Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
8870655 | Marine Pollution Bulletin | 2018 | 8 Pages |
Abstract
To fully understand the impact of oil exposure, it is important to understand sublethal effects like how increased thermoregulatory costs may affect survival and reproduction. However, it is difficult and time-consuming to measure these effects in wild animals. We present a novel use of a bioenergetics model, Niche Mapperâ¢, to estimate thermoregulatory impacts of oiling, using data from captive Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) experimentally exposed to oil. Oiled cormorants had significant increases in surface body temperatures following exposure. Niche Mapper accurately predicted surface temperatures and metabolic rates for unoiled and oiled cormorants and predicted 13-18% increased daily energetic demands due to increased thermoregulatory costs of oiling, consistent with increased food consumption observed in experimentally oiled cormorants. We show that Niche Mapper can provide valuable insight into sublethal oiling effects by quantifying the extent to which thermoregulatory costs divert energy resources away from important life processes like maintenance, reproduction and migration.
Related Topics
Physical Sciences and Engineering
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Oceanography
Authors
Paul D. Mathewson, Katie C. Hanson-Dorr, Warren P. Porter, Steven J. Bursian, Karen M. Dean, Kate Healy, Katherine Horak, Jane E. Link, K.E. Harr, Brian S. Dorr,