My colleagues and I are pleased to share our new publication in the Journal of Experimental Biology,

"Swimming and Diving Energetics in Dolphins: A stroke-by-stroke analysis for predicting the cost of flight responses in wild odontocetes." Terrie M. Williams et al., Journal of Experimental Biology 220, 1135-1145, doi:10.1242/jeb.154245 (2017).

In this collaborative study involving researchers from academia, aquariums, and the field we use a lab-to-field approach to understand the metabolic challenges of diving and swimming in odontocetes.  Measurements of active metabolic rates of bottlenose dolphins are compared to large and small odontocetes to create allometric regressions that allow investigators to translate accelerometer recordings of stroke frequency from dolphins and whales into energetic costs.  This technique is tested on published data for beaked whales exposed to experimental sonar, and demonstrates the physiological impact of oceanic noise on this species with ensuing conservation implications.

For more information and the pdf of this paper contact williams@biology.ucsc.edu.

Best Regards,

Terrie M. Williams

Center for Ocean Health, UCSC