{"dp_type": "Project", "free_text": "SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS"}
[{"awards": "2203177 Steinberg, Deborah; 2203176 Cimino, Megan", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-80 -60,-77 -60,-74 -60,-71 -60,-68 -60,-65 -60,-62 -60,-59 -60,-56 -60,-53 -60,-50 -60,-50 -61,-50 -62,-50 -63,-50 -64,-50 -65,-50 -66,-50 -67,-50 -68,-50 -69,-50 -70,-53 -70,-56 -70,-59 -70,-62 -70,-65 -70,-68 -70,-71 -70,-74 -70,-77 -70,-80 -70,-80 -69,-80 -68,-80 -67,-80 -66,-80 -65,-80 -64,-80 -63,-80 -62,-80 -61,-80 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 10 Aug 2023 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Macrozooplankton are key contributors to marine ecosystem function, and combining empirical sampling and modeling will enable prediction of changing distribution patterns. Challenges in understanding alterations in distributions of these organisms are magnified in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) ecosystem where ocean warming and sea-ice decline are assumed to drive range shifts in dominant taxa (e.g., krill, pteropods and salps), but functional relationships between zooplankton species distributions and environmental conditions remain uncertain. Therefore, we propose to leverage three decades of zooplankton abundance data and predator (seabird, whale and seal) sighting data from two main longterm survey programs to develop and evaluate predictive Zooplankton Distribution Models (ZDMs) along the AP (at least 60\u00b0 S to 70\u00b0 S, ~400,000 km2). To do this, we will adapt a successful machine learning modeling approach from the California Current ecosystem that utilizes bathymetric and oceanographic data to predict zooplankton species distributions. Our main outputs will be 1) a description of species spatiotemporal trends and abundance patterns, 2) a summary of overlap in zooplankton species and predator species distributions, and 3) the creation of a zooplankton mapping tool allowing for public viewing of past and future ZDM predictions.", "east": -50.0, "geometry": "POINT(-65 -65)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "ANIMAL ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR; PELAGIC; BIRDS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES; Antarctic Peninsula", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Cimino, Megan; Steinberg, Deborah", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -70.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Harvesting Long-term Survey Data to Develop Zooplankton Distribution Models for the Antarctic Peninsula", "uid": "p0010429", "west": -80.0}, {"awards": "2011285 Santora, Jarrod; 2011454 Veit, Richard", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-39 -53,-38.6 -53,-38.2 -53,-37.8 -53,-37.4 -53,-37 -53,-36.6 -53,-36.2 -53,-35.8 -53,-35.4 -53,-35 -53,-35 -53.2,-35 -53.4,-35 -53.6,-35 -53.8,-35 -54,-35 -54.2,-35 -54.4,-35 -54.6,-35 -54.8,-35 -55,-35.4 -55,-35.8 -55,-36.2 -55,-36.6 -55,-37 -55,-37.4 -55,-37.8 -55,-38.2 -55,-38.6 -55,-39 -55,-39 -54.8,-39 -54.6,-39 -54.4,-39 -54.2,-39 -54,-39 -53.8,-39 -53.6,-39 -53.4,-39 -53.2,-39 -53))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Thu, 06 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Part I: Non-technical description: \r\nOcean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. This project will quantify the impact of the climate warming on seabirds. The study area is in South Georgia in the South Atlantic with the largest and most diverse seabird colonies in the world. Detecting and understanding how physics and biology interact to bring positive or negative population changes to seabirds has long challenged scientists. The team in this project hypothesizes that 1) Cold water seabird species decline while warm water species increase due to ocean warming observed in the last 30 years; 2) All species decrease with ocean warming, affecting how they interact with each other and in doing so, decreasing their chances of survival; and 3) Species profiles can be predicted using multiple environmental variables and models. To collect present-day data to compare with observations done in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2 cruises are planned in the austral winter; the personnel will include the three Principal Investigators, all experienced with sampling of seabirds, plankton and oceanography, with 2 graduate and 5 undergraduate students. Models will be developed based on the cruise data and the environmental change experienced in the last 30 years. The research will improve our understanding of seabird and marine mammal winter ecology, and how they interact with the environment. This project benefits NSF\u0027s goals to expand the fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes. The project will provide an exceptional opportunity to teach polar field skills to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to engage in the research cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change. \r\n\r\nPart II: Technical description: \r\nOcean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. Based on previous work, the Principal Investigators in this project want to test the hypothesis that warming would have decreased seabird abundance and species associations in the South Georgia region of the South Atlantic. A main premise of this proposal is that because of marine environmental change, the structure of the seabird communities has also changed, and potentially in a manner that has diminished the mutually beneficial dynamics of positive interactions, with subsequent consequences to fitness and population trends. The study is structured by 3 main objectives: 1) identify changes in krill, bird and mammal abundance that have occurred from previous sampling off both ends of South Georgia during winter in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2) identify pairings of species that benefit each other in searching for prey, and quantify how such relationships have changed since 1985, and 3) make predictions about how these changes in species pairing might continue given predicted future changes in climate. The novelty of the approach is the conceptual model that inter-species associations inform birds of food availability and that the associations decrease if bird abundance decreases, thus warming could decrease overall population fitness. These studies will be essential to establish if behavioral patterns in seabird modulate their response to climate change. The project will provide exceptional educational opportunity to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to participate on the cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change.\r\n\r\nThis award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -35.0, "geometry": "POINT(-37 -54)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Local Enhancement; South Georgia Island; mutualism; Climate Change; Positive interactions; Seabirds; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; R/V NBP", "locations": "South Georgia Island", "north": -53.