Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas, Austin, TX, USA.
Science. 2024 May 17;384(6697):798-802. doi: 10.1126/science.adj6608. Epub 2024 May 16.
Although tool use may enhance resource utilization, its fitness benefits are difficult to measure. By examining longitudinal data from 196 radio-tagged southern sea otters (), we found that tool-using individuals, particularly females, gained access to larger and/or harder-shelled prey. These mechanical advantages translated to reduced tooth damage during food processing. We also found that tool use diminishes trade-offs between access to different prey, tooth condition, and energy intake, all of which are dependent on the relative prey availability in the environment. Tool use allowed individuals to maintain energetic requirements through the processing of alternative prey that are typically inaccessible with biting alone, suggesting that this behavior is a necessity for the survival of some otters in environments where preferred prey are depleted.
虽然工具的使用可以提高资源利用率,但它对适应度的好处却很难衡量。通过对 196 只佩戴无线电项圈的南象海豹的纵向数据进行分析,我们发现使用工具的个体,尤其是雌性个体,能够获得更大或壳更硬的猎物。这些机械优势转化为在处理食物时减少牙齿损伤。我们还发现,工具的使用减少了获取不同猎物、牙齿状况和能量摄入之间的权衡,所有这些都取决于环境中相对猎物的可获得性。工具的使用使个体能够通过处理通常无法单独用咬来获取的替代猎物来维持能量需求,这表明在优先猎物耗尽的环境中,这种行为是一些海豹生存的必要条件。