Conservation energetics of beluga whales: using resting and swimming metabolism to understand threats to an endangered population

Author:

John Jason S.1,Christen Dennis R.2,Flammer Katherine L.2,Kendall Traci L.1ORCID,Nazario Emily C.1,Richter Beau P.1,Gill Verena3,Williams Terrie M.1ORCID

Affiliation:

1. University of California, Santa Cruz 1 , Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 130 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA

2. Georgia Aquarium 2 , 225 Baker Street Northwest, Atlanta, GA 30313, USA

3. NOAA Fisheries 3 , 222 W. 7th Ave, Anchorage, AK 99501, USA

Abstract

ABSTRACT The balance between energetic costs and acquisition in free-ranging species is essential for survival, and provides important insights regarding the physiological impact of anthropogenic disturbances on wild animals. For marine mammals such as beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), the first step in modeling this bioenergetic balance requires an examination of resting and active metabolic demands. Here, we used open-flow respirometry to measure oxygen consumption during surface rest and submerged swimming by trained beluga whales, and compared these measurements with those of a commonly studied odontocete, the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). Both resting metabolic rate (3012±126.0 kJ h−1) and total cost of transport (1.4±0.1 J kg−1 m−1) of beluga whales were consistent with predicted values for moderately sized marine mammals in temperate to cold-water environments, including dolphins measured in the present study. By coupling the rate of oxygen consumption during submerged swimming with locomotor metrics from animal-borne accelerometer tags, we developed predictive relationships for assessing energetic costs from swim speed, stroke rate and partial dynamic acceleration. Combining these energetic data with calculated aerobic dive limits for beluga whales (8.8 min), we found that high-speed responses to disturbance markedly reduce the whale's capacity for prolonged submergence, pushing the cetaceans to costly anaerobic performances that require prolonged recovery periods. Together, these species-specific energetic measurements for beluga whales provide two important metrics, gait-related locomotor costs and aerobic capacity limits, for identifying relative levels of physiological vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbances that have become increasingly pervasive in their Arctic habitats.

Funder

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Office of Naval Research

Publisher

The Company of Biologists

Cited by 1 articles. 订阅此论文施引文献 订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献

1. Marine mammal metabolic measures could help save species;Journal of Experimental Biology;2024-03-01

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