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Veit, Richard; Manne, Lisa; Santora, Jarrod", "platforms": "WATER-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e VESSELS \u003e SURFACE \u003e R/V NBP", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -55.0, "title": "Collaborative Research: Climate, Changing Abundance and Species Interactions of Marine Birds and Mammals at South Georgia in Winter", "uid": "p0010382", "west": -39.0}, {"awards": "2146068 Kienle, Sarah", "bounds_geometry": null, "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 12 Sep 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is an enigmatic apex predator in the rapidly changing Southern Ocean. As top predators, leopard seals play a disproportionately large role in ecosystem functioning; they also act as sentinel species that can track abiotic and biotic habitat changes. How leopard seals respond to a warming environment depends on their adaptive capacity\u2014a species\u2019 ability to cope with environmental change. However, leopard seals are one of the least studied apex predators on earth, hindering our ability to predict how the species is responding to polar environmental changes. Therefore, our objective is to determine leopard seals\u2019 adaptive capacity by quantifying their ability to move (dispersal ability), adapt (genetic diversity), and change (plasticity). In Aim 1, we will determine leopard seals\u2019 dispersal ability by assessing their distribution and movement patterns. In Aim 2, we will quantify genetic diversity by analyzing genetic variability and population structure. In Aim 3, we will examine plasticity by evaluating changes in their ecological niche and physiological responses. We have assembled an international, multidisciplinary Antarctic-experienced team to analyze existing data (e.g., photographs, census data, life history data, tissue samples, body morphometrics) collected from leopard seals across the Southern Ocean (e.g., South Shetland Islands, east and west Antarctica) over the last decade. Land- and cruise ship-based field efforts will generate comparable data from unsampled regions (e.g., Antarctic Peninsula, Chile, New Zealand,). By analyzing these historical and contemporary datasets, we will evaluate the adaptive capacity of leopard seals against the rapidly warming Southern Ocean. ", "east": null, "geometry": null, "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "FIELD SURVEYS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; MARINE ECOSYSTEMS; MAMMALS; Southern Ocean", "locations": "Southern Ocean", "north": null, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Kienle, Sarah; Trumble, Stephen J; Bonin, Carolina", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": null, "title": "Move, Adapt, or Change: Examining the Adaptive Capacity of a Southern Ocean Apex Predator, the Leopard Seal", "uid": "p0010375", "west": null}, {"awards": "2147553 Rotella, Jay; 2147554 Chen, Nancy; 1640481 Rotella, Jay", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((162 -74.95,162.8 -74.95,163.6 -74.95,164.4 -74.95,165.2 -74.95,166 -74.95,166.8 -74.95,167.6 -74.95,168.4 -74.95,169.2 -74.95,170 -74.95,170 -75.295,170 -75.64,170 -75.985,170 -76.33,170 -76.67500000000001,170 -77.02000000000001,170 -77.36500000000001,170 -77.71000000000001,170 -78.055,170 -78.4,169.2 -78.4,168.4 -78.4,167.6 -78.4,166.8 -78.4,166 -78.4,165.2 -78.4,164.4 -78.4,163.6 -78.4,162.8 -78.4,162 -78.4,162 -78.055,162 -77.71000000000001,162 -77.36500000000001,162 -77.02000000000001,162 -76.67500000000001,162 -76.33,162 -75.985,162 -75.64,162 -75.295,162 -74.95))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Sun, 07 Aug 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Reliable predictions are needed for how populations of wild species, especially those at high latitudes, will respond to future environmental conditions. This study will use a strategic extension of the long-term demographic research program that has been conducted annually on the Erebus Bay population of Weddell seals since 1978 to help meet that need. Recent analyses of the study population indicate strong annual variation in reproduction, abundance, and population composition. The number of new immigrant mothers that join the population each year has recently grown such that most new mothers are now immigrants. Despite the growing number of immigrants, the demographic importance and geographic origins of immigrants are unknown. The research will (1) add new information on drivers of annual variation in immigrant numbers, (2) compare and combine information on the vital rates and demographic role of immigrant females and their offspring with that of locally born females, and (3) add genomic analyses that will quantify levels of genetic variation in and gene flow among the study population and other populations in the Ross Sea. The project will continue the long-term monitoring of the population at Erebus Bay and characterize population dynamics and the role of immigration using a combination of mark-recapture analyses, stochastic population modeling, and genomic analyses. The study will continue to (1) provide detailed data on individual seals to other science teams, (2) educate and mentor individuals in the next generation of ecologists, (3) introduce two early-career, female scientists to Antarctic research, and (4) add genomics approaches to the long-term population study of Erebus Bay Weddell seals. The Informal Science Education program will expand on the project\u2019s recent and successful efforts by producing and delivering short-form videos through an interactive web portal and diverse social-media technologies. The Informal Science Education program will continue to update and add new topics to a multimedia-enhanced electronic book about the project\u2019s research on Weddell seals that will be freely available to the public. The outreach efforts will increase the length of the book from ~140 to ~225 pages and add new topics such as learning about seals using genomics and how seals respond to a changing world.", "east": 170.0, "geometry": "POINT(166 -76.67500000000001)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; McMurdo Sound", "locations": "McMurdo Sound", "north": -74.95, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Rotella, Jay; Chen, Nancy", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -78.4, "title": "Collaborative Research: The Drivers and Role of Immigration in the Dynamics of the Largest Population of Weddell Seals in Antarctica under Changing Conditions", "uid": "p0010361", "west": 162.0}, {"awards": "2138277 Gallagher, Katherine", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-78 -62,-76.2 -62,-74.4 -62,-72.6 -62,-70.8 -62,-69 -62,-67.2 -62,-65.4 -62,-63.6 -62,-61.8 -62,-60 -62,-60 -63,-60 -64,-60 -65,-60 -66,-60 -67,-60 -68,-60 -69,-60 -70,-60 -71,-60 -72,-61.8 -72,-63.6 -72,-65.4 -72,-67.2 -72,-69 -72,-70.8 -72,-72.6 -72,-74.4 -72,-76.2 -72,-78 -72,-78 -71,-78 -70,-78 -69,-78 -68,-78 -67,-78 -66,-78 -65,-78 -64,-78 -63,-78 -62))", "dataset_titles": "Current velocity and direction data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations (2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019); Passive particle trajectories from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019; Simulated krill trajectory data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019; Simulated marine debris trajectories along the West Antarctic Peninsula in 2008-2009 and 2018-2019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601682", "doi": "10.15784/601682", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Physical Oceanography; Regional Ocean Modeling System; ROMS", "people": "Gallagher, Katherine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Passive particle trajectories from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601682"}, {"dataset_uid": "601656", "doi": "10.15784/601656", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Model Data; Ocean Currents; Physical Oceanography; Regional Ocean Modeling System; ROMS; West Antarctic Shelf", "people": "Gallagher, Katherine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Current velocity and direction data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations (2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019)", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601656"}, {"dataset_uid": "601655", "doi": "10.15784/601655", "keywords": "Antarctica; Antarctic Krill; Cryosphere; Model Data; Physical Oceanography; Regional Ocean Modeling System; ROMS; West Antarctic Shelf", "people": "Gallagher, Katherine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Simulated krill trajectory data from Regional Ocean Modeling System