAs low resolution accelerometry (1 Hz) was able to classify behaviour with very high accuracy, future studies may be able to transmit more data at a lower rate, reducing the need for tag recovery. Reconstructed time-energy budgets demonstrated that juvenile fur seals appear to expend the same amount of energy as their adult counterparts. Through pairing estimates of energy expenditure with behaviour this study demonstrates the potential to understand how fur seals expend energy, and where and how behavioural compensations are made to retain constant energy expenditure over a short (dive) and long (season) period.

scholarly journals Low resolution accelerometers can be used to develop time-energy budgets of wild fur seals from captive surrogates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique A Ladds ◽  
Marcus Salton ◽  
David P Hocking ◽  
Rebecca R McIntosh ◽  
Adam P Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Gradient Boosting ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Significant Difference

Background. Accurate time-energy budgets summarise an animal’s energy expenditure in a given environment and are potentially a sensitive indicator of how an animal responds to changing resources. Deriving accurate time-energy budgets requires a precise measure of time spent in different activities, and an estimate of the energetic cost of that activity. Bio-loggers such as accelerometers may provide a solution for monitoring animals such as fur seals that make long-duration foraging trips over multiple days or weeks. Monitoring such behaviour may require low resolution recording due to the memory constraints of bio-loggers. The aim of this study was to evaluate if accelerometers recording at a low resolution could accurately classify and determine the cost of fur seal activity. Methods. Diving and movement data were collected from nine wild juvenile Australian fur seals equipped with tri-axial accelerometers. To validate time-energy budgets for the fur seals, energy consumption during a range of behaviours was determined from twelve captive surrogates. The time wild fur seals spent in four behavioural states - foraging, grooming, travelling and resting - was quantified with low- and high-resolution data from accelerometers using gradient boosting models (GBM). The daily energy expenditure (DEE) from these four activities was estimated using a relatively simple energetics model developed using their location (land, surface or underwater) and estimates of the energetic cost of each behaviour. Models developed from captive seals were applied to accelerometry data collected from wild juvenile Australian fur seals and their time-energy budgets were reconstructed. Results. Low resolution accelerometery was better at classifying fur seal behaviour over long durations than high resolution accelerometry in captive surrogates. The low resolution model was therefore applied to wild data. This revealed that Juvenile fur seals expended more energy than adults of similar species, but there was no significant difference in DEE across sex or season (winter or summer). Juvenile fur seals used behavioural compensatory techniques to conserve energy during activities that were expected to have high energetic outputs (such as diving). Discussion. Behaviours that are displayed over a long duration can be captured accurately by low-resolution accelerometry and these models can be used to develop time-energy budgets of wild animals. In this study we were able to use such models to monitor juvenile fur seals over multiple foraging trips. This revealed that juvenile fur seals appear to be working energetically harder than their adult counterparts, likely due to the relative novelty of diving and foraging, their smaller body size and the additional cost of growth they sustain. Developing time-energy budgets from accelerometers is an efficient method of estimating energy expenditure from individuals over time.

scholarly journals Low resolution accelerometers can be used to develop time-energy budgets of wild fur seals from captive surrogates

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique A Ladds ◽  
Marcus Salton ◽  
David P Hocking ◽  
Rebecca R McIntosh ◽  
Adam P Thompson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Resolution ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Gradient Boosting ◽  
Low Resolution ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Long Duration ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Significant Difference

Background. Accurate time-energy budgets summarise an animal’s energy expenditure in a given environment and are potentially a sensitive indicator of how an animal responds to changing resources. Deriving accurate time-energy budgets requires a precise measure of time spent in different activities, and an estimate of the energetic cost of that activity. Bio-loggers such as accelerometers may provide a solution for monitoring animals such as fur seals that make long-duration foraging trips over multiple days or weeks. Monitoring such behaviour may require low resolution recording due to the memory constraints of bio-loggers. The aim of this study was to evaluate if accelerometers recording at a low resolution could accurately classify and determine the cost of fur seal activity. Methods. Diving and movement data were collected from nine wild juvenile Australian fur seals equipped with tri-axial accelerometers. To validate time-energy budgets for the fur seals, energy consumption during a range of behaviours was determined from twelve captive surrogates. The time wild fur seals spent in four behavioural states - foraging, grooming, travelling and resting - was quantified with low- and high-resolution data from accelerometers using gradient boosting models (GBM). The daily energy expenditure (DEE) from these four activities was estimated using a relatively simple energetics model developed using their location (land, surface or underwater) and estimates of the energetic cost of each behaviour. Models developed from captive seals were applied to accelerometry data collected from wild juvenile Australian fur seals and their time-energy budgets were reconstructed. Results. Low resolution accelerometery was better at classifying fur seal behaviour over long durations than high resolution accelerometry in captive surrogates. The low resolution model was therefore applied to wild data. This revealed that Juvenile fur seals expended more energy than adults of similar species, but there was no significant difference in DEE across sex or season (winter or summer). Juvenile fur seals used behavioural compensatory techniques to conserve energy during activities that were expected to have high energetic outputs (such as diving). Discussion. Behaviours that are displayed over a long duration can be captured accurately by low-resolution accelerometry and these models can be used to develop time-energy budgets of wild animals. In this study we were able to use such models to monitor juvenile fur seals over multiple foraging trips. This revealed that juvenile fur seals appear to be working energetically harder than their adult counterparts, likely due to the relative novelty of diving and foraging, their smaller body size and the additional cost of growth they sustain. Developing time-energy budgets from accelerometers is an efficient method of estimating energy expenditure from individuals over time.

