Wilmers Christopher C, Nickel Barry, Bryce Caleb M, Smith Justine A, Wheat Rachel E, Yovovich Veronica
Ecology. 2015 Jul;96(7):1741-53. doi: 10.1890/14-1401.1.
Great leaps forward in scientific understanding are often spurred by innovations in technology. The explosion of miniature sensors that are driving the boom in consumer electronics, such as smart phones, gaming platforms, and wearable fitness devices, are now becoming available to ecologists for remotely monitoring the activities of wild animals. While half a century ago researchers were attaching balloons to the backs of seals to measure their movement, today ecologists have access to an arsenal of sensors that can continuously measure most aspects of an animal's state (e.g., location, behavior, caloric expenditure, interactions with other animals) and external environment (e.g., temperature, salinity, depth). This technology is advancing our ability to study animal ecology by allowing researchers to (1) answer questions about the physiology, behavior, and ecology of wild animals in situ that would have previously been limited to tests on model organisms in highly controlled settings, (2) study cryptic or wide-ranging animals that have previously evaded investigation, and (3) develop and test entirely new theories. Here we explore how ecologists are using these tools to answer new questions about the physiological performance, energetics, foraging, migration, habitat selection, and sociality of wild animals, as well as collect data on the environments in which they live.
科学认知的巨大飞跃往往由技术创新所推动。推动消费电子产品（如智能手机、游戏平台和可穿戴健身设备）蓬勃发展的微型传感器激增，如今生态学家也可利用这些传感器远程监测野生动物的活动。半个世纪前，研究人员给海豹背上绑上气球来测量它们的活动，而如今生态学家拥有一系列传感器，能够持续测量动物状态（如位置、行为、热量消耗、与其他动物的互动）和外部环境（如温度、盐度、深度）的大部分方面。这项技术正在提升我们研究动物生态学的能力，使研究人员能够：（1）回答有关野生动物生理学、行为学和生态学的问题，这些问题以前仅限于在高度受控环境中对模式生物进行测试；（2）研究以前逃避调查的隐秘或分布广泛的动物；（3）开发和测试全新的理论。在此，我们探讨生态学家如何利用这些工具来回答有关野生动物生理性能、能量学、觅食、迁徙、栖息地选择和社交性的新问题，以及收集有关它们生存环境的数据。