simulations 2008-2009 \u0026 2018-2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601655"}, {"dataset_uid": "601734", "doi": null, "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; Modeling; Regional Ocean Modeling System; West Antarctic Shelf", "people": "Gallagher, Katherine", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Simulated marine debris trajectories along the West Antarctic Peninsula in 2008-2009 and 2018-2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601734"}], "date_created": "Tue, 19 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Pygoscelis penguins are central place foragers during the summer while they raise their chicks. They leave and return to the same colony location after hunting for food and rely on the availability of Antarctic krill, their primary food source. This research focuses on whether penguin diets and colony location reflect the retention of prey around and near colonies on the West Antarctic Peninsula. Eddies and other oceanographic processes may facilitate prey retention at certain locations, driving penguin colony establishment and success. \r\n\r\nThis project hypothesizes that Pygoscelis penguin diets will be composed of more Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) when local prey retention is high, possibly due to subsurface eddies. This hypothesis will be tested using satellite-based estimates of Pygoscelis penguin diet composition using multispectral sensor data to estimate nitrogen values and infer trophic level. Prey retention will be calculated along the peninsula using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Simulated particles and diel vertical migration will be used to mimic krill behavior. These particles can be experimentally seeded across multiple depths in multiple years to assess residence times in the system. Using penguin colony data from the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), the PI will correlate diet and retention metrics to local penguin colony growth and persistence and build a predictive model of where colonies may form in the future.\r\n\r\nThis award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -60.0, "geometry": "POINT(-69 -67)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "Antarctic Peninsula; PENGUINS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; OCEAN CURRENTS", "locations": "Antarctic Peninsula", "north": -62.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Post Doc/Travel", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Gallagher, Katherine", "platforms": null, "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -72.0, "title": "OPP-PRF Pygoscelis Penguin Response to Potential Prey Retention along the West Antarctic Peninsula", "uid": "p0010349", "west": -78.0}, {"awards": "1744885 Moline, Mark", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-64.643 -64.703149,-64.5388975 -64.703149,-64.43479500000001 -64.703149,-64.3306925 -64.703149,-64.22659 -64.703149,-64.1224875 -64.703149,-64.018385 -64.703149,-63.9142825 -64.703149,-63.81018 -64.703149,-63.706077500000006 -64.703149,-63.601975 -64.703149,-63.601975 -64.7258003,-63.601975 -64.7484516,-63.601975 -64.77110289999999,-63.601975 -64.7937542,-63.601975 -64.8164055,-63.601975 -64.8390568,-63.601975 -64.86170809999999,-63.601975 -64.8843594,-63.601975 -64.9070107,-63.601975 -64.929662,-63.706077500000006 -64.929662,-63.81018 -64.929662,-63.9142825 -64.929662,-64.018385 -64.929662,-64.1224875 -64.929662,-64.22659 -64.929662,-64.3306925 -64.929662,-64.43479500000001 -64.929662,-64.5388975 -64.929662,-64.643 -64.929662,-64.643 -64.9070107,-64.643 -64.8843594,-64.643 -64.86170809999999,-64.643 -64.8390568,-64.643 -64.8164055,-64.643 -64.7937542,-64.643 -64.77110289999999,-64.643 -64.7484516,-64.643 -64.7258003,-64.643 -64.703149))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Mon, 18 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "This research project will use specially designed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to investigate interactions between Adelie and Gentoo penguins (the predators) and their primary food source, Antarctic krill (prey). While it has long been known that penguins feed on krill, details about how they search for food and target individual prey items is less well understood. Krill aggregate in large swarms, and the size or the depth of these swarms may influence the feeding behavior of penguins. Similarly, penguin feeding behaviors may differ based on characteristics of the environment, krill swarms, and the presence of other prey and predator species. This project will use specialized smart AUVs to simultaneously collect high-resolution observations of penguins, their prey, and environmental conditions. Data will shed light on strategies used by penguins prove foraging success during the critical summer chick-rearing period. This will improve predictions of how penguin populations may respond to changing environmental conditions in the rapidly warming Western Antarctic Peninsula region. Greater understanding of how individual behaviors shape food web structure can also inform conservation and management efforts in other marine ecosystems. This project has a robust public education and outreach plan linked with the Birch and Monterey Bay Aquariums.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003ePrevious studies have shown that sub-mesoscale variability (1-10 km) in Antarctic krill densities and structure impact the foraging behavior of air-breathing predators. However, there is little understanding of how krill aggregation characteristics are linked to abundance on fine spatial scales, how these patterns are influenced by the habitat, or how prey characteristics influences the foraging behavior of predators. These data gaps remain because it is extremely challenging to collect detailed data on predators and prey simultaneously at the scale of an individual krill patch and single foraging event. Building on previously successful efforts, this project will integrate echosounders into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), so that oceanographic variables and multi-frequency acoustic scattering from both prey and penguins can be collected simultaneously. This will allow for quantification of the environment at the scale of individual foraging events made by penguins during the critical 50+ day chick-rearing period. Work will be centered near Palmer Station, where long-term studies have provided significant insight into predator and prey population trends. The new data to be collected by this project will test hypotheses about how penguin prey selection and foraging behaviors are influenced by physical and biological features of their ocean habitat at extremely fine scale. By addressing the dynamic relationship between individual penguins, their prey, and habitat at the scale of individual foraging events, this study will begin to reveal the important processes regulating resource availability and identify what makes this region a profitable foraging habitat and breeding location.