scholarly journals The energetic cost of parasitism in a wild population

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1879) ◽  
pp. 20180489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olivia Hicks ◽  
Sarah J. Burthe ◽  
Francis Daunt ◽  
Mark Newell ◽  
Adam Butler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Energy Budgets ◽  
Flight Duration ◽  
Flight Costs ◽  
History Of ◽  
Time And Energy

Parasites have profound fitness effects on their hosts, yet these are often sub-lethal, making them difficult to understand and quantify. A principal sub-lethal mechanism that reduces fitness is parasite-induced increase in energetic costs of specific behaviours, potentially resulting in changes to time and energy budgets. However, quantifying the influence of parasites on these costs has not been undertaken in free-living animals. We used accelerometers to estimate energy expenditure on flying, diving and resting, in relation to a natural gradient of endo-parasite loads in a wild population of European shags Phalacrocorax aristotelis . We found that flight costs were 10% higher in adult females with higher parasite loads and these individuals spent 44% less time flying than females with lower parasite loads. There was no evidence for an effect of parasite load on daily energy expenditure, suggesting the existence of an energy ceiling, with the increase in cost of flight compensated for by a reduction in flight duration. These behaviour specific costs of parasitism will have knock-on effects on reproductive success, if constraints on foraging behaviour detrimentally affect provisioning of young. The findings emphasize the importance of natural parasite loads in shaping the ecology and life-history of their hosts, which can have significant population level consequences.

scholarly journals Stellar magnetic imaging from spectropolarimetric data

1996 ◽  
Vol 176 ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-F. Donati
Keyword(s):  
Small Amplitude ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Spectral Lines ◽  
New Method ◽  
Doppler Imaging ◽  
Magnetic Imaging ◽  
Active Stars ◽  
Surface Fields ◽  
Very High

In this paper, I will review the capabilities of magnetic imaging (also called Zeeman-Doppler imaging) to reconstruct spot distributions of surface fields from sets of rotationnally modulated Zeeman signatures in circularly polarised spectral lines. I will then outline a new method to measure small amplitude magnetic signals (typically 0.1% for cool active stars) with very high accuracy. Finally, I will present and comment new magnetic images reconstructed from data collected in 1993 December at the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT).

scholarly journals Niches, rather than neutrality, structure a grassland pioneer guild

2005 ◽  
Vol 272 (1570) ◽  
pp. 1357-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay A Turnbull ◽  
Liz Manley ◽  
Mark Rees
Keyword(s):  
Seed Size ◽  
Adult Stage ◽  
Niche Differentiation ◽  
Competitive Dynamics ◽  
Similar Species ◽  
Adult Density ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Very High ◽  
Early Establishment

Pioneer species are fast-growing, short-lived gap exploiters. They are prime candidates for neutral dynamics because they contain ecologically similar species whose low adult density is likely to cause widespread recruitment limitation, which slows competitive dynamics. However, many pioneer guilds appear to be differentiated according to seed size. In this paper, we compare predictions from a neutral model of community structure with three niche-based models in which trade-offs involving seed size form the basis of niche differentiation. We test these predictions using sowing experiments with a guild of seven pioneer species from chalk grassland. We find strong evidence for niche structure based on seed size: specifically large-seeded species produce fewer seeds but have a greater chance of establishing on a per-seed basis. Their advantage in establishment arises because there are more microsites suitable for their germination and early establishment and not directly through competition with other seedlings. In fact, seedling densities of all species were equally suppressed by the addition of competitors' seeds. By the adult stage, despite using very high sowing densities, there were no detectable effects of interspecific competition on any species. The lack of interspecific effects indicates that niche differentiation, rather than neutrality, prevails.

