California Conservation Genomics Project, 2020-2022, $50,000
Re-tracing the genomic evolution of a conservation success story, the northern elephant seal
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Co-PIs: Dan Costa, Carlos Garza, Jeff Wall
The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is endemic to the Californias and is a keystone species in the nearshore and pelagic marine habitats of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Reduced genetic variability is predicted to compromise the population viability of species, but some species have persisted despite low levels of genetic variation from population bottlenecks, founder events, and inbreeding. A lack of substantial genetic variability has not limited the phenomenal population recovery of northern elephant seals, which have grown exponentially since near extinction in the late 1800s. Understanding the patterns of elephant seal genomic diversity is crucial to fully understand how responses to environmental change are occurring, and how they are affected by gene flow, especially if gene frequencies differ between populations. Northern elephant seals can serve as a model for understanding how genomic variation has been re-generated after a severe population bottleneck, despite a slow generation time (~3.5 years). Our goal is to assess genome-wide diversity across the geographic range of the northern elephant seal in the Californias. The findings will have implications for the conservation of rare or endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction, and could provide guidance for the conservation of biodiversity (e.g., translocations).
Illustration by Sonja Pinck.
Re-tracing the genomic evolution of a conservation success story, the northern elephant seal
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Co-PIs: Dan Costa, Carlos Garza, Jeff Wall
The northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris) is endemic to the Californias and is a keystone species in the nearshore and pelagic marine habitats of the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Reduced genetic variability is predicted to compromise the population viability of species, but some species have persisted despite low levels of genetic variation from population bottlenecks, founder events, and inbreeding. A lack of substantial genetic variability has not limited the phenomenal population recovery of northern elephant seals, which have grown exponentially since near extinction in the late 1800s. Understanding the patterns of elephant seal genomic diversity is crucial to fully understand how responses to environmental change are occurring, and how they are affected by gene flow, especially if gene frequencies differ between populations. Northern elephant seals can serve as a model for understanding how genomic variation has been re-generated after a severe population bottleneck, despite a slow generation time (~3.5 years). Our goal is to assess genome-wide diversity across the geographic range of the northern elephant seal in the Californias. The findings will have implications for the conservation of rare or endangered species, in which low genetic diversity could increase the odds of extinction, and could provide guidance for the conservation of biodiversity (e.g., translocations).
Illustration by Sonja Pinck.
Beckman Young Investigator award, 2021-2025, $600,000
A novel acoustic recorder for eavesdropping on the ocean soundscape
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Partners: Holger Klinck, Dan Costa
Man-made sounds disrupt and, in extreme cases, kill marine mammals around the world. However, the ocean soundscape as a whole remains poorly understood, especially in offshore regions. To characterize the natural and human-generated sounds that marine vertebrates experience, and to measure the detrimental impacts of anthropogenic noise, we will develop and implement groundbreaking new technology - a miniature, self-contained acoustic recorder designed for underwater applications. By attaching this new technology to wild elephant seals that migrate ~10,000-kilometers each year, we will provide the first large-scale recordings of the open ocean and the twilight zone (200-1000 meters below the ocean surface). Each new tag will provide ~70 days of audio recordings for only $5,000, approximately 100 times cheaper and infinitely less noisy than the vessels used for traditional acoustic surveys. This project would represent the first long-term application of animals as platforms for recording sound. By enabling more comprehensive monitoring of ocean noise and revealing the most prevalent and harmful sound sources, we will provide valuable recommendations for marine mammal conservation, including the designation of future Marine Protected Areas.
Illustration by Danielle Dube.
A novel acoustic recorder for eavesdropping on the ocean soundscape
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Partners: Holger Klinck, Dan Costa
Man-made sounds disrupt and, in extreme cases, kill marine mammals around the world. However, the ocean soundscape as a whole remains poorly understood, especially in offshore regions. To characterize the natural and human-generated sounds that marine vertebrates experience, and to measure the detrimental impacts of anthropogenic noise, we will develop and implement groundbreaking new technology - a miniature, self-contained acoustic recorder designed for underwater applications. By attaching this new technology to wild elephant seals that migrate ~10,000-kilometers each year, we will provide the first large-scale recordings of the open ocean and the twilight zone (200-1000 meters below the ocean surface). Each new tag will provide ~70 days of audio recordings for only $5,000, approximately 100 times cheaper and infinitely less noisy than the vessels used for traditional acoustic surveys. This project would represent the first long-term application of animals as platforms for recording sound. By enabling more comprehensive monitoring of ocean noise and revealing the most prevalent and harmful sound sources, we will provide valuable recommendations for marine mammal conservation, including the designation of future Marine Protected Areas.
Illustration by Danielle Dube.
National Science Foundation, 2021-2025, $1,203,543
Rules of death across ontogeny in sexually dimorphic mammals
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Co-PI: Dan Costa
Subawardees: Nicole Thometz, Sarah Kienle
For sexually size dimorphic species, it is unknown how ecological processes such as starvation and predation act upon the disparate physiological and behavioral phenotypes of males and females. This project aims to determine how male and female body size differences throughout ontogeny lead to divergent use of the risk-reward landscape. Male and female northern elephant seals will be anesthetized, measured, weighed, instrumented, and sampled from birth through age four. The resulting data will link three biological disciplines: physiological measurements of diving development and energy demands, behavioral partitioning of 3-dimensional space use and diet due to physiological constraints, and ecological consequences of variation in physiology and niche partitioning. A meta-analysis across all seal, sea lion, and walrus species will be used to evaluate how sex-specific mortality rates correlate with the degree of polygyny and sexual size dimorphism more broadly. Together, these aims will determine how ecological risk and reward interact with physiological constraints to drive the ontogenetic development of behavioral strategies in sexually dimorphic mammals.
Rules of death across ontogeny in sexually dimorphic mammals
PI: Roxanne Beltran
Co-PI: Dan Costa
Subawardees: Nicole Thometz, Sarah Kienle
For sexually size dimorphic species, it is unknown how ecological processes such as starvation and predation act upon the disparate physiological and behavioral phenotypes of males and females. This project aims to determine how male and female body size differences throughout ontogeny lead to divergent use of the risk-reward landscape. Male and female northern elephant seals will be anesthetized, measured, weighed, instrumented, and sampled from birth through age four. The resulting data will link three biological disciplines: physiological measurements of diving development and energy demands, behavioral partitioning of 3-dimensional space use and diet due to physiological constraints, and ecological consequences of variation in physiology and niche partitioning. A meta-analysis across all seal, sea lion, and walrus species will be used to evaluate how sex-specific mortality rates correlate with the degree of polygyny and sexual size dimorphism more broadly. Together, these aims will determine how ecological risk and reward interact with physiological constraints to drive the ontogenetic development of behavioral strategies in sexually dimorphic mammals.