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003cbr/\u003eThis award reflects NSF\u0027s statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation\u0027s intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.", "east": -63.601975, "geometry": "POINT(-64.1224875 -64.8164055)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "COASTAL; COMMUNITY DYNAMICS; ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; Palmer Station; MICROALGAE; PENGUINS; ANIMALS/INVERTEBRATES", "locations": "Palmer Station", "north": -64.703149, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Moline, Mark; Benoit-Bird, Kelly; Cimino, Megan", "platforms": null, "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -64.929662, "title": "Collaborative Research: Linking Predator Behavior and Resource Distributions: Penguin-directed Exploration of an Ecological Hotspot", "uid": "p0010347", "west": -64.643}, {"awards": "1951500 Jenouvrier, Stephanie", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60))", "dataset_titles": null, "datasets": null, "date_created": "Wed, 08 Dec 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "Overview: To date, studies that have addressed the impacts of global changes have mainly focused on linking climate variability and/or human disturbances to individual life history traits, population dynamics or distribution. However, individual behavior and plasticity mediate these responses. The goal of this project is to understand mechanisms linking environmental changes (climate \u0026 fisheries)- behavioral personality type \u2013 plasticity in foraging behaviors- life history traits \u2013 population dynamics for a seabird breeding in the southern ocean: the wandering albatross. This project will also forecast the population structure and growth rate using the most detailed mechanistic model to date for any wild species incorporating behaviors in an eco-evolutionary context. Specifically, the investigators will (1) characterize the life history strategies along the shy-bold continuum of personalities and across environmental conditions; (2) understand the link between phenotypic plasticity in foraging effort and personality; (3) characterize the heritability of personality and foraging behaviors; (4) develop a stochastic eco-evolutionary model to understand and forecast the distribution of bold and shy individuals within the population and the resulting effect on population growth rate in a changing environment by integrating processes from goals 1, 2 and 3. To date, this has been hampered by the lack of long-term data on personality and life histories in any long-lived species in the wild. For the first time ever, we have tested in a controlled environment the response to a novel situation for ~1800 individuals for more than a decade to define individual personality variation along the shy-bold continuum that we can relate to the life history traits over the entire species life cycle using unique long-term individual mark-recapture data sets for this iconic polar species. The novelty of this project thus lies in the combination of personality, foraging and demographic data to understand and forecast population responses to global change using state-of-the-art statistical analysis and eco-evolutionary modeling approaches. \r\nIntellectual Merit: While there is ubiquitous evidence of personality differences across taxa, the implications for life-history are less clear, and the consequences for population dynamics virtually unexplored empirically. How the phenotypic distributions of personality and foraging behaviors types within a population is created and maintained by ecological (demographic and phenotypic plasticity) and evolutionary (heritability) processes remain an open question. Personality traits are a crucial link between how individuals acquire resources, and how they allocate these to reproduction and survival, and this trade-off drives population dynamics. However, although some studies have found different foraging behaviors or breeding performances between personality types, none have established the link between personality- foraging behaviors \u2013 life histories (both reproduction and survival, and their covariations) in the context of climate change. Furthermore plasticity in foraging behaviors is not considered in the pace-of-life syndrome, which has potentially hampered our ability to find covariation between personality and life history trade-off. Research into the heritability of personality traits has revealed a strong heritable component, but studies looking at the heritability of foraging behaviors are lacking. For the first time ever, this project will fill these knowledge gaps and integrate in an eco-evolutionary model the complex interaction among individual personality and foraging plasticity, heritability of personality and foraging behaviors, life history strategies, population dynamics in a changing environment (fisheries and climate). Furthermore, this project will provide for the first time projections of population size and structure under future global change using state-of-the-art climate projections from IPCC-class atmospheric-oceanic global circulation models.", "east": 180.0, "geometry": "POINT(0 -89.999)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "USAP-DC; NOT APPLICABLE; AMD; ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS; OCEAN TEMPERATURE; USA/NSF; Antarctica; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; AMD/US; PENGUINS", "locations": "Antarctica", "north": -60.0, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems; Antarctic Integrated System Science", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Patrick, Samantha", "platforms": "OTHER \u003e NOT APPLICABLE \u003e NOT APPLICABLE", "repositories": null, "science_programs": null, "south": -90.0, "title": "NSFGEO-NERC: Integrating Individual Personality Differences in the Evolutionary Ecology of a Seabird in the Rapidly Changing Polar Environment", "uid": "p0010283", "west": -180.0}, {"awards": "1746148 Sirovic, Ana", "bounds_geometry": "POLYGON((140 -65.5,140.8 -65.5,141.6 -65.5,142.4 -65.5,143.2 -65.5,144 -65.5,144.8 -65.5,145.6 -65.5,146.4 -65.5,147.2 -65.5,148 -65.5,148 -65.57,148 -65.64,148 -65.71,148 -65.78,148 -65.85,148 -65.92,148 -65.99,148 -66.06,148 -66.13,148 -66.2,147.2 -66.2,146.4 -66.2,145.6 -66.2,144.8 -66.2,144 -66.2,143.2 -66.2,142.4 -66.2,141.6 -66.2,140.8 -66.2,140 -66.2,140 -66.13,140 -66.06,140 -65.99,140 -65.92,140 -65.85,140 -65.78,140 -65.71,140 -65.64,140 -65.57,140 -65.5))", "dataset_titles": "Passive acoustic recording metadata from East Antarctica, Feb 2019", "datasets": [{"dataset_uid": "601465", "doi": "10.15784/601465", "keywords": "Antarctica; Cryosphere; East Antarctica", "people": "Sirovic, Ana", "repository": "USAP-DC", "science_program": null, "title": "Passive acoustic recording metadata from East Antarctica, Feb 2019", "url": "https://www.usap-dc.org/view/dataset/601465"}], "date_created": "Tue, 13 Jul 2021 00:00:00 GMT", "description": "In austral summer 2019, a 48 day, multi-country, interdisciplinary research voyage mapped Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whale, blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whale (B. physalus) distributions in particular off East Antarctica. We detected, tracked and localized blue whales and mapped prey fields in the vicinity of a fixed acoustic mooring that combined passive and active acoustics for collection of concurrent predator and prey data. By coupling moored data collection with the ship-based survey focusing on Antarctic blue whale behaviour and krill dynamics, we investigated the dynamics of blue whales and their prey. We found that the production of social calls, D calls of blue whales and 40 Hz calls of fin whales, was correlated with the krill biomass over a week-long period. ", "east": 148.0, "geometry": "POINT(144 -65.85)", "instruments": null, "is_usap_dc": true, "keywords": "AMD/US; AMD; USAP-DC; SPECIES/POPULATION INTERACTIONS; MAMMALS; PELAGIC; East Antarctica; USA/NSF; ACOUSTIC SCATTERING; FIELD SURVEYS; ARTHROPODS", "locations": "East Antarctica", "north": -65.5, "nsf_funding_programs": "Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems", "paleo_time": null, "persons": "Sirovic, Ana; Stafford, Kathleen", "platforms": "LAND-BASED PLATFORMS \u003e FIELD SITES \u003e FIELD SURVEYS", "repo": "USAP-DC", "repositories": "USAP-DC", "science_programs": null, "south": -66.2, "title": "EAGER: Collaborative Research: Acoustic Ecology of Foraging Antarctic Blue Whales in the Vicinity of Antarctic Krill", "uid": "p0010228", "west": 140.0}]
X
X
Help on the Results MapX
This window can be dragged by its header, and can be resized from the bottom right corner.
