Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 11, 2026
11:56
Training Rats to Voluntarily Dive Underwater: Investigations of the Mammalian Diving Response
Published on: November 12, 2014
Habitat-mediated dive behavior in free-ranging grey seals
Mark Jessopp1, Michelle Cronin, Tom Hart
1Coastal & Marine Research Centre, Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland. mjessopp@gmail.com
Plos One
|May 14, 2013
Summary
Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) adjust foraging behavior based on habitat. They perform benthic dives over complex rock and pelagic dives over fine sediments, influencing conservation strategies.
Area of Science:
- Marine biology
- Ecology
- Animal behavior
Background:
- Understanding foraging behavior and habitat use is crucial for marine ecosystem functioning.
- Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are key marine predators whose resource needs are vital to study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the habitat use and dive behavior of free-ranging grey seals.
- To link individual dive characteristics with environmental correlates.
Main Methods:
- Eight female grey seals were tagged with time-depth recorders and GPS tags.
- Dive data were analyzed alongside environmental factors and substrate type.
- Markov chain analysis was used to determine dive state transition probabilities.
Main Results:
- 69% of dives in waters >50m were benthic.
- Pelagic dives were more frequent at night and over fine sediments (mud/sand).
- Benthic dives occurred more frequently over complex rock substrates.
Conclusions:
- Grey seal foraging behavior is substrate-dependent, with implications for trophic interactions.
- This research can inform predictions in data-poor areas and address resource competition with fisheries.
- Effective conservation of grey seals requires understanding their habitat-specific foraging strategies.
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02:31Habitat Fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.
01:06Fixed Action Patterns
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is a specific, hard-wired sequence of behaviors that occurs in response to an external stimulus, called a sign stimulus. The behavior is “fixed” because it is essentially unchangeable—proceeding similarly across individuals of a species every time it occurs.