scholarly journals Integrating Biologging and Behavioral State Modeling to Identify Cryptic Behaviors and Post-capture Recovery Processes: New Insights From a Threatened Marine Apex Predator

2022 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Grainger ◽  
David Raubenheimer ◽  
Victor M. Peddemors ◽  
Paul A. Butcher ◽  
Gabriel E. Machovsky-Capuska

Multisensor biologging provides a powerful tool for ecological research, enabling fine-scale observation of animals to directly link physiology and movement to behavior across ecological contexts. However, applied research into behavioral disturbance and recovery following human interventions (e.g., capture and translocation) has mostly relied on coarse location-based tracking or unidimensional approaches (e.g., dive profiles and activity/energetic metrics) that may not resolve behaviors and recovery processes. Biologging can improve insights into both disturbed and natural behavior, which is critical for management and conservation initiatives, although challenges remain in objectively identifying distinct behavioral modes from complex multisensor datasets. Using white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) released from a non-lethal catch-and-release shark bite mitigation program, we explored how combining multisensor biologging (video, depth, accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers), track reconstruction and behavioral state modeling using hidden Markov models (HMMs) can improve our understanding of behavioral processes and recovery. Biologging tags were deployed on eight white sharks, recording their continuous behaviors, movements, and environmental context (habitat, interactions with other organisms/objects) for periods of 10–87 h post-release. Dive profiles and tailbeat analysis (as a standard, activity-based method for assessing recovery) indicated an immediate “disturbed” period of offshore movement, displaying rapid tailbeats and an average tailbeat-derived recovery period of 9.7 h, with evidence of smaller individuals having longer recoveries. However, further integrating magnetometer-derived headings, track reconstruction and HMM modeling revealed a cryptic shift to diurnal clockwise-counterclockwise circling behavior, which we argue represents compelling new evidence for hypothesized unihemispheric sleep amongst elasmobranchs. By simultaneously providing critical information toward conservation-focused shark management and understudied aspects of shark behavior, our study highlights how integrating multisensor information through HMMs can improve our understanding of both post-release and natural behavior, especially in species that are difficult to observe directly.

2003 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-246 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Isabel Ramírez ◽  
Joaquín G Azcárate ◽  
Laura Luna

Since the monarch butterfly overwintering habitat was discovered in the mountainous fir forests in central Mexico three presidential decrees have been issued (1980, 1986, 2001) to protect it. But these forests are the source of livelihood for many local people, whose activities (wood extraction and clearance for subsistence farming) represent a major threat to the forests, and thus to the butterfly population. This study identifies important deforestation, disturbance, and recovery processes caused by human activities in the protected areas and their surroundings. Contrary to our expectations, the protected areas have been most negatively affected by human activities, whereas areas devoted to multiple uses have been more adequately preserved. Key words: monarch butterfly habitat, deforestation, forest disturbance, protected areas


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frances E. Buderman ◽  
Tess M. Gingery ◽  
Duane R. Diefenbach ◽  
Laura C. Gigliotti ◽  
Danielle Begley-Miller ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Identifying the behavioral state for wild animals that can’t be directly observed is of growing interest to the ecological community. Advances in telemetry technology and statistical methodologies allow researchers to use space-use and movement metrics to infer the underlying, latent, behavioral state of an animal without direct observations. For example, researchers studying ungulate ecology have started using these methods to quantify behaviors related to mating strategies. However, little work has been done to determine if assumed behaviors inferred from movement and space-use patterns correspond to actual behaviors of individuals. Methods Using a dataset with male and female white-tailed deer location data, we evaluated the ability of these two methods to correctly identify male-female interaction events (MFIEs). We identified MFIEs using the proximity of their locations in space as indicators of when mating could have occurred. We then tested the ability of utilization distributions (UDs) and hidden Markov models (HMMs) rendered with single sex location data to identify these events. Results For white-tailed deer, male and female space-use and movement behavior did not vary consistently when with a potential mate. There was no evidence that a probability contour threshold based on UD volume applied to an individual’s UD could be used to identify MFIEs. Additionally, HMMs were unable to identify MFIEs, as single MFIEs were often split across multiple states and the primary state of each MFIE was not consistent across events. Conclusions Caution is warranted when interpreting behavioral insights rendered from statistical models applied to location data, particularly when there is no form of validation data. For these models to detect latent behaviors, the individual needs to exhibit a consistently different type of space-use and movement when engaged in the behavior. Unvalidated assumptions about that relationship may lead to incorrect inference about mating strategies or other behaviors.