Clicking the Layers button - the blue square in the top left of the Results Map - will display a list of map layers you can add or remove
from the currently displayed map view.
The Results Map and the Results Table
- The Results Map displays the centroids of the geographic bounds of all the results returned by the search.
- Results that are displayed in the current map view will be highlighted in blue and brought to the top of the Results Table.
- As the map is panned or zoomed, the highlighted rows in the table will update.
- If you click on a centroid on the map, it will turn yellow and display a popup with details for that project/dataset - including a link to the landing page. The bounds for the project(s)/dataset(s) selected will be displayed in red. The selected result(s) will be highlighted in red and brought to the top of the table.
- The default table sorting order is: Selected, Visible, Date (descending), but this can be changed by clicking on column headers in the table.
- Selecting Show on Map for an individual row will both display the geographic bounds for that result on a mini map, and also display the bounds and highlight the centroid on the Results Map.
- Clicking the 'Show boundaries' checkbox at the top of the Results Map will display all the bounds for the filtered results.
Defining a search area on the Results Map
- If you click on the Rectangle or Polygon icons in the top right of the Results Map, you can define a search area which will be added to any other search criteria already selected.
- After you have drawn a polygon, you can edit it using the Edit Geometry dropdown in the search form at the top.
- Clicking Clear in the map will clear any drawn polygon.
- Clicking Search in the map, or Search on the form will have the same effect.
- The returned results will be any projects/datasets with bounds that intersect the polygon.
- Use the Exclude project/datasets checkbox to exclude any projects/datasets that cover the whole Antarctic region.
Viewing map layers on the Results Map
Older retrieved projects from AMD. Warning: many have incomplete information.
To sort the table of search results, click the header of the column you wish to search by. To sort by multiple columns, hold down the shift key whilst selecting the sort columns in order.
Project Title/Abstract/Map | NSF Award(s) | Date Created | PIs / Scientists | Dataset Links and Repositories | Abstract | Bounds Geometry | Geometry | Selected | Visible | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Collaborative Research: Harvesting Long-term Survey Data to Develop Zooplankton Distribution Models for the Antarctic Peninsula
|
2203177 2203176 |
2023-08-10 | Cimino, Megan; Steinberg, Deborah | No dataset link provided | Macrozooplankton are key contributors to marine ecosystem function, and combining empirical sampling and modeling will enable prediction of changing distribution patterns. Challenges in understanding alterations in distributions of these organisms are magnified in the Antarctic Peninsula (AP) ecosystem where ocean warming and sea-ice decline are assumed to drive range shifts in dominant taxa (e.g., krill, pteropods and salps), but functional relationships between zooplankton species distributions and environmental conditions remain uncertain. Therefore, we propose to leverage three decades of zooplankton abundance data and predator (seabird, whale and seal) sighting data from two main longterm survey programs to develop and evaluate predictive Zooplankton Distribution Models (ZDMs) along the AP (at least 60° S to 70° S, ~400,000 km2). To do this, we will adapt a successful machine learning modeling approach from the California Current ecosystem that utilizes bathymetric and oceanographic data to predict zooplankton species distributions. Our main outputs will be 1) a description of species spatiotemporal trends and abundance patterns, 2) a summary of overlap in zooplankton species and predator species distributions, and 3) the creation of a zooplankton mapping tool allowing for public viewing of past and future ZDM predictions. | POLYGON((-80 -60,-77 -60,-74 -60,-71 -60,-68 -60,-65 -60,-62 -60,-59 -60,-56 -60,-53 -60,-50 -60,-50 -61,-50 -62,-50 -63,-50 -64,-50 -65,-50 -66,-50 -67,-50 -68,-50 -69,-50 -70,-53 -70,-56 -70,-59 -70,-62 -70,-65 -70,-68 -70,-71 -70,-74 -70,-77 -70,-80 -70,-80 -69,-80 -68,-80 -67,-80 -66,-80 -65,-80 -64,-80 -63,-80 -62,-80 -61,-80 -60)) | POINT(-65 -65) | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: Climate, Changing Abundance and Species Interactions of Marine Birds and Mammals at South Georgia in Winter
|
2011285 2011454 |
2022-10-06 | Veit, Richard; Manne, Lisa; Santora, Jarrod | No dataset link provided | Part I: Non-technical description: Ocean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. This project will quantify the impact of the climate warming on seabirds. The study area is in South Georgia in the South Atlantic with the largest and most diverse seabird colonies in the world. Detecting and understanding how physics and biology interact to bring positive or negative population changes to seabirds has long challenged scientists. The team in this project hypothesizes that 1) Cold water seabird species decline while warm water species increase due to ocean warming observed in the last 30 years; 2) All species decrease with ocean warming, affecting how they interact with each other and in doing so, decreasing their chances of survival; and 3) Species profiles can be predicted using multiple environmental variables and models. To collect present-day data to compare with observations done in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2 cruises are planned in the austral winter; the personnel will include the three Principal Investigators, all experienced with sampling of seabirds, plankton and oceanography, with 2 graduate and 5 undergraduate students. Models will be developed based on the cruise data and the environmental change experienced in the last 30 years. The research will improve our understanding of seabird and marine mammal winter ecology, and how they interact with the environment. This project benefits NSF's goals to expand the fundamental knowledge of Antarctic systems, biota, and processes. The project will provide an exceptional opportunity to teach polar field skills to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to engage in the research cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change. Part II: Technical description: Ocean warming in the western Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Sea in winter is among the highest worldwide. Based on previous work, the Principal Investigators in this project want to test the