Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, Fisheries NSW, Taylors Beach, New South Wales, Australia ; School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
PLoS One. 2013 Nov 18;8(11):e80962. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0080962. eCollection 2013.
Animal activity patterns evolve as an optimal balance between energy use, energy acquisition, and predation risk, so understanding how animals partition activity relative to extrinsic environmental fluctuations is central to understanding their ecology, biology and physiology. Here we use accelerometry to examine the degree to which activity patterns of an estuarine teleost predator are driven by a series of rhythmic and arrhythmic environmental fluctuations. We implanted free-ranging bream Acanthopagrus australis with acoustic transmitters that measured bi-axial acceleration and pressure (depth), and simultaneously monitored a series of environmental variables (photosynthetically active radiation, tidal height, temperature, turbidity, and lunar phase) for a period of approximately four months. Linear modeling showed an interaction between fish activity, light level and tidal height; with activity rates also negatively correlated with fish depth. These patterns highlight the relatively-complex trade-offs that are required to persist in highly variable environments. This study demonstrates how novel acoustic sensor tags can reveal interactive links between environmental cycles and animal behavior.
动物的活动模式是在能量利用、能量获取和被捕食风险之间达到最佳平衡而进化的，因此，了解动物如何相对于外在环境波动分配活动，对于理解它们的生态学、生物学和生理学至关重要。在这里，我们使用加速度计来研究一系列有节奏和无节奏的环境波动对河口鱼类捕食者的活动模式的驱动程度。我们将声学发射器植入自由游动的鲷鱼 Acanthopagrus australis 体内，该发射器测量双轴加速度和压力（深度），同时监测大约四个月的一系列环境变量（光合有效辐射、潮汐高度、温度、浊度和月相）。线性模型显示鱼类活动、光照水平和潮汐高度之间存在相互作用；活动率也与鱼类深度呈负相关。这些模式突出了在高度变化的环境中生存所需的相对复杂的权衡。这项研究展示了新型声学传感器标签如何揭示环境周期和动物行为之间的互动联系。