<em>Abstract</em>.—Traditional approaches for assessing the effects of catch-and-release angling have focused either on hooking injury, mortality associated with different handling and environmental conditions, or biochemical indicators of short-term stress response and recovery. These methodologies do not permit the collection of real-time data on the sub-lethal effects and recovery period associated with the angling event, nor do they provide information on long-term fitness impacts to angled individuals. The advent of hard-wired, archival, and telemetered technologies capable of collecting information on fish location, locomotory activity, cardiac function, and various environmental parameters provides researchers with powerful methodologies for monitoring the response of individual fish to different stressors. These technologies and approaches have been used primarily with freshwater fishes, but they may be applicable to marine environments. Compared with freshwater systems, there are unquestionably some additional challenges due to unique characteristics of the marine habitat (e.g., depth, vastness, salinity) and behaviors of marine fishes (e.g., migratory patterns). Irrespective of the challenges, fisheries scientists must begin to look beyond hooking mortality as an endpoint for assessing the success of a catch-and-release angling program. Studies need to be conducted that provide real-time information on sublethal physiological effects, disruptions in behavior, and long-term impacts on the fitness (lifetime reproductive success) of released fish. Despite the fact that managers are usually concerned with population level effects, additional individuallevel comprehensive studies are required before we can attempt to understand if and how catch-and-release angling affects populations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 785-797 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Hayes ◽  
K. A. Shearer ◽  
E. O. Goodwin ◽  
J. Hay ◽  
C. Allen ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
pp. 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Martínez ◽  
E. Chuvieco ◽  
I. Aguado ◽  
J. Salas

<p>The main objective of this study is to take a close look at post-fire recovery patterns in forestry areas under different burn severity conditions. We also investigate the time that forestry ecosystems take to recover their pre-fire condition. In this context, this study analyses both the level of severity in Uncastillo forest wildfire (7.664ha), one of the greatest occurred in Spain in 1994, and the pattern of natural recovery in the following decades (until 2014) using annual Landsat time series (sensors TM&amp;ETM+). Burn severity has been estimated by means of PROSPECT and GeoSAIL radiative transfer models following methodologies described in De Santis and Chuvieco (2009). On the other hand, recovery processes have been assessed from spectral profiles using the LandTrendr model (Landsat-based Detection of Trends in Disturbance and Recovery) (Kennedy et al., 2010). Results contribute to a further understanding of the post-fire evolution in forestry areas and to develop effective strategies for sustainable forest management.</p>


Author(s):  
Sergey Pitsul

At the present time the question about using plasma from donors who have had a coronavirus infection and from those with the specific antibodies for transfusion to patients in the acute stage of the process is being repeatedly raised on the background of the worldwide fight against coronavirus. They were the first to resort to such practices in St. Petersburg in Russia, however, it is too early to talk about any high-efficiency transfusions. It is necessary to take into account the fact that in the presence of three hundred patients who need transfusion of immune plasma, an antibody titer has been detected in only 12 donors. Given the existing circumstances, it is necessary to remember about the importance of observing the intervals between donations, whether it is plasma or whole blood. Failure to comply with these intervals, the lack of regular monitoring of clinical and biochemical blood parameters in donors, failure to comply with recommendations for observing the diet and rest between donations can lead to decompensation of recovery processes and seriously affect health of the donor. Donor rehabilitation during the recovery period requires normalization of the diet, and in some cases oral administration of preparations.


1978 ◽  
Vol 48 ◽  
pp. 31-35
Author(s):  
R. B. Hanson

Several outstanding problems affecting the existing parallaxes should be resolved to form a coherent system for the new General Catalogue proposed by van Altena, as well as to improve luminosity calibrations and other parallax applications. Lutz has reviewed several of these problems, such as: (A) systematic differences between observatories, (B) external error estimates, (C) the absolute zero point, and (D) systematic observational effects (in right ascension, declination, apparent magnitude, etc.). Here we explore the use of cluster and spectroscopic parallaxes, and the distributions of observed parallaxes, to bring new evidence to bear on these classic problems. Several preliminary results have been obtained.


2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (9) ◽  
pp. 36
Author(s):  
BRUCE JANCIN
Keyword(s):  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document