hypothesis that warming would have decreased seabird abundance and species associations in the South Georgia region of the South Atlantic. A main premise of this proposal is that because of marine environmental change, the structure of the seabird communities has also changed, and potentially in a manner that has diminished the mutually beneficial dynamics of positive interactions, with subsequent consequences to fitness and population trends. The study is structured by 3 main objectives: 1) identify changes in krill, bird and mammal abundance that have occurred from previous sampling off both ends of South Georgia during winter in 1985, 1991 and 1993, 2) identify pairings of species that benefit each other in searching for prey, and quantify how such relationships have changed since 1985, and 3) make predictions about how these changes in species pairing might continue given predicted future changes in climate. The novelty of the approach is the conceptual model that inter-species associations inform birds of food availability and that the associations decrease if bird abundance decreases, thus warming could decrease overall population fitness. These studies will be essential to establish if behavioral patterns in seabird modulate their response to climate change. The project will provide exceptional educational opportunity to undergraduates by bringing 5 students to participate on the cruises. To further increase polar literacy training and educational impacts, broader impacts include the production of an educational documentary that will be coupled to field surveys to assess public perceptions about climate change. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | POLYGON((-39 -53,-38.6 -53,-38.2 -53,-37.8 -53,-37.4 -53,-37 -53,-36.6 -53,-36.2 -53,-35.8 -53,-35.4 -53,-35 -53,-35 -53.2,-35 -53.4,-35 -53.6,-35 -53.8,-35 -54,-35 -54.2,-35 -54.4,-35 -54.6,-35 -54.8,-35 -55,-35.4 -55,-35.8 -55,-36.2 -55,-36.6 -55,-37 -55,-37.4 -55,-37.8 -55,-38.2 -55,-38.6 -55,-39 -55,-39 -54.8,-39 -54.6,-39 -54.4,-39 -54.2,-39 -54,-39 -53.8,-39 -53.6,-39 -53.4,-39 -53.2,-39 -53)) | POINT(-37 -54) | false | false | |||
Move, Adapt, or Change: Examining the Adaptive Capacity of a Southern Ocean Apex Predator, the Leopard Seal
|
2146068 |
2022-09-12 | Kienle, Sarah; Trumble, Stephen J; Bonin, Carolina | No dataset link provided | The leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) is an enigmatic apex predator in the rapidly changing Southern Ocean. As top predators, leopard seals play a disproportionately large role in ecosystem functioning; they also act as sentinel species that can track abiotic and biotic habitat changes. How leopard seals respond to a warming environment depends on their adaptive capacity—a species’ ability to cope with environmental change. However, leopard seals are one of the least studied apex predators on earth, hindering our ability to predict how the species is responding to polar environmental changes. Therefore, our objective is to determine leopard seals’ adaptive capacity by quantifying their ability to move (dispersal ability), adapt (genetic diversity), and change (plasticity). In Aim 1, we will determine leopard seals’ dispersal ability by assessing their distribution and movement patterns. In Aim 2, we will quantify genetic diversity by analyzing genetic variability and population structure. In Aim 3, we will examine plasticity by evaluating changes in their ecological niche and physiological responses. We have assembled an international, multidisciplinary Antarctic-experienced team to analyze existing data (e.g., photographs, census data, life history data, tissue samples, body morphometrics) collected from leopard seals across the Southern Ocean (e.g., South Shetland Islands, east and west Antarctica) over the last decade. Land- and cruise ship-based field efforts will generate comparable data from unsampled regions (e.g., Antarctic Peninsula, Chile, New Zealand,). By analyzing these historical and contemporary datasets, we will evaluate the adaptive capacity of leopard seals against the rapidly warming Southern Ocean. | None | None | false | false | |||
Collaborative Research: The Drivers and Role of Immigration in the Dynamics of the Largest Population of Weddell Seals in Antarctica under Changing Conditions
|
2147553 2147554 1640481 |
2022-08-07 | Rotella, Jay; Chen, Nancy | No dataset link provided | Reliable predictions are needed for how populations of wild species, especially those at high latitudes, will respond to future environmental conditions. This study will use a strategic extension of the long-term demographic research program that has been conducted annually on the Erebus Bay population of Weddell seals since 1978 to help meet that need. Recent analyses of the study population indicate strong annual variation in reproduction, abundance, and population composition. The number of new immigrant mothers that join the population each year has recently grown such that most new mothers are now immigrants. Despite the growing number of immigrants, the demographic importance and geographic origins of immigrants are unknown. The research will (1) add new information on drivers of annual variation in immigrant numbers, (2) compare and combine information on the vital rates and demographic role of immigrant females and their offspring with that of locally born females, and (3) add genomic analyses that will quantify levels of genetic variation in and gene flow among the study population and other populations in the Ross Sea. The project will continue the long-term monitoring of the population at Erebus Bay and characterize population dynamics and the role of immigration using a combination of mark-recapture analyses, stochastic population modeling, and genomic analyses. The study will continue to (1) provide detailed data on individual seals to other science teams, (2) educate and mentor individuals in the next generation of ecologists, (3) introduce two early-career, female scientists to Antarctic research, and (4) add genomics approaches to the long-term population study of Erebus Bay Weddell seals. The Informal Science Education program will expand on the project’s recent and successful efforts by producing and delivering short-form videos through an interactive web portal and diverse social-media technologies. The Informal Science Education program will continue to update and add new topics to a multimedia-enhanced electronic book about the project’s research on Weddell seals that will be freely available to the public. The outreach efforts will increase the length of the book from ~140 to ~225 pages and add new topics such as learning about seals using genomics and how seals respond to a changing world. | POLYGON((162 -74.95,162.8 -74.95,163.6 -74.95,164.4 -74.95,165.2 -74.95,166 -74.95,166.8 -74.95,167.6 -74.95,168.4 -74.95,169.2 -74.95,170 -74.95,170 -75.295,170 -75.64,170 -75.985,170 -76.33,170 -76.67500000000001,170 -77.02000000000001,170 -77.36500000000001,170 -77.71000000000001,170 -78.055,170 -78.4,169.2 -78.4,168.4 -78.4,167.6 -78.4,166.8 -78.4,166 -78.4,165.2 -78.4,164.4 -78.4,163.6 -78.4,162.8 -78.4,162 -78.4,162 -78.055,162 -77.71000000000001,162 -77.36500000000001,162 -77.02000000000001,162 -76.67500000000001,162 -76.33,162 -75.985,162 -75.64,162 -75.295,162 -74.95)) | POINT(166 -76.67500000000001) | false | false | |||
