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Aerobic dive limit: how often does it occur in nature?
D P Costa1, N J Gales, M E Goebel
1Department of Biology, Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA.
Summary
Marine mammals like seals exceed their aerobic dive limits (ADL) when foraging. This study calculated ADL and compared it to dive behavior, revealing sea lions often surpass their physiological limits during benthic foraging.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Physiological ecology
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Diving animals provide insights into physiological constraints on behavior.
- The aerobic dive limit (ADL) is a key physiological parameter for diving species.
- ADL has been measured in only a limited number of species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the aerobic dive limit (ADL) for three otariid species.
- To compare calculated ADL (cADL) with actual diving behavior.
- To investigate the relationship between foraging strategy and dive limits.
Main Methods:
- Estimating cADL using body oxygen stores and metabolism data.
- Measuring diving behavior of Antarctic fur seals, Australian sea lions, and New Zealand sea lions.
- Correlating dive patterns, depth, and duration with cADL.
Main Results:
- Antarctic fur seals consistently dove within their cADL.
- Australian and New Zealand sea lions frequently exceeded their cADL, by 1.4 and 1.5 times respectively.
- Dive duration exceeding cADL correlated with individual dive patterns and benthic foraging.
Conclusions:
- Benthic foraging in Australian and New Zealand sea lions appears to necessitate exceeding their aerobic dive limits.
- Diving behavior, particularly for benthic foragers, can push physiological boundaries.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of exceeding ADL.