Hole Accuracy during Deep Hole Drilling for Hydraulic Cylinder Application

2014 ◽  
Vol 984-985 ◽  
pp. 67-72 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Clifford Benjamin Raj ◽  
B. Anand Ronald ◽  
A. Velayudham ◽  
Prasmit Kumar Nayak
Keyword(s):  
Feed Rate ◽  
Drill Hole ◽  
Hydraulic Cylinder ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
Diameter Ratio ◽  
Hole Drilling ◽  
Deep Hole ◽  
Deep Hole Drilling ◽  
Very High ◽  
Continuous Chip

Deep-hole drilling is a process in which the hole length will be very high when compared to diameter of the drill hole (i.e. length to diameter ratio will be greater than 5). Drilling a deep hole with very high accuracy is difficult process. The current project is about the production of deep hole with the aim to produce a chip which is not a continuous chip and also not a powdery chip. These conditions can be attained by varying the spindle speed and the tool feed rate.

Cost Effective Swath Bathymetry

2001 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 33-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Hogarth
Keyword(s):  
Processing Time ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Accuracy ◽  
High Coverage ◽  
Swath Bathymetry ◽  
World Survey ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Very High ◽  
Harbor Area ◽  
Wide Swath

Between 23rd and 25th July 2001 GeoSwath, a high specification shallow water wide swath bathymetry system, was used to survey the entire Portsmouth NH Harbor area. This paper deals with the results of this survey, illustrating the potential for significant reductions in the high costs, which have prevented widespread proliferation of Swath Bathymetry systems to date. Data, including a complete DTM gridded to 1 m resolution, will be presented and discussed in detail. These results show that the system is very easy to set up and use, requires greatly reduced boat and processing time, whilst offering high accuracy and very high coverage and resolution when used in a real-world survey of a dynamic harbor environment.

scholarly journals Diving deep into trouble: the role of foraging strategy and morphology in adapting to a changing environment

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monique Ladds ◽  
David Rosen ◽  
Carling Gerlinsky ◽  
David Slip ◽  
Robert Harcourt
Keyword(s):  
Foraging Strategy ◽  
Central Place ◽  
Dive Duration ◽  
Foraging Strategies ◽  
Body Morphology ◽  
Sea Lions ◽  
Fur Seals ◽  
Adequate Food ◽  
Physiological Capacity ◽  
Total Body Oxygen

Abstract Physiology places constraints on an animal’s ability to forage and those unable to adapt to changing conditions may face increased challenges to reproduce and survive. As the global marine environment continues to change, small, air-breathing, endothermic marine predators such as otariids (fur seals and sea lions) and particularly females, who are constrained by central place foraging during breeding, may experience increased difficulties in successfully obtaining adequate food resources. We explored whether physiological limits of female otariids may be innately related to body morphology (fur seals vs sea lions) and/or dictate foraging strategies (epipelagic vs mesopelagic or benthic). We conducted a systematic review of the increased body of literature since the original reviews of Costa et al. (When does physiology limit the foraging behaviour of freely diving mammals? Int Congr Ser 2004;1275:359–366) and Arnould and Costa (Sea lions in drag, fur seals incognito: insights from the otariid deviants. In Sea Lions of the World Fairbanks. Alaska Sea Grant College Program, Alaska, USA, pp. 309–324, 2006) on behavioural (dive duration and depth) and physiological (total body oxygen stores and diving metabolic rates) parameters. We estimated calculated aerobic dive limit (cADL—estimated duration of aerobic dives) for species and used simulations to predict the proportion of dives that exceeded the cADL. We tested whether body morphology or foraging strategy was the primary predictor of these behavioural and physiological characteristics. We found that the foraging strategy compared to morphology was a better predictor of most parameters, including whether a species was more likely to exceed their cADL during a dive and the ratio of dive time to cADL. This suggests that benthic and mesopelagic divers are more likely to be foraging at their physiological capacity. For species operating near their physiological capacity (regularly exceeding their cADL), the ability to switch strategies is limited as the cost of foraging deeper and longer is disproportionally high, unless it is accompanied by physiological adaptations. It is proposed that some otariids may not have the ability to switch foraging strategies and so be unable adapt to a changing oceanic ecosystem.

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