OPP-PRF Pygoscelis Penguin Response to Potential Prey Retention along the West Antarctic Peninsula
|
2138277 |
2022-07-19 | Gallagher, Katherine | Pygoscelis penguins are central place foragers during the summer while they raise their chicks. They leave and return to the same colony location after hunting for food and rely on the availability of Antarctic krill, their primary food source. This research focuses on whether penguin diets and colony location reflect the retention of prey around and near colonies on the West Antarctic Peninsula. Eddies and other oceanographic processes may facilitate prey retention at certain locations, driving penguin colony establishment and success. This project hypothesizes that Pygoscelis penguin diets will be composed of more Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) when local prey retention is high, possibly due to subsurface eddies. This hypothesis will be tested using satellite-based estimates of Pygoscelis penguin diet composition using multispectral sensor data to estimate nitrogen values and infer trophic level. Prey retention will be calculated along the peninsula using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). Simulated particles and diel vertical migration will be used to mimic krill behavior. These particles can be experimentally seeded across multiple depths in multiple years to assess residence times in the system. Using penguin colony data from the Mapping Application for Penguin Populations and Projected Dynamics (MAPPPD), the PI will correlate diet and retention metrics to local penguin colony growth and persistence and build a predictive model of where colonies may form in the future. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | POLYGON((-78 -62,-76.2 -62,-74.4 -62,-72.6 -62,-70.8 -62,-69 -62,-67.2 -62,-65.4 -62,-63.6 -62,-61.8 -62,-60 -62,-60 -63,-60 -64,-60 -65,-60 -66,-60 -67,-60 -68,-60 -69,-60 -70,-60 -71,-60 -72,-61.8 -72,-63.6 -72,-65.4 -72,-67.2 -72,-69 -72,-70.8 -72,-72.6 -72,-74.4 -72,-76.2 -72,-78 -72,-78 -71,-78 -70,-78 -69,-78 -68,-78 -67,-78 -66,-78 -65,-78 -64,-78 -63,-78 -62)) | POINT(-69 -67) | false | false | ||||
Collaborative Research: Linking Predator Behavior and Resource Distributions: Penguin-directed Exploration of an Ecological Hotspot
|
1744885 |
2022-07-18 | Moline, Mark; Benoit-Bird, Kelly; Cimino, Megan | No dataset link provided | This research project will use specially designed autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) to investigate interactions between Adelie and Gentoo penguins (the predators) and their primary food source, Antarctic krill (prey). While it has long been known that penguins feed on krill, details about how they search for food and target individual prey items is less well understood. Krill aggregate in large swarms, and the size or the depth of these swarms may influence the feeding behavior of penguins. Similarly, penguin feeding behaviors may differ based on characteristics of the environment, krill swarms, and the presence of other prey and predator species. This project will use specialized smart AUVs to simultaneously collect high-resolution observations of penguins, their prey, and environmental conditions. Data will shed light on strategies used by penguins prove foraging success during the critical summer chick-rearing period. This will improve predictions of how penguin populations may respond to changing environmental conditions in the rapidly warming Western Antarctic Peninsula region. Greater understanding of how individual behaviors shape food web structure can also inform conservation and management efforts in other marine ecosystems. This project has a robust public education and outreach plan linked with the Birch and Monterey Bay Aquariums.<br/><br/>Previous studies have shown that sub-mesoscale variability (1-10 km) in Antarctic krill densities and structure impact the foraging behavior of air-breathing predators. However, there is little understanding of how krill aggregation characteristics are linked to abundance on fine spatial scales, how these patterns are influenced by the habitat, or how prey characteristics influences the foraging behavior of predators. These data gaps remain because it is extremely challenging to collect detailed data on predators and prey simultaneously at the scale of an individual krill patch and single foraging event. Building on previously successful efforts, this project will integrate echosounders into autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), so that oceanographic variables and multi-frequency acoustic scattering from both prey and penguins can be collected simultaneously. This will allow for quantification of the environment at the scale of individual foraging events made by penguins during the critical 50+ day chick-rearing period. Work will be centered near Palmer Station, where long-term studies have provided significant insight into predator and prey population trends. The new data to be collected by this project will test hypotheses about how penguin prey selection and foraging behaviors are influenced by physical and biological features of their ocean habitat at extremely fine scale. By addressing the dynamic relationship between individual penguins, their prey, and habitat at the scale of individual foraging events, this study will begin to reveal the important processes regulating resource availability and identify what makes this region a profitable foraging habitat and breeding location.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria. | POLYGON((-64.643 -64.703149,-64.5388975 -64.703149,-64.43479500000001 -64.703149,-64.3306925 -64.703149,-64.22659 -64.703149,-64.1224875 -64.703149,-64.018385 -64.703149,-63.9142825 -64.703149,-63.81018 -64.703149,-63.706077500000006 -64.703149,-63.601975 -64.703149,-63.601975 -64.7258003,-63.601975 -64.7484516,-63.601975 -64.77110289999999,-63.601975 -64.7937542,-63.601975 -64.8164055,-63.601975 -64.8390568,-63.601975 -64.86170809999999,-63.601975 -64.8843594,-63.601975 -64.9070107,-63.601975 -64.929662,-63.706077500000006 -64.929662,-63.81018 -64.929662,-63.9142825 -64.929662,-64.018385 -64.929662,-64.1224875 -64.929662,-64.22659 -64.929662,-64.3306925 -64.929662,-64.43479500000001 -64.929662,-64.5388975 -64.929662,-64.643 -64.929662,-64.643 -64.9070107,-64.643 -64.8843594,-64.643 -64.86170809999999,-64.643 -64.8390568,-64.643 -64.8164055,-64.643 -64.7937542,-64.643 -64.77110289999999,-64.643 -64.7484516,-64.643 -64.7258003,-64.643 -64.703149)) | POINT(-64.1224875 -64.8164055) | false | false | |||
