MuFFIN · Modelling Foraging Fitness in Marine predators

MuFFIN - Modelling Foraging Fitness in Marine predators

Climate change poses a serious threat to the Earth's ecosystems, both on land and at sea. In particular, the impact of climate change on sensitive systems or those in extreme climatic conditions (e.g. polar and high mountain regions) is occurring earlier and with greater intensity. In recent years, rapid advances in automatic sensing technologies have revolutionised the way ecological information is collected. Examples of these innovations are the use of devices attached to animals (bio-logging) and remote sensing systems, used to monitor animal movements and environmental features. However, to date, it is not yet known how species interact with their environment and respond to environmental changes. This information is crucial when assessing the status of populations and providing guidelines for monitoring and conservation. The species studied in this project are considered 'sentinels of ecosystem changes'. As marine predators at the top of the food chain, their ecology, behaviour and population trends tell us about the health of marine ecosystems. Successful monitoring and conservation projects rely on long-term data sets and robust analytical tools to provide insights into the state of ecosystems, contributing to the goals of (i) understanding and mitigating the impact of human activities on ecosystems, (ii) maintain species diversity, (iii) providing societal benefits and opportunities for education, and (iv) meeting European and global directives on good environmental status. Using long term bio-logging and remote sensing datasets we can now answer questions related to how individual animals move in space and time, how they interact with their immediate surroundings and how wild populations respond to changes in environmental variability. This research project aimed at bridging the gap between individual movements and population dynamics and hence, inform conservation efforts. In MuFFIN (Modelling Foraging Fitness in Marine Predators) I made use of, and contributed to, data collected via long term species monitoring programs hosted by the Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), France. I focused my research on three species of marine top predators: Little penguins (Eudyptula minor), southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) and Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) for which the longest high resolution bio-logging datasets exist. I aimed at quantifying the variation of foraging behaviour across spatio-temporal scales, highlighting long-term consequences on habitat use, foraging plasticity and fitness, linking the movement of individuals to population processes.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union