Methods for studying the energetics of freely diving animals

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Abstract
Advances in instrumentation and labeled water methodologies are providing new insights into at-sea behavior and energetics of freely diving animals. Used concurrently, these approaches can add significantly to our understanding of the physiological ecology of diving animals. In this paper I review existing information on at-sea behavior and free-ranging metabolism of diving mammals and birds, and discuss the methods available to assess at-sea diving food consumption, energy expenditure, and behavior. Finally, using the limited available data for northern fur seals, I present approaches for the analysis of concurrently collected data on at-sea metabolism and diving behavior. These include estimation of prey capture success per dive, rate of energy acquisition per dive, time–energy budget analysis, and diving metabolic rate derived from regression analysis. I hope that this discussion will stimulate interest in a potentially powerful method of understanding the physiology and ecology of freely diving animals in nature.

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