NSFGEO-NERC: Integrating Individual Personality Differences in the Evolutionary Ecology of a Seabird in the Rapidly Changing Polar Environment
|
1951500 |
2021-12-08 | Jenouvrier, Stephanie; Patrick, Samantha | No dataset link provided | Overview: To date, studies that have addressed the impacts of global changes have mainly focused on linking climate variability and/or human disturbances to individual life history traits, population dynamics or distribution. However, individual behavior and plasticity mediate these responses. The goal of this project is to understand mechanisms linking environmental changes (climate & fisheries)- behavioral personality type – plasticity in foraging behaviors- life history traits – population dynamics for a seabird breeding in the southern ocean: the wandering albatross. This project will also forecast the population structure and growth rate using the most detailed mechanistic model to date for any wild species incorporating behaviors in an eco-evolutionary context. Specifically, the investigators will (1) characterize the life history strategies along the shy-bold continuum of personalities and across environmental conditions; (2) understand the link between phenotypic plasticity in foraging effort and personality; (3) characterize the heritability of personality and foraging behaviors; (4) develop a stochastic eco-evolutionary model to understand and forecast the distribution of bold and shy individuals within the population and the resulting effect on population growth rate in a changing environment by integrating processes from goals 1, 2 and 3. To date, this has been hampered by the lack of long-term data on personality and life histories in any long-lived species in the wild. For the first time ever, we have tested in a controlled environment the response to a novel situation for ~1800 individuals for more than a decade to define individual personality variation along the shy-bold continuum that we can relate to the life history traits over the entire species life cycle using unique long-term individual mark-recapture data sets for this iconic polar species. The novelty of this project thus lies in the combination of personality, foraging and demographic data to understand and forecast population responses to global change using state-of-the-art statistical analysis and eco-evolutionary modeling approaches. Intellectual Merit: While there is ubiquitous evidence of personality differences across taxa, the implications for life-history are less clear, and the consequences for population dynamics virtually unexplored empirically. How the phenotypic distributions of personality and foraging behaviors types within a population is created and maintained by ecological (demographic and phenotypic plasticity) and evolutionary (heritability) processes remain an open question. Personality traits are a crucial link between how individuals acquire resources, and how they allocate these to reproduction and survival, and this trade-off drives population dynamics. However, although some studies have found different foraging behaviors or breeding performances between personality types, none have established the link between personality- foraging behaviors – life histories (both reproduction and survival, and their covariations) in the context of climate change. Furthermore plasticity in foraging behaviors is not considered in the pace-of-life syndrome, which has potentially hampered our ability to find covariation between personality and life history trade-off. Research into the heritability of personality traits has revealed a strong heritable component, but studies looking at the heritability of foraging behaviors are lacking. For the first time ever, this project will fill these knowledge gaps and integrate in an eco-evolutionary model the complex interaction among individual personality and foraging plasticity, heritability of personality and foraging behaviors, life history strategies, population dynamics in a changing environment (fisheries and climate). Furthermore, this project will provide for the first time projections of population size and structure under future global change using state-of-the-art climate projections from IPCC-class atmospheric-oceanic global circulation models. | POLYGON((-180 -60,-144 -60,-108 -60,-72 -60,-36 -60,0 -60,36 -60,72 -60,108 -60,144 -60,180 -60,180 -63,180 -66,180 -69,180 -72,180 -75,180 -78,180 -81,180 -84,180 -87,180 -90,144 -90,108 -90,72 -90,36 -90,0 -90,-36 -90,-72 -90,-108 -90,-144 -90,-180 -90,-180 -87,-180 -84,-180 -81,-180 -78,-180 -75,-180 -72,-180 -69,-180 -66,-180 -63,-180 -60)) | POINT(0 -89.999) | false | false | |||
EAGER: Collaborative Research: Acoustic Ecology of Foraging Antarctic Blue Whales in the Vicinity of Antarctic Krill
|
1746148 |
2021-07-13 | Sirovic, Ana; Stafford, Kathleen |
|
In austral summer 2019, a 48 day, multi-country, interdisciplinary research voyage mapped Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) and baleen whale, blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin whale (B. physalus) distributions in particular off East Antarctica. We detected, tracked and localized blue whales and mapped prey fields in the vicinity of a fixed acoustic mooring that combined passive and active acoustics for collection of concurrent predator and prey data. By coupling moored data collection with the ship-based survey focusing on Antarctic blue whale behaviour and krill dynamics, we investigated the dynamics of blue whales and their prey. We found that the production of social calls, D calls of blue whales and 40 Hz calls of fin whales, was correlated with the krill biomass over a week-long period. | POLYGON((140 -65.5,140.8 -65.5,141.6 -65.5,142.4 -65.5,143.2 -65.5,144 -65.5,144.8 -65.5,145.6 -65.5,146.4 -65.5,147.2 -65.5,148 -65.5,148 -65.57,148 -65.64,148 -65.71,148 -65.78,148 -65.85,148 -65.92,148 -65.99,148 -66.06,148 -66.13,148 -66.2,147.2 -66.2,146.4 -66.2,145.6 -66.2,144.8 -66.2,144 -66.2,143.2 -66.2,142.4 -66.2,141.6 -66.2,140.8 -66.2,140 -66.2,140 -66.13,140 -66.06,140 -65.99,140 -65.92,140 -65.85,140 -65.78,140 -65.71,140 -65.64,140 -65.57,140 -65.5)) | POINT(144 -65.85) | false | false |